Search Results (3)

The current study is essential for obtaining an accurate representation of weather conditions in the Ziz and Guir watersheds, characterized by an arid climate. This study combined climate data from the ERA5 model with data from observation stations in order to evaluate the ERA5 model in Morocco’s arid environment and increase the temporal and geographical coverage of climate data. From the data collected, precipitation, minimum and maximum temperatures were predicted under the RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 scenarios by applying the SDSM model in the two watersheds for the 2025 and 2100 periods. These forecasts contribute to the development of adaptation strategies in the face of climate change by giving precise indications of future trends and providing local communities with tools for enhancing their resilience capacity. At all climatic stations, the temperature changes predicted under these scenarios showed a marked positive trend for both minimum and maximum temperatures. By the end of the century, minimum temperatures may increase by 1.84 °C and 2.39 °C under the RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 scenarios, respectively. Similarly, maximum temperatures may increase by 1.78 °C and 2.9 °C under the RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 scenarios, respectively. In addition, the precipitation forecast under the RCP 4.5 scenario showed a significant negative trend at the Ait Haddou station, while under the RCP 8.5 scenario, significant negative trends were predicted for the Sidi Hamza, Ait Haddou, Tit N’Aissa, and Bouanane stations. Full article

Water resources in Morocco have been severely influenced by climate change and prolonged drought, particularly in the pre-Saharan zone. The Ziz watershed faces increasing pressure due to the high demographic growth, increased demand for water, excessive groundwater consumption, and investment in agriculture. But how long will water resources withstand these problems? This study, therefore, enters into the context of the assessment of water resources and estimates their vulnerability using the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI), Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI), and Standardized Groundwater Index (SGI), on data from the Ziz watershed from 1986 to 2016. Additionally, climate projections were utilized to simulate the future SGI from 2017 to 2100. The Water Evaluation and Planning System (WEAP) was employed to evaluate changes in Land Use and Land Cover (LULC) during the period of 1992–2020, and to generate future scenarios for land class inflows and outflows from 2017 to 2100, in comparison to the reference period of 1986–2016, thereby incorporating the SSP climate scenarios. The results indicate that the Ziz Basin experienced significant drought events in 1986–1989 and 2000–2003. The SPI and SPEI significantly correlated with SGI in some monitoring wells and with specific accumulation periods. The LULC analysis showed an increase in agricultural land and urban land and a decrease in barren or sparse land. Climate data analysis and scenarios predict that under SSP5-8.5, minimum and maximum temperatures will increase by 2.61 °C and 2.93 °C, respectively, and precipitation will decrease by 30% over this century. This substantial shift in climate conditions is reflected in the decline in SGIs, especially in the long term under SSP5-8.5. Water availability will decrease during this century under SSP3-7.0 and SSP5-8.5, as reflected in reduced land class inflows and increased outflows. These findings emphasize the need for stakeholders to implement integrated water governance for sustainability in the Ziz watershed. Full article

For any hydrological or hydrogeological system, the arrival of new rains is the input signal to the system. This isotopic signature of precipitation is of major interest in understanding the recharge processes of the aquifer system. On the scale of a given basin, staged stations at different altitudes and spread out in space allow this input signal to be well characterized and to draw the local meteoric water line. In south-eastern Morocco, specifically, in the Errachidia region, several chemical and isotopic studies of the waters of the various aquifers have been carried out. In the absence of a local meteoric water line, these studies were based on the use of the global meteoric water line (GMWL). Thus, the objective of this work is the isotopic characterization and the elaboration of the local meteoric water line of the rainwater of the Ziz watershed. This characterization of the input signal in the study area is based on 41 measurements of stable isotopes (δ¹⁸O and δ²H) relating to the precipitations collected during the period from December 2019 to November 2020 in four staged stations at different altitudes and spread over the space from upstream to downstream of the watershed. The linear relationship of δ²H as a function of δ¹⁸O describes the local meteoric water line (LMWL) by equation δ²H = 7.5 ± 0.3 δ¹⁸O + 4.6 ± 1.7; R² = 0.93. This equation displays evaporation confirmed by the arrival of continental currents in an arid environment. The variation in precipitation δ¹⁸O as a function of the sampling altitudes for the rains highlighted the relationship δ¹⁸O = −0.0026 ∗ Z − 1.67, with R² = 0.93, which means an altitudinal gradient of −0.26‰ per 100 m of altitude. In this regard, the development of the local meteoric water line and the determination of the altitudinal gradient for the first time in this arid to semi-arid region of the watershed will be of great use to researchers and water resource managers; for example, to help determine the groundwater recharge areas, determine the exchanges between surface water and groundwater, and analyze many other hydrological problems. Full article