Ahmadi et al. (2025) Coupling SWAT+ and SWMM Models to Quantify Streamflow in Mixed Rural–Urban Watersheds

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Identification

• Journal: Hydrological Processes
• Year: 2025
• Date: 2025-07-29
• Authors: Hossein Ahmadi, Durelle Scott, David J. Sample
• DOI: 10.1002/hyp.70218

Research Groups

Not explicitly mentioned in the provided text.

Short Summary

The study develops an Integrated Environmental Modelling (IEM) approach by coupling SWMM and SWAT+ to improve streamflow simulation in mixed urban-rural transitional watersheds. The integrated model significantly outperforms standalone models in predicting runoff during both dry and wet periods.

Objective

• To evaluate whether a coupled SWMM-SWAT+ model can more accurately represent the contrasting runoff generation patterns and complex hydrological behaviors of mixed urban-rural watersheds compared to standalone models.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Stroubles Creek watershed, Virginia, USA.
• Temporal Scale: Not specified (evaluated across dry and wet periods).

Methodology and Data

• Models used: Storm Water Management Model (SWMM), Soil and Water Assessment Tool Plus (SWAT+), and their Python interfaces (PYSWMM and PYSWAT+).
• Data sources: Streamflow observation data (used for calibration and validation).

Main Results

• The integrated SWMM-SWAT+ model demonstrated superior performance over standalone models across all metrics:
  • Nash-Sutcliffe Efficiency (NSE): Increased to 0.85 (compared to 0.51 for SWAT+ and 0.64 for SWMM).
  • RMSE-observations standard deviation ratio (RSR): Reduced to 0.39 (compared to 0.70 for SWAT+ and 0.60 for SWMM).
  • Percent Bias (PBIAS): Lowered to 16.8% (compared to 37.87% for SWAT+ and -70.37% for SWMM).

Contributions

• Developed a practical and adaptable IEM framework that links PYSWMM and PYSWAT+ for automatic calibration.
• Provided a method to effectively simulate distinct runoff generation patterns in transitional "sprawl" zones, enhancing tools for stormwater management and flood risk assessment.

Funding

Not mentioned in the provided text.

Citation

@article{Ahmadi2025Coupling,
  author = {Ahmadi, Hossein and Scott, Durelle and Sample, David J.},
  title = {Coupling <scp>SWAT</scp>+ and <scp>SWMM</scp> Models to Quantify Streamflow in Mixed Rural–Urban Watersheds},
  journal = {Hydrological Processes},
  year = {2025},
  doi = {10.1002/hyp.70218},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.70218}
}