1Simulation Options
Click Simulation Options from the main menu.
How SWAT works: SWAT computes water balance, nutrient cycling, and sediment transport on a daily time step for every HRU. Output can be summarized daily, monthly, or yearly.
- Set simulation start and end dates. With observed weather, dates must fall within the weather data period.
- Leave the SWAT version as
SWAT_64rel(default).
2Print and Output Options
- Summarize results: Daily, Monthly, or Yearly output.
- Warm-up period: Years to skip (1-2 recommended) while SWAT reaches hydrologic equilibrium.
- Output variables: Minimum, All (default), or User choice for reach, subbasin, and HRU.
Additional outputs: Expand "Additional print options" for streamflow log, pesticide, hourly, soil storage, N/P storage, binary, water quality, channel velocity, snowband, management, and pond/wetland files.
3Run SWAT
Click Run SWAT. Once complete, five auto-generated visualizations appear: evaporation, water yield, percolation time series, watershed water balance bar chart, and a 2D map of average water yield to reach.
Water balance: Shows precipitation partitioned into ET, surface runoff, lateral flow, groundwater discharge, percolation, and aquifer recharge. This is the most fundamental check of model behavior.