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The use of standard laboratory methods to estimate the soil texture is complicated, expensive, and time-consuming and needs considerable effort. The reflectance spectroscopy represents an alternative method for predicting a large range of soil physical properties and provides an inexpensive, rapid, and reproducible analytical method. This study aimed to assess the feasibility of Visible (VIS: 350-700 nm) and Near-Infrared and Short-Wave-Infrared (NIRS: 701-2500 nm) spectroscopy for predicting and mapping the clay, silt, and sand fractions of the soils of Triffa plain (north-east of Morocco). A total of 100 soil samples were collected from the non-root zone of soil (0-20 cm) and then analyzed for texture using the VIS-NIRS spectroscopy and the traditional laboratory method. The partial least squares regression (PLSR) technique was used to assess the ability of spectral data to predict soil texture. The results of prediction models showed excellent performance for the VIS-NIRS spectroscopy to predict the sand fraction with a coefficient of determination R2 = 0.93 and Root Mean Squares Error (RMSE) =3.72, good prediction for the silt fraction (R2=0.87; RMSE = 4.55), and acceptable prediction for the clay fraction (R2 = 0.53; RMSE = 3.72). Moreover, the range situated between 2150 and 2450 nm is the most significant for predicting the sand and silt fractions, while the spectral range between 2200 and 2440 nm is the optimal to predict the clay fraction. However, the maps of predicted and measured soil texture showed an excellent spatial similarity for the sand fraction, a certain difference in the variability of clay fraction, while the maps of silt fraction show a lower difference.

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Water stress is one of the factors controlling agricultural land salinization and is also a major problem worldwide. According to FAO and the most recent estimates, it already affects more than 400 million hectares. The Tafilalet plain in Southeastern Morocco suffers from soil salinization. In this regard, the GIS tools and remote sensing were used in the processing of 19 satellite images acquired from Landsat 4-5, (Landsat 7), (Landsat 8), and (Sentinel 2) sensors. The most used indices in the literature were (16 indices) tested and correlated with the results obtained from 25 samples taken from the first soil horizon at a constant depth of 0.20 m from the 2018 campaign. The linear model, at first, allows the selection of five better indices of the soil salinity discrimination (SI-Khan, VSSI, BI, S3, and SI-Dehni). These last indices were the subject of the application of a logarithmic model and polynomial models of degree two and four to increase the prediction of saline soil. After studies and analysis, we concluded that the second-degree polynomial model of the salinity index (SI-KHAN) is the most efficient one for detecting and mapping soil salinity in the Tafilalet oasis, with a coefficient of determination (R2) and the Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE) equal to 0.93 and 0.86, respectively. Percent bias (PBIAS) calculated for this model equal was 1.868% < 10%, and the low value of the root mean square error (RMSE) confirms its very good performance. The drought cyclicity led to the intensification of the soil salinization process and accelerated soil degradation. The standardized precipitation anomaly index (SPAI) is strongly correlated to soil salinity. The hydroclimate condition is the factor that further controls this phenomenon. An increase in salinized surfaces is observed during the periods of 1984–1996 and 2000–2005, which cover a surface of 11.50 and 24.20 km2, respectively, while a decrease of about 50% is observed during the periods of 1996–2000 and 2005–2018.

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The use of vegetation is one of the effective methods to combat the increasing Urban Heat Island (UHI). However, vegetation is steadily decreasing due to urban pressure and increased water stress. This study used air temperature measurements, humidity and an innovative advanced earth system analysis to investigate, at daytime, the relationship between green surfaces, built-up areas and the surface urban heat island (SUHI) in Marrakesh, Morocco, which is one of the busiest cities in Africa and serves as a major economic centre and tourist destination. While it is accepted that UHI variation is generally mitigated by the spatial distribution of green spaces and built-up areas, this study shows that bare areas also play a key role in this relationship. The results show a maximum mean land surface temperature difference of 3.98 °C across the different city neighbourhoods, and bare ground had the highest correlation with temperature (r = 0.86). The correlation between the vegetation index and SUHI is decreasing over time, mainly because of the significant changes in the region’s urban planning policy and urban growth. The study represents a relevant overview of the factors impacting SUHI, and it brings a new perspective to what is known so far in the literature, especially in arid climate areas, which have the specificity of large bare areas playing a major role in SUHI mitigation. This research highlights this complex relationship for future sustainable development, especially with the challenges of global warming becoming increasingly critical.

Morocco ranks among countries with the greatest achievements in the field of dams in Africa but is affected by the sedimentation phenomenon due to soil erosion in upstreams. The assessment of Sediment Yield (SY) and Suspended Sediment Yield (SSY) remains a challenging global issue, especially in Morocco, characterized by a great diversity of morphological, climatic, and vegetation cover. The main objective of this paper was to perform advanced statistics and artificial neural networks (ANN) in order to understand the spatial distribution of sediment yield and the factors most controlling it, including factors of the RUSLE model (Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation). In order to produce a model able to assess SY, we collected and analyzed extensive data of most variables that can be affecting SY using 42 catchments of the biggest and important dams of Morocco. Statistical analysis of the studied watersheds shows that SY is mainly related to the watershed area and the length of the drainage network.  On the other hand, the SSY is higher in watersheds where gully erosion is abundant and lower in areas with no soil horizon. The SSY is mainly related to the altitude, aridity index, sand fraction, and drainage network length. In front of the complexity of preserving this phenomenon, the ANN was applied and gave very good satisfactory results in predicting the SSY (NSE=0.93, R2=0.93).