Integrating reservoirs and lakes in the CoSWAT global hydrological model

作者：Jose Pablo Teran Orsini, Celray James Chawanda, Albert Nkwasa, Inne Vanderkelen, Jeffrey G. Arnold, Ann van Griensven · 发表于：Geoscientific model development · 年份：2026 · DOI：10.5194/gmd-19-6879-2026 · 研究领域：Hydrology and Watershed Management Studies、Flood Risk Assessment and Management、Cryospheric studies and observations

Abstract. Global water models are essential tools for assessing water resource challenges in the context of climate change, land use changes, and human activities. The CoSWAT Global Water model is a global application of the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT+). It is a high-resolution tool designed to simulate water systems using a basin-oriented structure. The CoSWAT model currently lacks a realistic representation of reservoirs and lakes, limiting its ability to adequately represent basins where these water bodies play a significant hydrological role. The scarcity and limited accessibility of global reservoir operation or lake outflow data make it challenging to represent these water bodies with the current tools that SWAT+ supports, particularly at a global scale. In this study, we address this limitation by combining commonly used reservoir and lake modelling schemes from other global water models and the capabilities of SWAT+, and by implementing a topological approach to estimate irrigation water demands for reservoirs. We also introduce an improved workflow to integrate lakes and reservoirs into the river network, setting up the CoSWAT model at 0.01° resolution on selected regions worldwide, where validation of reservoir and lake storage, inflow, outflow, and the impact on streamflow performance was assessed. The results show that the model captures monthly storage dynamics with moderate performance. Overall, 34 % of evaluated reservoirs achieved a positive KGE, a p...