Sediment Load Calculation Within a Rural Basin by Using a Physically-Based Model (Arcswat)

Erosion and sediment load production are among the greatest potential hazard geomorphological processes, due to its large superficial extension, in fact, it´s been calculated that one sixth of the soils within the planet is affected by the hydric erosion. The environmental modifications caused by the man within a global scale have been the main reason of a spectacular increase of erosion and sediment load production in many parts of the world. In urban basins, urbanization processes imply to remove large terrain extensions covered by vegetation.

This paper discusses one way to reach the sediment load estimation within a rural basin in Central Mexico, by using a physically-based model, specifically the SWAT model.

SWAT is a continuous time, physically based hydrological model developed by the United States Department of Agriculture–Agricultural Research Service (USDA–ARS) to predict the impact of land management practices on water, sediment, and agricultural chemical yields in large complex watersheds. In this paper, only the relevant sediment components of the SWAT model is discussed briefly.