Satellite Soil Moisture Validation Using Hydrological SWAT Model: A Case Study of Puerto Rico, USA Hydrology

Soil moisture is placed at the interface between land and atmosphere which influences water and energy flux. However, soil moisture information has a significant importance in hydrological modelling and environmental processes. Recent advances in acquiring soil moisture from the satellite and its effective utilization provide an alternative to the conventional soil moisture methods. In this study, an attempt is made to apply physically based, distributed-parameter, Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) to validate Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer (AMSR2) soil moisture in parts of Puerto Rico. For this, calibration is performed for the years 2010 to 2012 with known observed discharge sites, Rio Gunajibo and Rio Grande de Anasco in Puerto Rico and validation, with the observed stream flow for the year 2013 using the AMSR2 soil moisture. Moreover, the SWAT and AMSR2 soil moisture outcome are compared on a monthly basis. The model capability and performance in simulating the stream flow are evaluated utilizing the statistical method. The results indicated a negligible difference in SWAT soil moisture and AMSR2 soil moisture for stream flow estimation. Finally, the model retrievals show a satisfactory agreement between observed and simulated streamflow. 2017 Grant no. NA14NES4320003 CICS (Cooperative Institute for Climate and Satellites) CREST (Center for Earth System Sciences and Remote Sensing Technologies and Tech Center at City College of CUNY)/ NESDIS (National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service) Submitted https://doi.org/10.3390/hydrology4040045 CC BY 2286