Identification and prioritization of critical areas of soil erosion and sediment using SWAT model

In this study, SWAT model was used for simulating soil erosion and sediment transport in Gharesou Watershed, Golestan Province and for identifying and prioritizing critical areas of soil erosion. After model calibration, validation and uncertainty analysis using semi-automatic SUFI-2 method, the outputs of the calibrated model were used for assessing spatial pattern of soil erosion and sediment. For this purpose, four indices including: load per unit area index, concentration index, load index and total index were defined and analyzed based on the model outputs. The results indicated that, despite lack and uncertainty of available data, SWAT model performance in simulating soil erosion and sediment transport in Gharesou watershed is quite acceptable. During calibration, the simulated monthly sediment loads matched the observed values with a Nash-Sutcliffe coefficient of 0.24 and PBIAS of -17%. The values for validation period were 0.2 and -12.1% respectively, indicating the model’s weakness in simulating sediment dynamics and its capability in predicting average sediment load. Assessing spatial pattern of erosion and sediment indices showed that, in general, critical sub-watersheds based on load per unit area index are located in upstream areas of watershed while sensitive sub-watersheds in terms of sediment concentration are situated in the middle part of the watershed, and sensitive sub-watersheds with respect to sediment load are in downstream. Suitable conservation practices were recommended for each zone based on their ecohydrological conditions. The outputs of this study can help experts and managers in planning of management practices for the watershed.