Systematic Review of the SWAT Model as a Tool to Assess Water Balance under Climate Change in Peru (2019–2024)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32911/as.2025.v18.n2.1325Keywords:
Climate change, Hydric balance, SWAT model, Systematic reviewAbstract
Climate change has gained increasing importance in scientific research worldwide, particularly regarding its impact on water resource availability and management. In this context, various hydrological models have been employed to estimate the water balance with greater accuracy. Among them, the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) has stood out for its ability to simulate hydrological processes under different climate scenarios. The objective of this study was to conduct a systematic review of the use of the SWAT model as a tool to assess water balance in the context of climate change in Peru, during the period from 2019 to 2024. The methodology followed the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines, allowing for a rigorous and structured search of scientific literature in the Scopus, ScienceDirect, and SciELO databases. A total of 41 articles were identified and analyzed: 39 from Scopus, 2 from ScienceDirect, and none from SciELO. The results show that the SWAT model has been widely used in different types of watersheds across the country, demonstrating high adaptability to diverse geographic conditions and data availability. It is concluded that the SWAT model is a robust and reliable tool for estimating water balance under climate change scenarios, and it can support the sustainable management of water resources in Peru.
Downloads
References
Abesh, B. F., Jin, L., & Hubbart, J. A. (2022). Predicting Climate Change Impacts on Water Balance Components of a Mountainous Watershed in the Northeastern USA. Water 2022, Vol. 14, Page 3349, 14(20), 3349. https://doi.org/10.3390/W14203349
Adhikari, U., & Nejadhashemi, A. P. (2016). Impacts of Climate Change on Water Resources in Malawi. Journal of Hydrologic Engineering, 21(11), 05016026. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)HE.1943-5584.0001436
Adnan, M., Kang, S., Saifullah, M., Liu, S., Zhang, G., Zhao, Q., Faiz, M. A., & Zaman, M. (2021). Prediction of changes in water balance of Nam Co Lake under projected climate change scenarios. Hydrological Sciences Journal, 66(11), 1712–1727. https://doi.org/10.1080/02626667.2021.1957474
Badora, D., Wawer, R., Nierobca, A., Krol-Badziak, A., Kozyra, J., Jurga, B., & Nowocien, E. (2022). Modelling the Hydrology of an Upland Catchment of Bystra River in 2050 Climate Using RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5 Emission Scenario Forecasts. Agriculture 2022, Vol. 12, Page 403, 12(3), 403. https://doi.org/10.3390/AGRICULTURE12030403
Bharati, L., Bhattarai, U., Khadka, A., Gurung, P., Neumann, L. E., Penton, D. J., Dhaubanjar, S., & Nepal, S. (n.d.). From the Mountains to the Plains: Impact of Climate Change on Water Resources in the Koshi River Basin IWMI Working Paper. Retrieved March 30, 2024, from www.iwmi.org
Bizhanimanzar, M., Larocque, M., & Roux, M. (2024). Improvement of Soil Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) wetland module for modelling of ephemeral pond hydrology. Hydrological Processes, 38(3). https://doi.org/10.1002/HYP.15114
Gabiri, G., Leemhuis, C., Diekkrüger, B., Näschen, K., Steinbach, S., & Thonfeld, F. (2019). Modelling the impact of land use management on water resources in a tropical inland valley catchment of central Uganda, East Africa. Science of the Total Environment, 653, 1052–1066. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.10.430
Gasirabo, A., Xi, C., Kurban, A., Liu, T., Baligira, H. R., Umuhoza, J., Umugwaneza, A., & Dufatanye Edovia, U. (2023). SWAT model calibration for hydrological modeling using concurrent methods, a case of the Nile Nyabarongo River basin in Rwanda. Frontiers in Water, 5, 1268593. https://doi.org/10.3389/FRWA.2023.1268593/BIBTEX
Getachew Mengistu, A., Ayele Woldesenbet, T., Taddele Dile, Y., Kebede Bayabil, H., & Worku Tefera, G. (2023). Modeling impacts of projected land use and climate changes on the water balance in the Baro basin, Ethiopia. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e13965
