IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/ecomod/v222y2011i19p3500-3512.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

SWAT parameterization for the identification of critical diffuse pollution source areas under data limitations

Author

Listed:
  • Panagopoulos, Y.
  • Makropoulos, C.
  • Baltas, E.
  • Mimikou, M.

Abstract

For lowering sediment, nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) pollution of surface water bodies at the catchment scale, environmental legislation require programs of pollution abatement measures. To be able to ensure the cost-effectiveness of such programs we first need to identify high risk areas, which give rise to increased pollutant runoff. Process-based GIS models provide the opportunity to identify such critical areas and hence better target diffuse pollution abatement actions. However, these models are data intensive and their spatially-distributed parameterization in poorly monitored catchments is not feasible without extensive input data pre-processing and significant simplifying assumptions. This study implements the widely-used SWAT river basin model (Soil Water Assessment Tool) to study a medium-sized Greek catchment with the typical data limitations met at the national level, in order to identify critical diffuse pollution source areas that may serve as the key areas for meeting the objective of ‘good ecological status’ of water bodies set by the European Water Framework Directive (WFD). Model parameterization and evaluation are presented along with the decisions made to overcome problems related to data representation in the catchment, in an effort to provide guidance on SWAT modeling in areas with similar characteristics. The results show that sediments and nutrients could be adequately reproduced in large time steps (monthly or seasonal) and that even with the current data limitations, the seasonal variation and the most critical areas of pollutant losses to waters could be adequately identified. The study proposes a transparent modeling approach under data limitations without neglecting possible deficiencies; however, it maintains that the SWAT model, if appropriately parameterized with respect to the land-use and soil differentiation within a limited-gauged catchment, can still facilitate the selection and placement of suitable practices across the landscape for a cost-effective diffused pollution management.

