Impact of Infiltration Process Modeling on Runoff Simulations: The Bonis River Basin

Integrated water resources management at the catchment scale, considering the full water cycle as manageable, is a primary approach to improve water use efficiency and promote sustainable water management solutions. To this purpose, advanced modelling tools are required to quantify the physical and economic effects of alternative land management options. This work presents an application of a spatially distributed physically based hydrological model to the Bonis experimental watershed located in the mountain area of Sila Greca (southern Italy). Different infiltration models were tested to better reproduce discharge observations at basin outlet. The model will be used for evaluating different land use/management scenarios, combined with climate change forcing, to quantify the effect of alternative management options on the land-water cycle. This work is part of the INNOMED project (Innovative Options for Integrated Water Resources Management in the Mediterranean) funded by ERA-NET COFUND WATERWORKS 2015 call.