Simulating internal watershed processes using multiple SWAT models

The need for effective water quality models to help guide management and policy, extend monitoring information, is at the forefront of recent discussions related watershed management. These are often calibrated validated basin outlet, which ensures that capable evaluating scale hydrology quality. However, there a understand where these succeed or fail with respect internal process representation, as watershed-scale used inform practices mitigation strategies upstream. We evaluated an ensemble models—each in-stream observations outlet—against discharge nutrient farm field determine extent capture field-scale dynamics. While all performed well upstream performance varied. Models tended over-predict through surface runoff subsurface drainage, while under-predicting phosphorus loading drainage nitrogen runoff. Our study suggests may be applied predict impacts scale, care should taken in applying evaluate processes absence data can incorporated even use multiple models.