Suggested Citation

  • Panagopoulos, Y. & Makropoulos, C. & Baltas, E. & Mimikou, M., 2011. "SWAT parameterization for the identification of critical diffuse pollution source areas under data limitations," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 222(19), pages 3500-3512.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecomod:v:222:y:2011:i:19:p:3500-3512
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2011.08.008
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S030438001100425X
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2011.08.008?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Melina Kotti & Athanasios Vlessidis & Nicholaos Thanasoulias & Nicholaos Evmiridis, 2005. "Assessment of River Water Quality in Northwestern Greece," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 19(1), pages 77-94, February.
    2. Hesse, Cornelia & Krysanova, Valentina & Päzolt, Jens & Hattermann, Fred F., 2008. "Eco-hydrological modelling in a highly regulated lowland catchment to find measures for improving water quality," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 218(1), pages 135-148.
    3. Gassman, Philip W. & Reyes, Manuel R. & Green, Colleen H. & Arnold, Jeffrey G., 2007. "The Soil and Water Assessment Tool: Historical Development, Applications, and Future Research Directions," ISU General Staff Papers 200701010800001027, Iowa State University, Department of Economics.
    4. Bouraoui, Fayçal & Grizzetti, Bruna, 2008. "An integrated modelling framework to estimate the fate of nutrients: Application to the Loire (France)," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 212(3), pages 450-459.
    5. Y. Yang & L. Wang, 2010. "A Review of Modelling Tools for Implementation of the EU Water Framework Directive in Handling Diffuse Water Pollution," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 24(9), pages 1819-1843, July.
    6. Nikolaidis, Nikolaos P. & Karageorgis, Aristomenis P. & Kapsimalis, Vasilios & Drakopoulou, Paraskevi & Skoulikidis, Nikolaos & Behrendt, Horst & Levkov, Zlatko, 2009. "Management of nutrient emissions of Axios River catchment: Their effect in the coastal zone of Thermaikos Gulf, Greece," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 220(3), pages 383-396.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. I. Boskidis & G. Gikas & G. Sylaios & V. Tsihrintzis, 2012. "Hydrologic and Water Quality Modeling of Lower Nestos River Basin," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 26(10), pages 3023-3051, August.
    2. Jiayu Peng & Chunling Jin & Yue Wu & Zeying Hou & Sijia Gao & Zhaosheng Chu & Binghui Zheng, 2022. "Modeling Non-Point Source Nutrient Loads with Different Cropping Systems in an Agricultural Lake Watershed in Southwestern China: From Field to Watershed Scale," Mathematics, MDPI, vol. 10(21), pages 1-18, October.
    3. Pokhrel, Bijay & Paudel, Krishna P., 2014. "Assessing the Efficiency of Alternative Best Management Practices to Reduce Nonpoint Source Pollution in the Mississippi-Atchafalaya River Basin (MARB)," 2014 Annual Meeting, July 27-29, 2014, Minneapolis, Minnesota 170699, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    4. Eren Germeç & Okan Ürker, 2023. "Investigation of a SWAT Model for Environmental Health Management Based on the Water Quality Parameters of a Stream System in Central Anatolia (Türkiye)," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(18), pages 1-16, September.
    5. Zhang, Dejian & Chen, Xingwei & Yao, Huaxia & Lin, Bingqing, 2015. "Improved calibration scheme of SWAT by separating wet and dry seasons," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 301(C), pages 54-61.
    6. Jinjin Gu & Yuan Cao & Min Wu & Min Song & Lin Wang, 2022. "A Novel Method for Watershed Best Management Practices Spatial Optimal Layout under Uncertainty," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(20), pages 1-18, October.
    7. Guangxing Ji & Zhizhu Lai & Haibin Xia & Hao Liu & Zheng Wang, 2021. "Future Runoff Variation and Flood Disaster Prediction of the Yellow River Basin Based on CA-Markov and SWAT," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(4), pages 1-19, April.
    8. Niraula, Rewati & Kalin, Latif & Srivastava, Puneet & Anderson, Christopher J., 2013. "Identifying critical source areas of nonpoint source pollution with SWAT and GWLF," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 268(C), pages 123-133.
    9. Liu, Ruimin & Zhang, Peipei & Wang, Xiujuan & Chen, Yaxin & Shen, Zhenyao, 2013. "Assessment of effects of best management practices on agricultural non-point source pollution in Xiangxi River watershed," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 117(C), pages 9-18.
    10. Ramesh P. Rudra & Balew A. Mekonnen & Rituraj Shukla & Narayan Kumar Shrestha & Pradeep K. Goel & Prasad Daggupati & Asim Biswas, 2020. "Currents Status, Challenges, and Future Directions in Identifying Critical Source Areas for Non-Point Source Pollution in Canadian Conditions," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 10(10), pages 1-25, October.
    11. Shan, Nan & Ruan, Xiao-Hong & Xu, Jing & Pan, Zha-Rong, 2014. "Estimating the optimal width of buffer strip for nonpoint source pollution control in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area, China," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 276(C), pages 51-63.
    12. Boongaling, Cheamson Garret K. & Faustino-Eslava, Decibel V. & Lansigan, Felino P., 2018. "Modeling land use change impacts on hydrology and the use of landscape metrics as tools for watershed management: The case of an ungauged catchment in the Philippines," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 72(C), pages 116-128.
    13. Alam, Md Jahangir & Dutta, Dushmanta, 2012. "A process-based and distributed model for nutrient dynamics in river basin: Development, testing and applications," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 247(C), pages 112-124.
    14. Leh, Mansoor D.K. & Sharpley, Andrew N. & Singh, Gurdeep & Matlock, Marty D., 2018. "Assessing the impact of the MRBI program in a data limited Arkansas watershed using the SWAT model," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 202(C), pages 202-219.
    15. Guanghui Li & Lei Chang & Haoye Li & Yuefen Li, 2023. "Modeling the Impact of Land Use Optimization on Non-Point Source Pollution: Evidence from Chinese Reservoir Watershed," Land, MDPI, vol. 13(1), pages 1-17, December.
