Hydrological modeling using the Soil and Water Assessment Tool in urban and peri-urban environments: the case of Kifisos experimental subbasin (Athens, Greece)

Abstract. SWAT (Soil and Water Assessment Tool) is a continuous-time, semi-distributed, river basin model widely used to evaluate the effects of alternative management decisions on water resources. This study examines application for streamflow simulation in an experimental with mixed-land-use characteristics (i.e., urban/peri-urban) using daily hourly rainfall observations. The main objective present was investigate influence resolution performance analyze mechanisms governing surface runoff at catchment scale. calibrated 2018 validated 2019 Sequential Uncertainty Fitting (SUFI-2) algorithm SWAT-CUP program. Daily estimated Curve Number method, Green–Ampt Mein–Larson method. A sensitivity analysis conducted this showed that parameters related groundwater flow were more sensitive time intervals, channel-routing influential intervals. Model statistics graphical techniques indicated performed better than subdaily (daily model, NSE = 0.86, R2 0.87, PBIAS 4.2 %; 0.6, 0.63, 11.7 %). method produced higher discharge peaks observed values. Overall, general agreement between observations simulations both models suggests appears be reliable tool predict high complexity spatial distribution input data.