Evaluation of the Snowmelt Runoff Model in the Moroccan High Atlas Mountains using two snow-cover estimates

Boudhar, Abdelghani; Hanich, Lahoucine; Boulet, G.; Duchemin, B.; Berjamy, Brahim; Chehbouni, Abdelghani

doi:10.1623/hysj.54.6.1094

Cited by 107 publications

(67 citation statements)

References 42 publications

(34 reference statements)

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“…The streamflow is generated in the High Atlas and is of rain-fed and snowmelt origin (Hajhouji et al, 2018;Marchane et al, 2015). The snowmelt contributes on average by 15% to 30% of the streamflow (Boudhar et al, 2009;Boudhar, Boulet, Hanich, Sicart, & Chehbouni, 2016). Therefore, the streamflow is high during winter and spring (December to May) and low during summer and autumn (June to November).…”

Section: Precipitation and Streamflowmentioning

confidence: 99%

Groundwater recharge sources in semiarid irrigated mountain fronts

Bouimouass

Fakir

Tweed

et al. 2020

Hydrological Processes

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High‐elevation mountains often constitute for basins important groundwater recharge sources through mountain‐front recharge processes. These processes include streamflow losses and subsurface inflow from the mountain block. However, another key recharge process is from irrigation practices, where mountain streamflow is distributed across the irrigated piedmont. In this study, coupled groundwater fluctuation measurements and environmental tracers (18O, 2H, and major ions) were used to identify and compare the natural mountain‐front recharge to the anthropogenically induced irrigation recharge. Within the High Atlas mountain front of the Ourika Basin, Central Morocco, the groundwater fluctuation mapping from the dry to wet season showed that recharge beneath the irrigated area was higher than the recharge along the streambed. Irrigation practices in the region divert more than 65% of the stream water, thereby reducing the potential for in‐stream groundwater recharge. In addition, the irrigation areas close to the mountain front had greater water table increases (up to 3.5 m) compared with the downstream irrigation areas (<1 m increase). Upstream crops have priority to irrigation with stream water over downstream areas. The latter are only irrigated via stream water during large flood events and are otherwise supplemented by groundwater resources. These changes in water resources used for irrigation practices between upstream and downstream areas are reflected in the spatiotemporal evolution of the stable isotopes of groundwater. In the upstream irrigation area, the groundwater stable isotope values (δ18O: −8.4‰ to −7.4‰) reflect recharge by the diverted stream water. In the downstream irrigation area, the groundwater isotope values are lower (δ18O: −8.1‰ to −8.4‰) due to recharge via the flood water. In the nonirrigation area, the groundwater has the highest stable isotope values (δ18O: −6.8‰ to −4.8‰). This might be due to recharge via subsurface inflow from the mountain block to the mountain front and/or recharge via local low altitude rainfall. These findings highlight that irrigation practices can result in the dominant mountain‐front recharge process for groundwater.

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Section: Precipitation and Streamflowmentioning

confidence: 99%

Groundwater recharge sources in semiarid irrigated mountain fronts

Bouimouass

Fakir

Tweed

et al. 2020

Hydrological Processes

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“…Snow is present from November to April or May in the highest parts of the mountains, but with irregular regimes (Badri et al, 1994;Peyron, 1980), and is rarely continuous at mid-altitude, with snowfall and subsequent melt events sometimes happening within a few days. However, in the highest reaches, snow cover lasts for several weeks to months (Boudhar et al, 2009). Snowmelt contributes to 15-50 % of the stream flow in the Tensift catchment, thus playing a significant role for irrigation (Boudhar et al, 2009).…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, in the highest reaches, snow cover lasts for several weeks to months (Boudhar et al, 2009). Snowmelt contributes to 15-50 % of the stream flow in the Tensift catchment, thus playing a significant role for irrigation (Boudhar et al, 2009). The low atmospheric humidity and typically subfreezing temperatures above 3000 m favour losses by sublimation, which can account for up to 44 % of snow ablation, while at lower altitudes melting prevails (Schulz and de Jong, 2004).…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

New observations indicate the possible presence of permafrost in North Africa (Djebel Toubkal, High Atlas, Morocco)

