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Introduction: Runoff measurement and monitoring is a laborious, time-consuming, and costly task. Additionally, common runoff monitoring usually primarily provide water level, requiring information on the stage-discharge relation. Automatic equipment such as flow meter tipping bucket (TB) is a potential option to simplify and provide continuous runoff monitoring in small catchments. However, a proper description of how to size and adapt the design under different flow conditions is still lacking.Methodology: In this paper we present a novel standardized framework for the design of TB that can be used for low-cost and real-time runoff monitoring under many different conditions. The framework consists of an estimation of the runoff peak rate using the rational equation and a volumetric capacity estimate of the cavity based on runoff rate, operation speed, and inclination angle of TB when at resting position. The proposed framework was implemented in a case study where four TBs were designed for continuous runoff monitoring from experimental plots (100 m2) with different land use (sugarcane, soybean, and bare soil).Results: During field tests (five months), the designed TBs had a recovery rate of actual runoff ranging from 61% to 81% and were able to capture features poorly studied (starting/ending time and peak flow) that have potential importance in hydrological models.Discussion: The proposed framework is flexible and can be used for different environmental conditions to provide continuous runoff data records.

The uncertainties present in hydrological models have made them difficult and often impossible to apply. This work evaluated the sensitivity of input parameters in the SWAT model used for the modeling of average monthly flow-discharge in the Jucu River Basin, located in the southeast portion of the state of Espírito Santo, Brazil. Sensitivity analysis was performed using the SWAT-CUP program, which uses the SUFI-2 algorithm. Four sensitivity analysis tests differing by the length of hydrological series, number of iteration and fluviometric station locations resulted in different sensitivity levels of input parameters used in the model. In this way, the present study emphasizes the need for a greater detailing of methodological processes used in the sensitivity analysis, so that different hierarchies of parameters can be obtained through the same tool.

Modelos hidrológicos, como o Soil and Water Assessment Tools (SWAT), são poderosas ferramentas para o gerenciamento de recursos hídricos. Entretanto, seu uso depende de muitos dados de entrada, comumente oriundos de bases internacionais e nacionais não realísticas. Dentre os dados de entrada, informações pedológicas em níveis regionais e locais são tidas como as mais críticas de obtenção e manuseio, especialmente em regiões em desenvolvimento como o Brasil, e a carência dessas informações leva a incertezas em simulações. O presente artigo tem como objetivo apresentar os procedimentos necessários para a obtenção dos valores de cada parâmetro pedológico exigido pelo modelo SWAT para estimativa de vazões em bacias hidrográficas. Ao longo trabalho são elencados os procedimentos para obtenção dos parâmetros pedológicos para cada classe de solo e ao seguir tal metodologia, foram identificados os valores para as classes presentes na área de estudo. O estudo se aplica à bacia do rio Jucu, localizada no estado do Espírito Santo, sendo referência e base de dados a futuros estudos hidrológicos da mesma região ou de outras; em vez de usar valores pouco coerentes com a realidade local.