Adjustment for Clear/Overcast Conditions

Maximum temperature and solar radiation will be lower on overcast days than on clear days. To incorporate the influence of wet/dry days on generated values of maximum temperature and solar radiation, the average daily maximum temperature, μmxmon\mu mx_{mon}, and average daily solar radiation, μradmon\mu rad_{mon}, in equations 1:3.4.10 and 1:3.4.12 are adjusted for wet or dry conditions.

The continuity equation relates average daily maximum temperature adjusted for wet or dry conditions to the average daily maximum temperature for the month:

μmxmondaystot=μWmxmondayswet+μDmxmondaysdry\mu mx_{mon}*days_{tot}=\mu Wmx_{mon}*days_{wet}+\mu Dmx_{mon}*days_{dry}

1:3.4.14

where μmxmon\mu mx_{mon} is the average daily maximum temperature for the month (°C), daystotdays_{tot} are the total number of days in the month, μWmxmon\mu Wmx_{mon} is the average daily maximum temperature of the month on wet days (°C), dayswetdays_{wet} are the number of wet days in the month, μDmxmon\mu Dmx_{mon} is the average daily maximum temperature of the month on dry days (°C), and daysdrydays_{dry} are the number of dry days in the month.

The wet day average maximum temperature is assumed to be less than the dry day average maximum temperature by some fraction of (μmxmonμmnmon\mu mx_{mon}-\mu mn_{mon}):

μWmxmon=μDmxmonbT(μmxmonμmnmon)\mu Wmx_{mon}=\mu Dmx_{mon}-b_T*(\mu mx_{mon}-\mu mn_{mon}) 1:3.4.15

where μWmxmon\mu Wmx{mon} is the average daily maximum temperature of the month on wet days (°C), μDmxmon\mu Dmx_{mon} is the average daily maximum temperature of the month on dry days (°C), bTb_T is a scaling factor that controls the degree of deviation in temperature caused by the presence or absence of precipitation, μmxmon\mu mx_{mon} is the average daily maximum temperature for the month (°C), and μmnmon\mu mn_{mon} is the average daily minimum temperature for the month (°C). The scaling factor, bTb_T, is set to 0.5 in SWAT+.

To calculate the dry day average maximum temperature, equations 1:3.4.14 and 1:3.4.15 are combined and solved for μDmxmon\mu Dmx_{mon}:

μDmxmon=μmxmon+bTdayswetdaystot(μmxmonμmnmon)\mu Dmx_{mon}=\mu mx_{mon}+b_T*\frac{days_{wet}}{days_{tot}}*(\mu mx_{mon}-\mu mn_{mon}) 1:3.4.16

Incorporating the modified values into equation 1:3.4.10, SWAT calculates the maximum temperature for a wet day using the equation:

Tmx=μWmxmon+χi(1)σmxmonT_{mx}=\mu Wmx_{mon}+\chi_i(1)*\sigma mx_{mon} 1:3.4.17

and the maximum temperature for a dry day using the equation:

Tmx=μDmxmon+χi(1)σmxmonT_{mx}=\mu Dmx_{mon}+\chi_i(1)*\sigma mx_{mon} 1:3.4.18

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