2017

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Abstract. Relict and present-day periglacial features have been reported in the literature for the upper reaches of the High Atlas mountains, which is the highest range in North Africa (Djebel Toubkal -4167 m a.s.l.). A lobate feature in the Irhzer Ikhibi south at 3800 m a.s.l. has been previously interpreted as an active rock glacier, but no measurements of ground or air temperatures are known to exist for the area. In order to assess the possible presence of permafrost, we analyse data from June 2015 to June 2016 from two air temperature measurement sites at 2370 and 3210 m a.s.l. and from four ground surface temperature (GST) sites at 3220, 3815, 3980 and 4160 m a.s.l. to characterize conditions along an altitudinal gradient along the Oued Ihghyghaye valley to the summit of the Djebel Toubkal. GSTs were collected at 1 h intervals, and the presence of snow cover at the monitoring sites was validated using Landsat 8 and Sentinel-2 imagery. Two field visits allowed for logger installation and collection and for assessing the geomorphological features in the area. The results show that snow plays a major role on the thermal regime of the shallow ground, inducing important spatial variability. The lowest site at 3220 m had a thermal regime characterized by frequent freeze-thaw cycles during the cold season but with few days of snow. When snow settled, the ground surface remained isothermal at 0 • C , indicating the absence of permafrost. The highest sites at 3980 and 4160 m a.s.l. showed very frequent freeze-thaw cycles and a small influence of the snow cover on GST, reflecting the lack of snow accumulation due to the wind-exposed settings on a ridge and on the summit plateau. The site located at 3815 m in the Irhzer Ikhibi south valley had a cold, stable thermal regime with GST varying from −4.5 to −6 • C from December to March, under a continuous snow cover.The site's location in a concave setting favours wind-driven snow accumulation and lower incoming solar radiation due to the shading effect of a ridge, inducing the conservation of a thick snow pack. The stable and low GSTs are interpreted as a strong indicator of the probable presence of permafrost at this site, which is an interpretation supported by the presence of lobate and arcuate features in the talus deposits. We present first results and further observations using geophysics, and borehole measurements are foreseen. This is the first time that probable permafrost has been reported from temperature observations in the mountains of North Africa.

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“…Certainly, the availability of water in these areas is one of the main factors influencing socio-economic development, especially when these regions are based largely on revenues of the agriculture [3][4][5]. However, the constraints in such context marked by precipitations with a high spatial heterogeneity and a strong irregularity in time [6,7] pose great challenges for any attempt to accurately measure this resource [8][9][10].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of TRMM 3B42 V7 Rainfall Product over the Oum Er Rbia Watershed in Morocco

Ouatiki

Boudhar

Tramblay

et al. 2017

Climate

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Abstract:In arid and semi-arid areas, rainfall is often characterized by a strong spatial and temporal variability. These environmental factors, combined with the sparsity of the measurement networks in developing countries, constitute real constraints for water resources management. In recent years, several spatial rainfall measurement sources have become available, such as TRMM data (Tropical Rainfall Measurement Mission). In this study, the TRMM 3B42 Version 7 product was evaluated using rain gauges measurements from 19 stations in the Oum-Er-Bia (OER) basin located in the center of Morocco. The relevance of the TRMM product was tested by direct comparison with observations at different time scales (daily, monthly, and annual) between 1998 and 2010. Results show that the satellite product provides poor estimations of rainfall at the daily time scale giving an average Pearson correlation coefficient (r) of 0.2 and average Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) of 10 mm. However, the accuracy of TRMM rainfall is improved when temporally averaged to monthly time scale (r of 0.8 and RMSE of 28 mm) or annual time scale (r of 0.71 and RMSE of 157 mm). Moreover, improved correlation with observed data was obtained for data spatially averaged at the watershed scale. Therefore, at the monthly and annual time scales, TRMM data can be a useful source of rainfall data for water resources monitoring and management in ungauged basins in semi-arid regions.

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Evaluation of the Snowmelt Runoff Model in the Moroccan High Atlas Mountains using two snow-cover estimates

Cited by 107 publications

References 42 publications

Groundwater recharge sources in semiarid irrigated mountain fronts

Groundwater recharge sources in semiarid irrigated mountain fronts

New observations indicate the possible presence of permafrost in North Africa (Djebel Toubkal, High Atlas, Morocco)

Evaluation of TRMM 3B42 V7 Rainfall Product over the Oum Er Rbia Watershed in Morocco

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