Jaiswal, R. K., Ali, S., & Bharti, B. (2020). Comparative evaluation of conceptual and physical rainfall–runoff models. Applied Water Science, 10(1), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1007/S13201-019-1122-6/TABLES/7
Jiménez-Navarro, I. C., Jimeno-Sáez, P., López-Ballesteros, A., Pérez-Sánchez, J., & Senent-Aparicio, J. (2021). Impact of Climate Change on the Hydrology of the Forested Watershed That Drains to Lake Erken in Sweden: An Analysis Using SWAT+ and CMIP6 Scenarios. Forests 2021, Vol. 12, Page 1803, 12(12), 1803. https://doi.org/10.3390/F12121803
Jodar-Abellan, A., Ruiz, M., & Melgarejo, J. (2018). Evaluación del impacto del cambio climático sobre una cuenca hidrológica en régimen natural (SE, España) usando un modelo SWAT. Revista Mexicana de Ciencias Geologicas, 35(3), 240–253. https://doi.org/10.22201/CGEO.20072902E.2018.3.564
Kishawi, Y., Mittelstet, A. R., Adane, Z., Shrestha, N., & Nasta, P. (2022). The combined impact of redcedar encroachment and climate change on water resources in the Nebraska Sand Hills. Frontiers in Water, 4, 1044570. https://doi.org/10.3389/FRWA.2022.1044570/BIBTEX
Kumar, M., Denis, D. M., Kundu, A., Joshi, N., & Suryavanshi, S. (2022). Understanding land use/land cover and climate change impacts on hydrological components of Usri watershed, India. Applied Water Science, 12(3), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1007/S13201-021-01547-6/FIGURES/8
Larbi, I., Hountondji, F. C. C., Dotse, S. Q., Mama, D., Nyamekye, C., Adeyeri, O. E., Koubodana, H. D. na, Odoom, P. R. E., & Asare, Y. M. (2021). Local climate change projections and impact on the surface hydrology in the Vea catchment, West Africa. Hydrology Research, 52(6), 1200–1215. https://doi.org/10.2166/NH.2021.096
Liu, J., Xue, B., Yinglan, A., Sun, W., & Guo, Q. (2020). Water balance changes in response to climate change in the upper Hailar River Basin, China. Hydrology Research, 51(5), 1023–1035. https://doi.org/10.2166/NH.2020.032
López-Lambraño, A. A., Martínez-Acosta, L., Gámez-Balmaceda, E., Medrano-Barboza, J. P., López, J. F. R., & López-Ramos, A. (2020). Supply and Demand Analysis of Water Resources. Case Study: Irrigation Water Demand in a Semi-Arid Zone in Mexico. Agriculture 2020, Vol. 10, Page 333, 10(8), 333. https://doi.org/10.3390/AGRICULTURE10080333
Marhaento, H., Booij, M. J., Rahardjo, N., & Ahmed, N. (2021). Impacts of forestation on the annual and seasonal water balance of a tropical catchment under climate change. Forest Ecosystems, 8(1), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1186/S40663-021-00345-5/FIGURES/7
McGinn, A. J., Wagner, P. D., Htike, H., Kyu, K. K., & Fohrer, N. (2021). Twenty years of change: Land and water resources in the Chindwin catchment, Myanmar between 1999 and 2019. Science of The Total Environment, 798, 148766. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.SCITOTENV.2021.148766
Musie, M., Sen, S., & Srivastava, P. (2020). Application of CORDEX-AFRICA and NEX-GDDP datasets for hydrologic projections under climate change in Lake Ziway sub-basin, Ethiopia. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejrh.2020.100721
Ntona, M. M., Busico, G., Mastrocicco, M., & Kazakis, N. (2023). Coupling SWAT and DPSIR models for groundwater management in Mediterranean catchments. Journal of Environmental Management, 344, 118543. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.JENVMAN.2023.118543
Pathak, S., Ojha, C. S. P., Shukla, A. K., & Garg, R. D. (2019). Assessment of Annual Water-Balance Models for Diverse Indian Watersheds. Journal of Sustainable Water in the Built Environment, 5(3), 04019002. https://doi.org/10.1061/JSWBAY.0000881
Pirnia, A., Darabi, H., Choubin, B., Omidvar, E., Onyutha, C., & Haghighi, A. T. (2019). Contribution of climatic variability and human activities to stream flow changes in the Haraz River basin, northern Iran. Journal of Hydro-Environment Research, 25, 12–24. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.JHER.2019.05.001
