A coupled modeling approach to evaluate nitrogen retention within the Shanmei Reservoir watershed, China

To simulate impacts of nitrogen retention in the reservoir on nitrogen nutrient transported from the upland watershed to the ocean, a coupled watershed-reservoir modeling system, consisting of a watershed distributed model (SWAT) and a two-dimensional water quality model (CE-QUAL-W2), was developed. The coupled modeling system was well calibrated, and simulated values mainly agreed with observed data, demonstrating that the SWAT and CE-QUAL-W2 coupled modeling system can be used to assess hydrodynamic and water quality processes in a complex watershed comprised of an upland watershed and a downstream reservoir. Applying the coupled model, a long time simulation was conducted to analyze the temporal characteristics of nitrogen exported from the watershed and to reveal the effect of nitrogen retention in the reservoir at annual, monthly and daily scales. The results showed that nitrogen export from the watershed is closely associated with precipitation and runoff. The wet season was the critical period of nitrogen loss, whereas the dry season is the critical period for water quality management. The reservoir serves mainly as a nitrogen sink at annual scale due to the effect of nitrogen retention, but within the year, it may act as a sink during the wet season and a source during the dry season, which is significantly influenced by inflow runoff, nitrogen load and reservoir regulation.