Year: 2022
Type: article
Abstract: Atlas Mountains located in Morocco. Mountainous regions constitute an area of water production, while water is used in downstream plains. In Central Morocco, the Atlas Mountains represent the most important water supply in the country. The solid part of precipitation forms seasonal snowpack. Snowmelt is important for the water supply for different uses in neighbouring plains. Accurate knowledge of snow water equivalent is key information needed by policy-makers to help design and implement appropriate allocation strategies for water resource management. The objective of this paper is to provide a summary of our research activities on snow hydrology in the Atlas Mountains during the past twenty years. The approach combines in situ measurements, remote sensing, and modeling. Following a description of the context of the Moroccan Atlas Mountains and the experimental network, an overview of the main results obtained is presented: the characterization of the spatiotemporal dynamics of snow cover; the impact of the North Atlantic Oscillation on the snow-covered area; the snowmelt contribution to the flows of the Atlas rivers; the contribution of snowmelt to surface and groundwater recharge and the quantification of climate change impacts on snow and associated runoff from the Atlas Mountains. We also present challenges and future research perspectives within this topic.
Authors: Lahoucine Hanich, Abdelghani Chehbouni, Simon Gascoin, Abdelghani Boudhar, Lionel Jarlan, Yves Tramblay, Gilles Boulet, Ahmed Marchane, Mohamed Wassim Baba, Christophe Kinnard, Vincent Simonneaux, Younes Fakir, Lhoussaine Bouchaou, Marc Leblanc, Michel Le Page, Hafsa Bouamri, Salah Er-Raki, Saïd Khabba
Institutions: Cadi Ayyad University, Université Mohammed VI Polytechnique, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Centre National d'Études Spatiales, Institut National de Recherche pour l'Agriculture, l'Alimentation et l'Environnement, Centre d'Études Spatiales de la Biosphère, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, Université de Toulouse, Université Sultan Moulay Slimane, Laboratoire HydroSciences Montpellier, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, Université Ibn Zohr, Université d'Avignon et des Pays de Vaucluse, Gestion de l'Eau, Acteurs, Usages, EMMAH - Environnement Méditerranéen et Modélisation des Agro-Hydrosystèmes
Language: English
Subfield: Atmospheric Science
Field: Earth and Planetary Sciences
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,460
Awards: G1886640916, Global Change: Assessment and Adaptation to Mediterranean Region Water Scarcity, Managing water resources within Mediterranean agrosystems by accounting for spatial structures and connectivities, Irrigation and Drainage monitoring by remote sensing for Ecosystems and WAter resources management
OpenAlex ID: W4282017615