Spatio-temporal analysis of sediment yield with a physically based model for a data-scarce headwater in Konya Closed Basin, Turkey

Abstract

There are many empirical, semi-empirical and mathematical methods that have been developed to estimate sediment yield by researchers. In the last decades, the advancement in computer technologies has increased the use of mathematical models as they can solve the system more rapidly and accurately. The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) is one of the physically based hydrological models that is preferred to compute sediment yield. In this study, spatial and temporal analysis of sediment yield in the Çarsamba Stream located at the Konya Closed Basin has been investigated using the SWAT model. Streamflow and sediment data collected during the 2003–2015 time period have been used in the analysis. Consequently, the SWAT presented satisfactory results compared with R2 ¼ 0.68, Nash–Sutcliffe Efficiency (NSE) ¼ 0.68 in calibration and R2 ¼ 0.76, NSE ¼ 0.66 in validation. According to the model results, spatial asymmetry in terms of sediment yield was determined in the sub-basins of the study area.