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ARS Home » Plains Area » Temple, Texas » Grassland Soil and Water Research Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #159396
Title: WATERSHED MODELING AND GIS APPLICATIONS IN THE U.S. USING SWAT AND POTENTIAL USE IN MEXICO

Author
item Arnold, Jeffrey
item DILUZIO, M - TEXAS A&M UNIV

Submitted to: Proceedings of ARS/INIFAP Binational Symposium on Modeling and Remote Sensing in Agriculture
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/1/2004
Publication Date: 3/1/2006
Citation: Arnold, J.G., Diluzio, M. 2006. Watershed modeling and gis applications in the U.S. using SWAT and potential use in Mexico. In: Richardson, C.W., Baez-Gonzalez, A.D., Tiscareno-Lopez,M., editors. Proceedings of ARS/INIFAP Binational Symposium on Modeling and Remote Sensing in Agriculture, June 2-6, 2003, Aguascalientes, Mexico. p. 107-125.

Interpretive Summary: Watershed models are widely used in the U.S. to determine the impact of land and water management on water supplies and water quality. Driving forces behind the development and application of watershed models in the U.S. include: 1) the Environmental Protection Agency's need to access polluted water bodies, 2) the Natural Resource Conservation Agency's need for national assessment of the environmental impact of conservation programs, and 3) the need to determine the impact of global climate change on water supplies. A watershed model called SWAT (Soil and Water Assessment Tool) has been developed and applied to several of these concerns in the U.S. National databases including topography, soils, land use and climate are readily available for use with SWAT. Interfaces using geographic information systems have been developed to automate model input development and spatially display model outputs. The models can be successfully applied and validated in Mexico if: 1) there is sufficient need, 2) adequate national databases can be developed, and 3) experimental watersheds across several ecosystems are available for validation.

Technical Abstract: In the past decade, watershed models have been widely used in the U.S. due to: 1) advances in computer speed and storage, 2) development of GIS, and 3) availability of national databases. Current concerns that are motivating the development of large area hydrologic modeling include climate change, management of water supplies in arid regions, large scale flooding, and offsite impacts of land management. This paper provides: 1) a literature review and history of watershed models in the U.S., 2) a description of the SWAT (Soil and Water Assessment Tool) watershed model and example applications in the U.S., 3) GIS interfaces for automation of model input development, 4) available U.S. datasets, and 5) requirements for successful application of watershed models in Mexico.