Global sensitivity analysis methods applied to hydrologic modeling with the sac-sma model

Abstract

This study aimed to use global sensitivity analysis (GSA) methods to evaluate the sensitivity of the SAC-SMA hydrologic model parameters in the estimation of daily flows of the Piracicaba river basin. The study was carried out in three sections of flow monitoring of the Piracicaba river basin, with an area of 5,304.0 km 2 and located in the State of Minas Gerais, Brazil. For the global sensitivity analysis of the SAC-SMA model, the Morris and Sobol methods were used. The model parameters showing high sensitivity were UZFWM, which represents the free water depth in the upper zone of the soil and interferes with the subsurface flow and groundwater aquifer recharge; ADIMP, which represents the additional impermeable area of the basin and interferes with the direct runoff generation; and LZPK, LZSK, LZFPM, and LZFSM, which are related to the base flow of the basin. The results showed that most of the SAC-SMA model parameters do not provide expressive variations in the output variable, most of the SAC-SMA model parameters with high sensitivity are the intervenient in the base flow, and the Morris method should be used as a preliminary analysis to the use of the Sobol method.