ASSESSMENT OF THE SWAT MODEL TO SIMULATE A WATERSHED WITH LIMITED AVAILABLE DATA IN THE PAMPAS REGION, ARGENTINA

ROMAGNOLI, M.; PORTAPILA, M.; RIGALLI, A.; MAYDANA, G.; BURGUES, M.; GARCIA, C. M.

SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT

ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV

Lugar: Amsterdam; Año: 2017

0048-9697

Argentina has been among the world leaders in the production and export of agricultural products since the nineties. The Carcarana River lower basin (CRLB), a rainfed cropland of the Pampas region, is located in a poorly gauged area which has limited hydrological data and water resources assessment. This work explores the application of Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model to the CRLB in Santa Fe province. The analysis of field collected and remote sensing data characterizing hydrology, water quality, soil types, land use/land cover, management practices and crop yield, guarantee a SWAT modeling holis- tic approach. A combined manual and automated calibration and validation process incorporating sensitivity and uncertainty analysis is carried out using information about internal watershed behaviour. Eleven N-P fertilizer rates are selected to simulate the impact of N fertilizer on crop yield, plant uptake, as well as runoff and leaching losses. Different indices are considered to assess nitrogen use efficiency. The overall quality of the fit is satisfactory considering the input data limitations. This work provides, for the first time in Argentina, a reliable technological tool to simulate yield response to soil quality and water availability capable to meet defined environmental targets that would be ready to support decision making on planning public policies and private activities on the Pampas region.