The difference between SWAT and SWAT+

1. SWAT and SWAT +
By
Kefa Feye Garedew
Hawassa University
Venue: IoT Hall
January, 2024
Hawassa, Ethiopia
Hawassa University
Institute of Technology
Post Graduate Studies

2. Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT+)
 Developed by USDA Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) and Texas A&M AgriLife
unit of the Texas A&M University System
 SWAT+ is a completely revised version of the SWAT model.
 SWAT+ provides a more flexible spatial representation of interactions and processes
within a watershed.
 The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) is a public domain model.
 SWAT is a small watershed to river basin-scale model to:
 simulate the quality and quantity of surface and ground water
 predict the environmental impact of land use, land management practices, and climate change.
 SWAT is widely used in assessing soil erosion prevention and control, non-point source
pollution control and regional management in watersheds.
 MODULES: Nonlinear groundwater, frozen soil, snow accumulation and snowmelt, weather
generation, hydrology, sediment, chemical, canal irrigation, crop growth, bacteria, nitrogen
(and other nutrients and pesticides) cycling and transformation, multi‐objective calibration
and auto-calibration.

3. ……
 SWAT+ is a completely restructured version of the Soil and Water Assessment Tool
(SWAT) that was developed to face present and future challenges in water resources
modeling and management and to meet the needs of the worldwide user community.
 It is expected to improve code development and maintenance; support data
availability, analysis, and visualization; and enhance the model’s capabilities in terms
of the spatial representation of elements and processes within watersheds.
 The most important change is the implementation of landscape units and flow and
pollutant routing across the landscape.
 SWAT+ offers more flexibility than SWAT in defining management schedules,
routing constituents, and connecting managed flow systems to the natural stream
network.

4. ……..
• To test the basic hydrologic function of SWAT+, it was applied to the Little River
Experimental Watershed without enhanced overland routing and compared with
previous models.
• SWAT+ gave similar results and inaccuracies as these models did for streamflow and
water balance.
• Taking full advantage of the new capabilities of SWAT+ regarding watershed
discretization and landscape and river interactions is expected to improve simulations
in future studies.
• While many capabilities of SWAT have already been enhanced in SWAT+ and new
capabilities have been added, the model will continue to evolve in response to
advancements in scientific knowledge and the demands of the growing worldwide
user community

5. …………
• SWAT+ is a powerful software tool used for modeling the impact of land use,
land management practices, and climate change on water resources.
• It's essentially an upgraded version of the widely used SWAT model, offering several
improvements and enhanced capabilities. Here's a detailed breakdown of SWAT+ for
you:
• Simulates the quantity and quality of surface and groundwater in watersheds.
• Predicts the environmental impact of various factors like:
• Changes in land use (e.g., deforestation, urbanization)
• Different agricultural practices (e.g., crop types, fertilization)
• Climate change scenarios (e.g., precipitation patterns, temperature variations)
• Analyzes soil erosion, non-point source pollution, and regional water
management.

6. Key features of SWAT+
 More flexible spatial representation:
SWAT+ allows for a more precise and detailed representation of landscapes within a watershed
compared to the original SWAT model.
This means you can better capture the complexities of real-world watersheds, leading to more
accurate simulations.
• Improved user interface:
SWAT+ provides user-friendly interfaces like QSWAT+ and the SWAT+ Editor, making it easier
to set up and run simulations, even for users with limited modeling experience.
• Enhanced capabilities: SWAT+ includes several new features and modules, such as:
gwflow module: simulates groundwater flow and interactions with surface water more accurately.
Flexible reach routing: allows for more realistic modeling of river and stream dynamics.
Improved weather data processing: integrates various weather data sources seamlessly.

7. Benefits of using SWAT+
 Informed decision-making: Helps water resource managers, policymakers, and
researchers make informed decisions about land use, agricultural practices, and water
management strategies.
 Environmental impact assessment: Predicts the potential environmental
consequences of different land-use changes and climate scenarios, enabling proactive
mitigation measures.
 Improved water resource management: Supports the development of sustainable
water management plans by simulating the impacts of various water use practices.

8. …….

9. …..
• Here are some additional resources that you might find helpful:
• SWAT+ website: https://swat.tamu.edu/software/plus/
• SWAT+ documentation: https://swat.tamu.edu/docs/
• QSWAT+ website: https://swat.tamu.edu/software/qswat/
• I hope this detailed explanation gives you a good understanding of
SWAT+ and its capabilities. If you have any further questions, feel free
to ask!

10. Thank You!