    16. Velia Bigi & Alessandro Pezzoli & Elena Comino & Maurizio Rosso, 2020. "A Vulnerability Assessment in Scant Data Context: The Case of North Horr Sub-County," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(15), pages 1-23, July.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Ferrant, Sylvain & Durand, Patrick & Justes, Eric & Probst, Jean-Luc & Sanchez-Perez, José-Miguel, 2013. "Simulating the long term impact of nitrate mitigation scenarios in a pilot study basin," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 124(C), pages 85-96.
    2. X. Qin & G. Huang, 2009. "An Inexact Chance-constrained Quadratic Programming Model for Stream Water Quality Management," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 23(4), pages 661-695, March.
    3. Yongbo Liu & Wanhong Yang & Chengzhi Qin & Axing Zhu, 2016. "A Review and Discussion on Modeling and Assessing Agricultural Best Management Practices under Global Climate Change," Journal of Sustainable Development, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 9(1), pages 245-245, January.
    4. Egbendewe-Mondzozo, Aklesso & Swinton, Scott M. & Bals, Bryan D. & Dale, Bruce E., 2011. "Can Dispersed Biomass Processing Protect the Environment and Cover the Bottom Line for Biofuel?," Staff Paper Series 119348, Michigan State University, Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics.
    5. Andersson, Jafet C.M. & Zehnder, Alexander J.B. & Rockström, Johan & Yang, Hong, 2011. "Potential impacts of water harvesting and ecological sanitation on crop yield, evaporation and river flow regimes in the Thukela River basin, South Africa," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 98(7), pages 1113-1124, May.
    6. Hongxing Liu & Wendong Zhang & Elena Irwin & Jeffrey Kast & Noel Aloysius & Jay Martin & Margaret Kalcic, 2020. "Best Management Practices and Nutrient Reduction: An Integrated Economic-Hydrologic Model of the Western Lake Erie Basin," Land Economics, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 96(4), pages 510-530.
    7. Medwid, Laura J. & Lambert, Dayton M. & Clark, Christopher D. & Hawkins, Shawn A. & McClellan, Hannah A., 2016. "Estimating Soil Loss Abatement Curves with Primary Survey Data and Hydrologic Models: An Empirical Example for Livestock Production in an East Tennessee Watershed," 2016 Annual Meeting, February 6-9, 2016, San Antonio, Texas 230052, Southern Agricultural Economics Association.
    8. Catherine L. Kling & Raymond W. Arritt & Gray Calhoun & David A. Keiser, 2016. "Research Needs and Challenges in the FEW System: Coupling Economic Models with Agronomic, Hydrologic, and Bioenergy Models for Sustainable Food, Energy, and Water Systems," Center for Agricultural and Rural Development (CARD) Publications 16-wp563, Center for Agricultural and Rural Development (CARD) at Iowa State University.
    9. Alan F. Hamlet & Nima Ehsani & Jennifer L. Tank & Zachariah Silver & Kyuhyun Byun & Ursula H. Mahl & Shannon L. Speir & Matt T. Trentman & Todd V. Royer, 2024. "Effects of climate and winter cover crops on nutrient loss in agricultural watersheds in the midwestern U.S," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 177(1), pages 1-21, January.
    10. Negar Tayebzadeh Moghadam & Karim C. Abbaspour & Bahram Malekmohammadi & Mario Schirmer & Ahmad Reza Yavari, 2021. "Spatiotemporal Modelling of Water Balance Components in Response to Climate and Landuse Changes in a Heterogeneous Mountainous Catchment," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 35(3), pages 793-810, February.
    11. Yates, Andrew J. & Doyle, Martin W. & Rigby, J.R. & Schnier, Kurt E., 2013. "Market power, private information, and the optimal scale of pollution permit markets with application to North Carolina's Neuse River," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 35(3), pages 256-276.
    12. Eini, Mohammad Reza & Salmani, Haniyeh & Piniewski, Mikołaj, 2023. "Comparison of process-based and statistical approaches for simulation and projections of rainfed crop yields," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 277(C).
    13. Jeong, Hanseok & Kim, Hakkwan & Jang, Taeil & Park, Seungwoo, 2016. "Assessing the effects of indirect wastewater reuse on paddy irrigation in the Osan River watershed in Korea using the SWAT model," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 163(C), pages 393-402.
    14. S. K. Aryal & S. Ashbolt & B. S. McIntosh & K. P. Petrone & S. Maheepala & R. K. Chowdhury & T. Gardener & R. Gardiner, 2016. "Assessing and Mitigating the Hydrological Impacts of Urbanisation in Semi-Urban Catchments Using the Storm Water Management Model," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 30(14), pages 5437-5454, November.
    15. Lingcheng Li & Liping Zhang & Jun Xia & Christopher Gippel & Renchao Wang & Sidong Zeng, 2015. "Implications of Modelled Climate and Land Cover Changes on Runoff in the Middle Route of the South to North Water Transfer Project in China," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 29(8), pages 2563-2579, June.
    16. Kotchakarn Nantasaksiri & Patcharawat Charoen-Amornkitt & Takashi Machimura, 2021. "Land Potential Assessment of Napier Grass Plantation for Power Generation in Thailand Using SWAT Model. Model Validation and Parameter Calibration," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(5), pages 1-15, March.
    17. Howard, Gregory E. & Zhang, Wendong & Valcu-Lisman, Adriana M., 2021. "Evaluating the Efficiency-Participation Tradeoff in Agricultural Conservation Programs: The Effect of Reverse Auctions, Spatial Targeting, and Higher Offered Payments," 2021 Annual Meeting, August 1-3, Austin, Texas 313926, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    18. Sanjeet Kumar & Ashok Mishra, 2015. "Critical Erosion Area Identification Based on Hydrological Response Unit Level for Effective Sedimentation Control in a River Basin," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 29(6), pages 1749-1765, April.
    19. Savé, R. & de Herralde, F. & Aranda, X. & Pla, E. & Pascual, D. & Funes, I. & Biel, C., 2012. "Potential changes in irrigation requirements and phenology of maize, apple trees and alfalfa under global change conditions in Fluvià watershed during XXIst century: Results from a modeling approximat," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 114(C), pages 78-87.
    20. Y. Yang & L. Wang, 2010. "A Review of Modelling Tools for Implementation of the EU Water Framework Directive in Handling Diffuse Water Pollution," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 24(9), pages 1819-1843, July.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:ecomod:v:222:y:2011:i:19:p:3500-3512. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.journals.elsevier.com/ecological-modelling .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.