Hydrological modelling for CRIDA using SWAT+

UNESCO

About This Course

This is an introductory course for hydrological modelling with the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT+) in the context of the Climate Risk Informed Decision Analysis (CRIDA) Framework. Particularly towards the vulnerability assessment of a catchment using future scenarios with different levels of climate change impacts.

In this course you will:

- Set up a SWAT+ model for streamflow and water balance estimations

- Calibrate the model using the SWAT+ Toolbox

- Set up run future scenarios using data from Regional Climate Models

- Analyze the outputs of these simulations

- Verify performance indicators and their thresholds associated with CRIDA

By the end of the course, you will be able to set up a hydrological model for your own case study and follow our framework to perform analysis that can provide better, informed insights to stakeholders during the implementation of CRIDA.

Requirements

This course is ideal for participants who have already completed the course “Introduction to Climate Informed Risk Decision Analysis”, available on the UNESCO Open Learning Platform. Relevant data analysis skills are also required to process the model outputs. Although the analysis in this course uses the Python Programming Language, participants can also use their preferred data analysis software to process the model outputs, e.g., Excel or R. Prior knowledge of SWAT+ is also preferred even though the course builds the model from a foundational level. Knowledge of hydrological principles, climate science and climate change scenarios is also necessary.

Course Staff

Jose P. Teran

Jose has a background in Civil and Water Resources Engineering. He has professional experience in modelling and engineering design for water infrastructure projects and water resources management. His expertise is mainly on Hydrological Modelling with SWAT+. On September 2024, after finishing his masters in the IUPWARE programme of KU Leuven and Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) in Belgium, he started a position as a PhD candidate at the VUB in the Surface Water Team lead by Prof. Ann Van Griensven, doing research through development of a Global Water Model to study the impacts of global change across the globe. During that time, he has also worked on integrating hydrological modelling with participatory approaches for water management in the Katari River Basin in Bolivia and for studying the Water-Energy-Food-Ecosystem nexus in Lake Victoria.

Katoria Lekarkar

Katoria has a background in Civil Engineering with a specialization in Water Resources Engineering. He holds a Masters degree in Water Resources Engineering from KU Leuven and a bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Nairobi, Kenya. In his professional experience as a water resources engineer, he has been involved in projects focused on addressing water supply challenges in critically water stressed arid areas with varied roles in water infrastructure development, developing long-term water resources management strategies and exploring opportunities for integrated water resources management in marginalized communities. He joined the department in September 2022 under Prof. Ann van Griensven. His research will focus on soil moisture monitoring for drought management and the utilization of low-cost sensors for monitoring unsaturated zone conditions.

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