Enhancing Sustainability in Watershed Management: Spatiotemporal Assessment of Baseflow Alpha Factor in SWAT

Jimin Lee, Jeongho Han, Seoro Lee, Jonggun Kim, Eun Hye Na, Bernard Engel and Kyoung Jae Lim ()
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Jimin Lee: Water Environmental Research Department, National Institute of Environmental Research (NIER), Hwangyong-ro 42, Seogu, Incheon 22689, Republic of Korea
Jeongho Han: Agriculture and Life Sciences Research Institute, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon-si 24341, Republic of Korea
Seoro Lee: Department of Regional Infrastructure Engineering, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon-si 24341, Republic of Korea
Jonggun Kim: Department of Regional Infrastructure Engineering, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon-si 24341, Republic of Korea
Eun Hye Na: Water Environmental Research Department, National Institute of Environmental Research (NIER), Hwangyong-ro 42, Seogu, Incheon 22689, Republic of Korea
Bernard Engel: Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
Kyoung Jae Lim: Department of Regional Infrastructure Engineering, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon-si 24341, Republic of Korea

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 21, 1-17

Abstract: The increasing frequency of extreme rainfall events poses significant challenges to sustainable water resource management, leading to severe natural disasters. To mitigate these challenges, understanding the hydrological characteristics of watersheds, especially baseflow, is critical for enhancing watershed resilience and supporting sustainable water quality and resource management. However, conventional watershed models often neglect the accurate simulation of baseflow recession. This study proposes a method for calculating and applying the alpha factor for each hydrologic response unit (HRU) in the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT), considering both temporal and spatial variability in baseflow. The study watershed has undergone significant development, increasing the need for effective water management strategies that promote long-term sustainability. The alpha factor was computed using BFlow2021, and its effectiveness was evaluated by comparing recession and baseflow estimates under different methods. The results indicate that incorporating monthly HRU-specific alpha factors significantly improves model predictions of recession characteristics, highlighting the need for a more spatially and temporally detailed approach in hydrological modeling. The proposed methodology can help clarify the connection between recession and baseflow and can be applied to ungauged stations, offering a valuable tool for sustainable watershed and water quality management.

Keywords: alpha factor; baseflow; hydrologic response unit; recession; SWAT; sustainable water resource (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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