Using the SWAT Model for Studying the Hydrological Regime of a Small River Basin (the Komarovka River, Primorsky Krai)

Abstract

The research describes the experience of using digital models (of terrain, soil, and vegetation) for the underlying surface of the catchment for developing the spatial structure of the open-source SWAT (Soil and Water Assessment Tool) hydrological model. The hydrological regime for the Komarovka River basin (616 km²) is simulated with a daily resolution using the data of Primorskaya water balance station and the modern observation network of Primorye Administration for Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring. It is found that the calculated and measured runoff hydrographs are generally in good agreement, and the model is suitable for describing the hydrological regime of mid-latitude rivers where rainfall floods prevail. The model well reproduces average water years, underestimates the peaks caused by intense rainfall of the typhoon origin and overestimates baseflow.