Santiago-Ayala et al. (2026) Estimation of Water Balance and Nitrate Load in the Upper Basin of Aguascalientes, Mexico, Using SWAT

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Identification

• Journal: Hydrology
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-03-30
• Authors: Victor Hugo Santiago-Ayala, Arturo Corrales-Suastegui, David Ávalos-Cueva, Saúl Hernández-Amparan, César Monzón, Víctor Manuel Martínez-Calderón, Lidia Elizabeth Verduzco-Grajeda
• DOI: 10.3390/hydrology13040105

Research Groups

Not specified in the provided text.

Short Summary

This study evaluates the hydrological response and nitrate leaching dynamics in the Upper Aguascalientes watershed using the SWAT model, revealing a critical disconnect between high fertilization rates and crop absorption capacity that leads to rapid nitrogen transport during runoff events.

Objective

• Evaluate the hydrological response and nitrate leaching dynamics in the Upper Aguascalientes watershed.
• Formulate and couple a Potential Nitrate Leaching Risk Index (IRPN) to the hydrological results to characterize diffuse pollution sources.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Upper Aguascalientes watershed.
• Temporal Scale: Not explicitly specified, but implied to cover a period sufficient for hydrological and nitrate leaching dynamics analysis.

Methodology and Data

• Models used: SWAT (Soil and Water Assessment Tool), Potential Nitrate Leaching Risk Index (IRPN - formulated in this study).
• Data sources: Meteorological data (for SWAT forcing), ERA5 reanalysis (for runoff calibration).

Main Results

• ERA5 reanalysis effectively captures the temporal dynamics of Hydrological Response Units (HRUs) but significantly overestimates runoff volumes.
• The basin exhibits a marked scale-dependent hydrological duality: the upper zone operates under a Hortonian regime, while the lower basin shows attenuation due to spatial integration and distributed storage processes.
• The IRPN analysis demonstrates a critical disconnect between high fertilization rates (>1300 kg N·ha⁻¹) and crop absorption capacity, causing excess nitrogen to become a rapid transport vector during runoff events.

Contributions

• Provides a detailed characterization of hydro-agronomic mechanisms controlling diffuse pollution sources at the watershed scale in a semi-arid region.
• Introduces and applies a novel Potential Nitrate Leaching Risk Index (IRPN) to assess leaching risk.
• Underscores the critical need for integrated water management, technical training programs, and regulatory frameworks to promote sustainable agricultural practices aligned with the system’s retention capacity.

Funding

Not specified in the provided text.

Citation

@article{SantiagoAyala2026Estimation,
  author = {Santiago-Ayala, Victor Hugo and Corrales-Suastegui, Arturo and Ávalos-Cueva, David and Hernández-Amparan, Saúl and Monzón, César and Martínez-Calderón, Víctor Manuel and Verduzco-Grajeda, Lidia Elizabeth},
  title = {Estimation of Water Balance and Nitrate Load in the Upper Basin of Aguascalientes, Mexico, Using SWAT},
  journal = {Hydrology},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.3390/hydrology13040105},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.3390/hydrology13040105}
}