History of model development at Temple, Texas

Abstract

Model development at Temple, Texas, USA has a long history. Prior to the actual model development research, a hydrological data collection programme was established at Riesel, Texas (about 60 km northeast of Temple) in 1937. Data collected from the Riesel watersheds during 1937-2006 have been valuable in developing and testing models at Temple, as well as at other locations. Actual modelling research began in the mid-1960s with the development of single event models that served as building blocks for the comprehensive models of today. The focus of the early models was on surface water hydrology (rainfall excess, unit hydrographs and flood routing) and sediment yield. The models currently supported at Temple (ALMANAC, EPIC, APEX and SWAT) are continuous and operate on spatial scales ranging from individual fields to river basins. These models have been used worldwide in many projects dealing with soil and water resources and environmental management.

Advances in ecohydrological modelling with SWAT—a review

“…It was developed to evaluate the effects of alternative management decisions on water resources and diffuse pollution in mesoscale and large river basins. A detailed history of SWAT's development can be found in Gassmann et al (2007) and Williams et al (2008). Here, it is only outlined briefly.…”

“…The first paper, written by experts involved in the model development (Williams et al, 2008), presents an overview of the history of SWAT development. The first author has been working in this area since the mid-1960s, but the history started even earlier, in the mid-1930s, when it was decided that the US Soil Conservation Service evaluate experimentally the hydrological response from watersheds influenced by various management practices.…”

“…The first author has been working in this area since the mid-1960s, but the history started even earlier, in the mid-1930s, when it was decided that the US Soil Conservation Service evaluate experimentally the hydrological response from watersheds influenced by various management practices. Williams et al (2008) describe continuous model development, which resulted in a suite of models: SWAT, EPIC, APEX and ALMANAC that are now being used worldwide for water resources and environmental assessment.…”

Coupling of SUFI 2 and SWAT for Improving the Simulation of Streamflow in an Agricultural Watershed of South Dakota

“…The development of SWAT is a continuation of United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) modeling experience that spans a period of over 30 years [17,18]. Accurate calibration of hydrologic models (including SWAT) is very important in assessing the water budget of a watershed for sustainable water resources management [19].…”

Distinct effects of temperature change on discharge and non-point pollution in subtropical southern China by SWAT simulation

“…In combination with climate scenarios from general circulation models (GCMs), hydrological models are effective simulation tools to evaluate climate change effects on water resources at different spatial scales (Ficklin et al 2009, Moradkhani et al 2010, though uncertainty may exist in simulation results (Arnell 2011. The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) is one of the most popular watershed modelling tools (Gassman et al 2007, Williams et al 2008. Numerous researchers have confirmed that SWAT is suitable for simulating climate change processes.…”