Hydrological simulation with SWAT and VIC Models in the Verde River Watershed, Minas Gerais

Abstract

<jats:p>Successful streamflow forecasts depend on an adequate performance evaluation of the hydrological model. In this study, the hydrological responses were compared using two hydrological models, physic-based and semi-distributed, Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) and Variable Infiltration Capacity (VIC), using input data from the Verde River Watershed, located in the Minas Gerais state in southern Brazil. This is a study of one of the most important headwater watershed regions of Brazil (Mantiqueira Range). Both models were suitable for streamflow simulation, with values of R2 (determination coefficient) and NSE (Nash-Sutcliffe) higher than 0.8, NSELog higher than 0.35 (Nash–Sutcliffe Efficiency of the logarithmic values of discharge) and PBIAS (percentage deviation) less than 25%. The integration of SWAT and VIC models can be useful in different water-resource assessment studies. Therefore, based upon this study further investigations should be conducted using various hydrological models and climate, land-use and land-cover changes scenarios in the region.</jats:p>

Hydrological modeling in a basin of the Brazilian Cerrado biome

“…Rodrigues et al (2020) applied a SWAT model to simulate the monthly streamflow for three basins of the Brazilian Cerrado biome. Alvarenga et al (2020) compared the SWAT and Variable Infiltration Capacity (VIC) models in the monthly streamflow simulation for the Verde River Watershed, located in the Minas Gerais state in southern Brazil. However, despite the wide use of the SWAT model, it requires a large amount of temporal and spatial data, maps, and input parameters, that are sometimes hard to predict (Makwana and Tiwari, 2014).…”

Impact of climate change on monthly streamflow in the Verde River Basin using two hydrological models

“…A higher value of Ws will raise the water content required for rapidly increasing, non-linear baseflow, which will tend to delay runoff peaks. In addition to the calibration of the VIC model, the parameters of the surface-flow propagation model (Route) were also refined (kinematic wave speed (C) and diffusivity (D)) (Alvarenga et al, 2020).…”

“…The calibration was done by adjusting 14 parameters that represent the surface and subsurface flow processes. These parameters are: soil evaporation compensation coefficient (ESCO); initial SCS runoff curve number for moisture condition II (CN2); the baseflow recession constant (ALPHA_BF), Groundwater delay time (GW_DELAY); threshold depth of water in the shallow aquifer required for return flow to occur (GWQMN); maximum canopy storage (CANMX); effective hydraulic conductivity in main channel (CH_K2), Manning's "n" value for the main channel (CH_N2); plant uptake compensation factor (EPCO); groundwater "revap" coefficient (GW_REVAP); threshold depth of water in the shallow aquifer for "revap" or percolation to the deep aquifer to occur (REVAPMN); soil available water capacity (SOL_AWC); saturated hydraulic conductivity (SOL_K) and surface runoff lag coefficient (SURLAG) (Alvarenga et al, 2020).…”

“…Hydrological models were calibrated and validated to the monthly observed streamflow in the Verde River Basin by Alvarenga et al (2020). Figure 2 shows the monthly mean hydrographs for the SWAT and VIC in the calibration and validation periods, indicating better performance for peak streamflow simulated for VIC, while SWAT was able to capture the behavior of the recession period in the VRB.…”