CUCKOO SEARCH VIA LÉVY FLIGHTS FOR OPTIMIZATION OF A PHYSICALLY-BASED RUNOFF-EROSION MODEL

Abstract

This paper aims to calibrate a physically-based, event-oriented runoff-erosion model by means of a global optimization method known as cuckoo-host co-evolution (CHC) which has co-evolutionary changes incorporated into the traditional cuckoo search algorithm. The physically-based erosion model that was chosen to be optimized here is the watershed erosion simulation program (WESP), which was developed for small semiarid basins to simulate runoff and erosion processes. The optimization technique was tested with the field data collected in an experimental watershed located in a semiarid region of Brazil, and such technique showed to be effective in order to locate the optimal erosion parameter values. On the basis of these results, such values for a semiarid region are given, which could be recommended as an initial estimate for other similar areas.