Evaluating the impact of satellite soil moisture data as an additional component in the calibration of a conceptual hydrological model

Abstract This study proposes a new method for dividing a catchment with the aim of testing it in the calibration process of a conceptual hydrological model. The new catchment division is reflected in having different land cover zones and the input data prepared in a semi-distributed way. This study also explores the impact of satellite soil moisture data when multi-objective calibration is used with the land cover zone divisions of a catchment while assigning different weights to runoff ranging from 0% to 100% (with a 0.05 step). The results indicate that using a weight range of 60% to 80% on a runoff provides optimal results, bettering both the runoff model’s efficiency and soil moisture correlation. For further validation of the internal parameters and processes, the field capacity and evapotranspiration of the catchment were monitored. In regions with specially limited in-situ soil moisture data, satellite-derived data can contribute as an scarce additional component of the land cover division that can point out areas of the most reliable soil moisture information.