SWAT-SF: A flexible SWAT-based model for watershed-scale water and soil salinity modeling

Natural and anthropogenic complex processes release salts into the environment. These change the balances of natural systems in the watersheds. Models can assist study of salinity processes throughout watersheds. This study proposes a flexible water and soil salinity module for the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) that can profitably incorporate expert scientific judgments into a deterministic salinity framework to adapt predicted salinity processes to actual salinity processes watershed-scale. The proposed flexible salinity model (SWAT-SF) was developed using new equations for salinity assessment and then successfully applied to the Dehram River Basin located south of Iran that endangers natural and anthropogenic salinity problems. The SWAT-SF model uses a general framework that can be utilized with/without the direct guidance of experts for the determination of salinity processes, the extent of the salinity, identification and investigation of the saline site, assessment and management of the salinity, and evaluation of salinity economics throughout the world.

Automated summary

The study introduces a flexible water and soil salinity module that can incorporate expert scientific judgments into a deterministic framework, allowing for adaptation of predicted salinity processes to actual processes at watershed-scale. This model was successfully applied to the Dehram River Basin in Iran to address both natural and anthropogenic salinity issues.