Role of Nitrogen in Assessing the Sustainability of Irrigated Areas: Case Study of Northern Mexico Mélida Gutiérrez & Esperanza Yasmin Calleros-Rincón & María Socorro Espino-Valdés & Maria Teresa Alarcón-Herrera Received: 22 September 2020 /Accepted: 21 March 2021 # The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021 Abstract World’s food production relies on crops grown in irrigated land to feed an increasing population. In the long term, irrigation agriculture may cause envi- ronmental deterioration to the area (soil degradation, aquifer contamination) and its surroundings (green- house gas emission, eutrophication) to compromise crop production. Three irrigated areas in northern Mexico (Yaqui Valley, Delicias, Comarca Lagunera) were ex- amined with respect to the challenges to achieve sus- tainability using reported values of nitrogen (N) along with the conventional aquifer depletion and water con- tamination parameters. N 2 O emissions, measured in only the Yaqui Valley, amounted to up to 4.5% of applied N, and nitrate losses to about 18%. The water tables of these aquifers are dropping at rates of 0.4 m year -1 (Delicias) to 1.5 m year -1 (Comarca Lagunera). High NO 3 - concentrations in the Comarca Lagunera (66.2% of wells above 10 mg L -1 NO 3 –N) pose a threat to human health. Although lower than 10 mg L -1 NO 3 – N in most wells, NO 3 - levels in Delicias and Yaqui Valley are increasing with time, although more data are needed to confirm the trend. Overall, and although the efforts by farmers still focus on increasing crop yield, awareness of the advantage of implementing mea- sures towards sustainability is on the rise. Keywords Agriculture . Aquifer depletion . Irrigation . Nitrous oxide . Nitrate 1 Introduction Irrigated cropland substantially contributes to food pro- duction and grows approximately 50% of the world’s crops (FAO, 2003; Okada et al., 2018). Many of the irrigated areas are located in developing countries, where irrigated land occupies 20% of the total surface area and where 60% of cereal crops, such as wheat, rice, and maize, are grown (Koohafkan & Stewart, 2008). In arid areas, irrigation water can boost crop production by avoiding decreased yields from inadequate rainfall (Fernández-Cirelli et al., 2009; Koohafkan & Stewart, 2008). However, irrigated agriculture also faces serious problems such as the depletion and contamination of supporting aquifers, problems that require urgent https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-021-05091-6 M. Gutiérrez (*) Geography, Geology and Planning Department, Missouri State University, Springfield, MO 65897, USA e-mail: mgutierrez@missouristate.edu E. Y. Calleros-Rincón Facultad de Ciencias Químicas|, Universidad Juárez del Estado de Durango, Gómez Palacio, Durango 35015, México M. S. Espino-Valdés Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad Autónoma de Chihuahua, Chihuahua 31125, México M. T. Alarcón-Herrera Advanced Materials Research Center (CIMAV Durango), 34147 Durango, Durango, Mexico Water Air Soil Pollut (2021) 232: 148 /Published online: 10 April 2021