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A Modified SWAT Model to Simulate Soil Water Content and Soil Temperature in Cold Regions: A Case Study of the South Saskatchewan River Basin in Canada

Author

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  • Mohammad Zare

    (Prairie Adaptations Research Collaborative, University of Regina, Regina, SK S4S 0A2, Canada)

  • Shahid Azam

    (Environmental Systems Engineering Department, University of Regina, Regina, SK S4S 0A2, Canada)

  • David Sauchyn

    (Prairie Adaptations Research Collaborative, University of Regina, Regina, SK S4S 0A2, Canada)

Abstract

Soil water content (SWC) and soil temperature are important hydrologic state variables. Accurate model simulation is critical in hydrologic regimes in cold regions dominated by spring snowmelt. In this study, we developed a combined physically-based soil temperature and energy-balance rain-on-snow (ROS) module for the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model and applied it to the South Saskatchewan River Basin (SSRB). We calibrated the SWAT base (SWAT-B) model and the SWAT modified (SWAT–M) model using daily measured soil temperature and SWC by hydrological response unit (HRU) for the years 2015 to 2020. The results of sensitivity analysis using the SUFI-2 technique in SWAT-CUP indicated that eight parameters have the most significant ( p < 0.5) effect on streamflow, soil moisture, and snowmelt. Statistics for the SWAT-B and SWAT-M streamflow models revealed that the new module improved the Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE) from 0.39 to 0.71 and 0.42 to 0.76 for calibration and validation, respectively. The statistics for SWAT-simulated daily SWC showed that the measured data were a better fit with SWAT-M versus the SWAT-B output. Furthermore, SWAT-B values exceeded SWAT-M output and field measurements, and thus, the range of SWAT-M results was a better fit with observations. SWAT-B tended to underestimate soil temperature in the cold season, while SWAT-M significantly improved soil temperature simulation for winter. This new SWAT module simulated freeze-thaw cycles and captured the influence of snow cover on surface soil ice-water content. Spatial analysis of SWC and soil temperature across the SSRB showed that the SWAT-M model predicted more SWC and lower soil temperature in the western part of SSRB than SWAT-B, with higher soil temperature and lower SWC in the eastern region.

Suggested Citation

  • Mohammad Zare & Shahid Azam & David Sauchyn, 2022. "A Modified SWAT Model to Simulate Soil Water Content and Soil Temperature in Cold Regions: A Case Study of the South Saskatchewan River Basin in Canada," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(17), pages 1-16, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:17:p:10804-:d:902235
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Shoma Tanzeeba & Thian Gan, 2012. "Potential impact of climate change on the water availability of South Saskatchewan River Basin," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 112(2), pages 355-386, May.
    2. Junyu Qi & Sheng Li & Qi Yang & Zisheng Xing & Fan-Rui Meng, 2017. "SWAT Setup with Long-Term Detailed Landuse and Management Records and Modification for a Micro-Watershed Influenced by Freeze-Thaw Cycles," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 31(12), pages 3953-3974, September.
    3. Yuting Yang & Michael L. Roderick & Shulei Zhang & Tim R. McVicar & Randall J. Donohue, 2019. "Hydrologic implications of vegetation response to elevated CO2 in climate projections," Nature Climate Change, Nature, vol. 9(1), pages 44-48, January.
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    Cited by:

    1. Mohammad Zare & Shahid Azam & David Sauchyn, 2023. "Simulation of Climate Change Impacts on Crop Yield in the Saskatchewan Grain Belt Using an Improved SWAT Model," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 13(11), pages 1-21, November.
    2. Mohammad Zare & Shahid Azam & David Sauchyn & Soumik Basu, 2023. "Assessment of Meteorological and Agricultural Drought Indices under Climate Change Scenarios in the South Saskatchewan River Basin, Canada," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(7), pages 1-26, March.
    3. Geng-Wei Liu & Chang-Lei Dai & Ze-Xuan Shao & Rui-Han Xiao & Hong-Cong Guo, 2024. "Assessment of Ecological Flow in Hulan River Basin Utilizing SWAT Model and Diverse Hydrological Approaches," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(6), pages 1-26, March.
    4. Wei Shan & Yan Wang & Ying Guo & Chengcheng Zhang & Shuai Liu & Lisha Qiu, 2023. "Impacts of Climate Change on Permafrost and Hydrological Processes in Northeast China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(6), pages 1-22, March.

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