The purpose of this paper is to provide a summary of Morocco's climate extreme trends during the last four decades. Indices were computed based on a daily temperature and precipitation using a consistent approach recommended by the ETCCDI. Trends in these indices were calculated at 20 stations from 1970 to 2012. Twelve indices were considered to detect trends in temperature. A large number of stations have significant trends and confirm an increase in temperature, showing increased warming during spring and summer seasons. The results also show a decrease in the number of cold days and nights and an increase in the number of warm days and nights. Increasing trends have also been found in the absolute warmest and coldest temperatures of the year. A clear increase is detected for warm nights and diurnal temperature range. Eight indices for precipitation were also analyzed, but the trends for these precipitation indices are much less significant than for temperature indices and show more mixed spatial patterns of change. Heavy precipitation events do not exhibit significant trends except at a few locations, in the north and central parts of Morocco, with a general tendency towards drier conditions. The correlation between these climate indices and the large-scale atmospheric circulations indices such as the NAO, MO, and WEMO were also analyzed. Results show a stronger relationship with these climatic indices for the precipitation indices compared to the temperature indices. The correlations are more significant in the Atlantic regions, but they remain moderate at the whole country scale

Background: In the context of the knowledge of the functioning of estuaries and the evolution of abiotic factors on the basis of the marine dynamics, a study was conducted at the level of the Loukkos river estuary. Results: Water samples were collected seasonally from March to September during 2006 in 5 stations, spread throughout the estuary. Monitoring of several parameters showed significant variations. Indeed, the temperature of water ranging from 19.20 at 29.70°C, the pH is alkaline fluctuating from 7.02 to 7.99, salinity reach 29.50 mg/l, dissolved oxygen fluctuated between 2.17 and 12.33 mg/l and conductivity which follows the profile of salinity indicating the degree of mineralization of mean ranging from 593 to 54700 μs/cm. Conclusions: This research reveals to identify a spatial and temporal functional dynamism of the study estuary denoting the existence of two gradients: the first, upstream downstream, very marked at high tide, linked to marine and ocean inflow hydrodynamics and the second that in relation to the upstream water intake is very marked at low tide.

Les variations spatio-temporelles des teneurs en métaux lourds : le fer (Fe), le zinc (Zn), le cuivre (Cu), le chrome (Cr), le plomb (Pb) et le cadmium (Cd) ont été étudiées au niveau des sédiments de l'estuaire du bas Loukkos en relation avec les diverses activités humaines quelles soient d'origine industrielle, agricole ou domestique. Les résultats obtenus montrent qu'au niveau de la station où se déversent les rejets des eaux usées de la ville de Larache, on assiste à une modification importante dans les valeurs des principaux éléments (Cr et Pb). En effet, les teneurs métalliques des sédiments de ces éléments atteignent des valeurs particulièrement élevées à trois niveaux : au voisinage du collecteur principal, en amont et en aval de l'estuaire caractérisé respectivement par une forte activité agricole et un rejet d'eau usée domestique ainsi qu'un trafic routier important. L'indice de contamination, l'analyse de variance et l'analyse en composante principale pratiquées réalisés confirme ceci.

This paper uses a statistical approach to evaluate the degree of metal pollution, trace element concentrations, and seasonal evolutions of various physicochemical parameters of Moroccan drinking water sludge. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to analyze these physicochemical parameters (including water temperature (Tw), volatile suspended solids (VSS), and suspended matter (SM)) in liquid raw sludge, the conductivity (Cond(s) and pH(s)) in addition to the trace element content of the supernatant (e.g., Cd(s), Pb(s), Cr(s)), pH and heavy metal and trace element contents (e.g., Pb, Cr, Cd, Fe, Al, Cu, Zn, P, N, K and C) in dried hydroxide sludge. The measured quantities of Cd and Cr in the supernatant did not exceed their recommended limits in wastewater treated for irrigation; however, the amount of Zn, Pb and Cu measured in dried hydroxide sludge exceeded their limits as defined by international standards. PCA reveals that the principal component F1 indicates that 25.20% of all variance can be mostly attributed to Zn content and conductivity, while the principal component F2 demonstrates that 21.00% of all variance is likely caused by the previously mentioned physicochemical parameters, most significantly C and pH(s). Finally, this paper analyses the merits of this analytical approach and discusses its important applications for solving crucial environmental issues.

Biomedical waste is a real danger to public health and the environment. The quantity of this waste, mainly from hospitals, is constantly increasing, leading to various forms of pollution. This is a cross-sectional, observational study that took place in 2017. A questionnaire was submitted to nurses, doctors and those responsible for hospital hygiene and the operation of waste incinerators to assess the mechanisms and knowledge of medical staff in terms of biomedical waste management. It was confirmed that the hospital wastes are still poorly managed due to the absence of a plan or program for MPSD in all the structures studied, which attests to the non-application of the regulations in force and an inadequate internal management system in most laboratories. Due to the non-availability of health technicians and the lack of material resources in quality and quantity, a staff that is poorly informed about the regulations that apply to BMW, and a poorly recognized and disrespected BMW process that breaks even the clearest instructions regarding incineration and landfill disposal. It has become very urgent to adopt new strategies to be planned for an adequate training to be included for better medical waste management.