Hydrologic evaluation and effect of climate change on the At Samat watershed, Northeastern Region, Thailand
Prayuth Graiprab1, Kobkiat Pongput2, Nipon Tangtham3, Philip W. Gassman4
(1. Department of Water Resources, Samsen Nai, Phayathai, Bangkok 10400, Thailand; 2. Department of Water Resources Engineering, Kasetsart University, Bangkhen, Bangkok 10900, Thailand; 3. Forestry Research Center, Faculty of Forestry, Kasetsart University, Bangkhen, Bangkok 10900, Thailand; 4. Center of Agricultural and Rural Development, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, 50011-1070, USA)
Abstract: The aim of this research is to apply the hydrological model Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) for evaluating the sustainability of water resources management in the 723 km2 At Samat watershed, located in the Mae Nam Chi basin in Northeast Thailand. This was performed by assessing the impacts of future climate projections generated with the Providing Regional Climates for Impacts Studies (PRECIS) Regional Climate Model (RCM) on the hydrology of the watershed. In this study, the watershed was divided into three main subregions with a total of eleven subwatersheds using a Digital Elevation Model (DEM; scaled map 1:10,000). Land use, soil type, and watershed meteorological-hydrological data were used to create the Hydrological Response Units (HRUs). The SWAT model was found applicable to the At Samat watershed, and was further found to be able to analyze runoff characteristics in subwatersheds. This research found that during the years 2010 to 2050, once the region temperature has risen to the average of 0.8? and rainfall has increased for another 4%, average runoff yield will be increased by 3%-5% when compared with the overall runoff yield in the watershed area. However, the rising trend of the runoff yield is considered minimal when compared with the expected double demand of water supply in the At Samat watershed at that time.
Keywords: SWAT, hydrological model, climate change, hydrological evaluation
Citation: Prayuth Graiprab, Kobkiat Pongput, Nipon Tangtham, and Philip W. Gassman. 2010. Hydrologic evaluation and effect of climate change on the At Samat watershed, Northeastern Region, Thailand. International Agricultural Engineering Journal, 19(2): 12-22.
12 September, 2010 International Agricultural Engineering Journal Vol. 19, No. 2
