WOF-SWAT: A Web-Based Open-Source Framework for Investigating the Hydrological Impacts of Climate Change and Human Activities Through Online Simulation and Visualization of SWAT Models

This study developed a web-based open-source framework based on the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT), named WOF-SWAT (web-based open-source framework for SWAT), to investigate individual and combined impacts of climate change, land use change, and point-source pollutants on watershed-scale hydrological and chemical processes. The architecture, workflows, interfaces, and key processes of WOF-SWAT are described and discussed. Using a previously developed well-calibrated hydrological model of the Jinjiang River basin, four scenarios were simulated in WOF-SWAT and other traditional desktop-based tools (i.e., ArcSWAT and SWAT-CUP) to examine the credibility, efficiency, and functionality of WOF-SWAT. The results show that, in combination with a well-calibrated watershed model, WOF-SWAT is sufficiently sound and reasonable to investigate individual and combined impacts of climate change, land use change, and point-source pollutants. We thus conclude that WOF-SWAT can be used as a substitute for other tools to carry out similar tasks in a web-based environment while providing more user-friendly interfaces, accessibility, and efficiency. We also discuss ongoing and possible future efforts to develop WOF-SWAT into a fully-fledged watershed research and management framework.