A modified Morris screening protocol for sensitivity analysis and calibration of green roof parameters in SWMM

In the calibration process of urban flood and non-point source pollution models, obtaining sufficient site-specific sensitive parameters and their variation trends remains challenging. In this study, a modified Morris screening method was established and used to evaluate the parameters of the green...

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Main Authors: Lihua Yang, Jie Wang, Songwen Yang, Mingming Wang, Long Li, Tie Chen, Liang Feng
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-12-01
Series:City and Environment Interactions
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S259025202500042X
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author Lihua Yang
Jie Wang
Songwen Yang
Mingming Wang
Long Li
Tie Chen
Liang Feng
author_facet Lihua Yang
Jie Wang
Songwen Yang
Mingming Wang
Long Li
Tie Chen
Liang Feng
author_sort Lihua Yang
collection DOAJ
description In the calibration process of urban flood and non-point source pollution models, obtaining sufficient site-specific sensitive parameters and their variation trends remains challenging. In this study, a modified Morris screening method was established and used to evaluate the parameters of the green roof module in the SWMM model. This method involved fixing the values of all other parameters while varying a selected parameter X(i) within its defined range, applying multiple iterations of changes at a fixed percentage (10 %) to compute the corresponding model output values. The aim was to specify the impact and significance of hydrological parameters on runoff volume cut-off and water quality indicators under different return periods, and to further improve the prediction accuracy of the SWMM in simulating real rainfall events. Results revealed that Soil-T (soil layer thickness) and Surface-BH (surface layer storage depth) exhibited the highest sensitivity to total runoff production. Specifically, the sensitivity values of Soil-T exceeded 1.0 under 0.5-year and 1-year return periods, indicating its dominant role in runoff generation, while Surface-BH demonstrated a sensitivity value close to 2.0 at 0.5-year return period, showing its strong impact on peak flow. For these high-sensitivity parameters, the manual trial-and-error method was used for parameter refinement. Optimal simulation accuracy (ENS > 0.75) was achieved when Soil-T and Surface-BH were set within ranges of 86–95 mm and 18–22 mm, respectively, across six representative rainfall events. This study provides a new method to determine the optimal parameter combinations for calibrating the SWMM model, and its high accuracy offers a scientific basis for design and optimization of urban drainage systems, particularly in response to extreme rainfall events, which is helpful to the sustainability and resilience of cities.
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spelling doaj-art-91e512f716204bbd8b58d0e2fe84c0302025-08-20T03:35:38ZengElsevierCity and Environment Interactions2590-25202025-12-012810022810.1016/j.cacint.2025.100228A modified Morris screening protocol for sensitivity analysis and calibration of green roof parameters in SWMMLihua Yang0Jie Wang1Songwen Yang2Mingming Wang3Long Li4Tie Chen5Liang Feng6School of Art Design, Hangzhou Polytechnic, Hangzhou 311402, ChinaSchool of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology (Shenzhen), Shenzhen 518055, ChinaSchool of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology (Shenzhen), Shenzhen 518055, ChinaSchool of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology (Shenzhen), Shenzhen 518055, ChinaSchool of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology (Shenzhen), Shenzhen 518055, ChinaSchool of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology (Shenzhen), Shenzhen 518055, ChinaSchool of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology (Shenzhen), Shenzhen 518055, China; Corresponding author.In the calibration process of urban flood and non-point source pollution models, obtaining sufficient site-specific sensitive parameters and their variation trends remains challenging. In this study, a modified Morris screening method was established and used to evaluate the parameters of the green roof module in the SWMM model. This method involved fixing the values of all other parameters while varying a selected parameter X(i) within its defined range, applying multiple iterations of changes at a fixed percentage (10 %) to compute the corresponding model output values. The aim was to specify the impact and significance of hydrological parameters on runoff volume cut-off and water quality indicators under different return periods, and to further improve the prediction accuracy of the SWMM in simulating real rainfall events. Results revealed that Soil-T (soil layer thickness) and Surface-BH (surface layer storage depth) exhibited the highest sensitivity to total runoff production. Specifically, the sensitivity values of Soil-T exceeded 1.0 under 0.5-year and 1-year return periods, indicating its dominant role in runoff generation, while Surface-BH demonstrated a sensitivity value close to 2.0 at 0.5-year return period, showing its strong impact on peak flow. For these high-sensitivity parameters, the manual trial-and-error method was used for parameter refinement. Optimal simulation accuracy (ENS > 0.75) was achieved when Soil-T and Surface-BH were set within ranges of 86–95 mm and 18–22 mm, respectively, across six representative rainfall events. This study provides a new method to determine the optimal parameter combinations for calibrating the SWMM model, and its high accuracy offers a scientific basis for design and optimization of urban drainage systems, particularly in response to extreme rainfall events, which is helpful to the sustainability and resilience of cities.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S259025202500042XSWMM modelGreen roof parametersMorris methodLocal sensitivity
spellingShingle Lihua Yang
Jie Wang
Songwen Yang
Mingming Wang
Long Li
Tie Chen
Liang Feng
A modified Morris screening protocol for sensitivity analysis and calibration of green roof parameters in SWMM
City and Environment Interactions
SWMM model
Green roof parameters
Morris method
Local sensitivity
title A modified Morris screening protocol for sensitivity analysis and calibration of green roof parameters in SWMM
title_full A modified Morris screening protocol for sensitivity analysis and calibration of green roof parameters in SWMM
title_fullStr A modified Morris screening protocol for sensitivity analysis and calibration of green roof parameters in SWMM
title_full_unstemmed A modified Morris screening protocol for sensitivity analysis and calibration of green roof parameters in SWMM
title_short A modified Morris screening protocol for sensitivity analysis and calibration of green roof parameters in SWMM
title_sort modified morris screening protocol for sensitivity analysis and calibration of green roof parameters in swmm
topic SWMM model
Green roof parameters
Morris method
Local sensitivity
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S259025202500042X
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