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The Impacts of Different Meteorology Data Sets on Nitrogen Fate and Transport in the SWAT Watershed Model
Citation:
Gabriel, M., Chris Knightes, E. Cooter, AND R. Dennis. The Impacts of Different Meteorology Data Sets on Nitrogen Fate and Transport in the SWAT Watershed Model. ENVIRONMENTAL MODELING AND ASSESSMENT. Baltzer Science Publishers BV, Bussum, Netherlands, 19(4):301-314, (2014).
Impact/Purpose:
Article published in the journal, Environmental Modeling and Assessment
Description:
In this study, we investigated how different meteorology data sets impacts nitrogen fate and transport responses in the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model. We used two meteorology data sets: National Climatic Data Center (observed) and Mesoscale Model 5/Weather Research and Forecasting (simulated). The SWAT model was applied to two 10-digit hydrologic unit code watersheds in the Coastal Plain and Piedmont zones of North Carolina. Nitrogen cycling and loading response to these meteorological data were investigated by exploring 19 SWAT nitrogen outputs relating to landscape delivery, biogeochemical assimilation, and atmospheric deposition. The largest difference in model output using both meteorology data sets was for large loads/fluxes. Landscape delivery outputs (e.g., NO− 3 watershed discharge, groundwater NO− 3 flux, soil NO− 3 percolation) showed the largest difference across all values. Use of the two weather data sources resulted in a nearly twofold difference in NO− 3 watershed discharge and groundwater NO− 3 flux. Differences for many nitrogen outputs were greater than those for sub-basin flow. Nitrogen outputs showed the greatest difference for agricultural land covers and there was no flow-related pattern in output differences across sub-basins or over time (years). In general, nitrogen parameter models that had a greater number of nitrate concentration, flow, and temperature terms (equation variables) in each transport model showed the greatest difference between both meteorology applications.