Prajapati, R. N., Ibrahim, N., Goyal, M. K., Thapa, B. R., & Maharjan, K. R. (2024). Ground water availability assessment for a data-scarce river basin in Nepal using SWAT hydrological model. Water Supply, 24(1), 254–271. https://doi.org/10.2166/WS.2023.332
Ridwansyah, I., Yulianti, M., Apip, Onodera, S. ichi, Shimizu, Y., Wibowo, H., & Fakhrudin, M. (2020). The impact of land use and climate change on surface runoff and groundwater in Cimanuk watershed, Indonesia. Limnology, 21(3), 487–498. https://doi.org/10.1007/S10201-020-00629-9/METRICS
Sahana, V., & Timbadiya, P. V. (2020a). Spatiotemporal Variation of Water Availability under Changing Climate: Case Study of the Upper Girna Basin, India. Journal of Hydrologic Engineering, 25(5), 05020004. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)HE.1943-5584.0001890
Sahana, V., & Timbadiya, P. V. (2020b). Spatiotemporal Variation of Water Availability under Changing Climate: Case Study of the Upper Girna Basin, India. Journal of Hydrologic Engineering, 25(5), 05020004. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)HE.1943-5584.0001890
Shukla, S., Jain, S. K., & Kansal, M. L. (2021). Hydrological modelling of a snow/glacier-fed western Himalayan basin to simulate the current and future streamflows under changing climate scenarios. Science of The Total Environment, 795, 148871. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.SCITOTENV.2021.148871
Sorando, R., Comín, F. A., Jiménez, J. J., Sánchez-Pérez, J. M., & Sauvage, S. (2018). Water resources and nitrate discharges in relation to agricultural land uses in an intensively irrigated watershed. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.12.023
Tangang, F., Chung, J. X., Juneng, L., Supari, Salimun, E., Ngai, S. T., Jamaluddin, A. F., Mohd, M. S. F., Cruz, F., Narisma, G., Santisirisomboon, J., Ngo-Duc, T., Van Tan, P., Singhruck, P., Gunawan, D., Aldrian, E., Sopaheluwakan, A., Grigory, N., Remedio, A. R. C., … Kumar, P. (2020). Projected future changes in rainfall in Southeast Asia based on CORDEX–SEA multi-model simulations. Climate Dynamics 2020 55:5, 55(5), 1247–1267. https://doi.org/10.1007/S00382-020-05322-2
Taye, M. T., Dyer, E., Hirpa, F. A., & Charles, K. (2018). Climate Change Impact on Water Resources in the Awash Basin, Ethiopia. Water 2018, Vol. 10, Page 1560, 10(11), 1560. https://doi.org/10.3390/W10111560
Uniyal, B., Jha, M. K., & Verma, A. K. (2015). Assessing Climate Change Impact on Water Balance Components of a River Basin Using SWAT Model. Water Resources Management, 29(13), 4767–4785. https://doi.org/10.1007/S11269-015-1089-5/METRICS
Uwamahoro, S., Liu, T., Nzabarinda, V., Li, Z. yang, Umugwaneza, A., Maniraho, A. P., Kayumba, P. M., Gulakhmadov, A., Anming, B., & Abdullaev, F. (2024). Climatic and anthropogenic impacts on the water balance of Issyk-Kul Lake through its main catchments. Frontiers in Water, 6, 1363039. https://doi.org/10.3389/FRWA.2024.1363039/BIBTEX
Venegas-Cordero, N., Cherrat, C., Kundzewicz, Z. W., Singh, J., & Piniewski, M. (2023). Model-based assessment of flood generation mechanisms over Poland: The roles of precipitation, snowmelt, and soil moisture excess. Science of The Total Environment, 891, 164626. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.SCITOTENV.2023.164626
Zhang, H., Wang, B., Liu, D. L., Leslie, L. M., Shi, L., Zhang, M., & Yu, Q. (2022). Individual and Coupled Effects of Future Climate and Land Use Scenarios on Water Balance Components in an Australian Catchment. Atmosphere, 13(9), 1428. https://doi.org/10.3390/ATMOS13091428/S1
Zhao, G., Tian, S., Jing, Y., Cao, Y., Liang, S., Han, B., Cheng, X., & Liu, B. (2023). Establishing a quantitative assessment methodology framework of water conservation based on the water balance method under spatiotemporal and different discontinuous ecosystem scales. Journal of Environmental Management, 346, 119006. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.JENVMAN.2023.119006
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Fidel Aparicio Roque, Carlos Calvo Toledo, Eugenio Mejía Zúñiga
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
