Snow hydrology in the Moroccan Atlas Mountains

Hanich, Lahoucine; Chehbouni, Abdelghani; Gascoin, Simon; Boudhar, Abdelghani; Jarlan, Lionel; Tramblay, Yves; Boulet, G.; Marchane, Ahmed; Baba, Mohamed Wassim; Kinnard, Christophe; Simonneaux, Vincent; Fakir, Younes; Bouchaou, Lhoussaine; Leblanc, Marc; Page, Michel Le; Bouamri, Hafsa; Er-Raki, Salah; Khabba, Saïd

doi:10.1016/j.ejrh.2022.101101

Cited by 15 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 74 publications

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“…The model predicts a slow build-up of the SWE, beginning in early November and reaching a peak around the beginning of February ( Figure 7 ), followed by melting that ends in late April (see Figure A3 ). Similar findings were stated by [ 8 , 93 ]. Maximum SWE, as simulated by the SWAT model, reaches 140 million cubic meters (mcm) on the basin-wide scale ( Figure 7 ).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

“…The inter-annual variability detected in SWE and SCA affects the fractions of snowmelt contributing to streamflow, suggesting that melting snow will be variable from one year to another. According to [ 8 ], between 15% and 51% of streamflow is contributed by snowmelt, making the snowmelt in the High Atlas the principal supply of water for the Bine El Ouidane dam. Hence, the role of snowfall/snowmelt in feeding the dam is very crucial.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…According to [ 6 ], streamflow variation is strongly linked to rainfall, temperature, and snow cover change. The High Atlas snow cover exhibits significant fluctuation in both space and time, which is a key feature in arid conditions [ 8 ]. Additionally, precipitation often occurs in sporadic, short events throughout a season, and even in midwinter at high elevations, moderate temperatures on a few dry days can cause complete ablation of the snowpack [ 49 ].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…According to several researchers [ 3 , 4 , 5 ], the High Atlas Mountains provide a significant percentage of the water needed for irrigation, dam storage, hydropower generation, and aquifer recharging. The hydrological analysis of such mountainous areas is more difficult and complex, due to the intricate mechanism between the snowfall and snowmelt [ 6 , 7 , 8 ]. Therefore, snowfall, snowpack, and snowmelt are among the processes with the highest impact on the water cycle in High Atlas watersheds.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Because of the difficult landscape and the high snow thickness in mountainous regions, direct measurement of SWE is unreliable in most cases [ 23 ]. Thus, as SWE records for most of the mountainous watersheds are scarce, one of the most significant unresolved issues in hilly environments is the estimation of accurate basin-wide SWE [ 8 ]. An effective approach may consist in estimating the total snowpack by using a snow model fed by the observed remotely sensed snow-covered area (SCA) [ 7 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Application of SWAT Model and Remotely Sensed Products to Characterize the Dynamic of Streamflow and Snow in a Mountainous Watershed in the High Atlas

Taia

Erraioui

Arjdal

et al. 2023

Sensors

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Snowfall, snowpack, and snowmelt are among the processes with the greatest influence on the water cycle in mountainous watersheds. Hydrological models may be significantly biased if snow estimations are inaccurate. However, the unavailability of in situ snow data with enough spatiotemporal resolution limits the application of spatially distributed models in snow-fed watersheds. This obliges numerous modellers to reduce their attention to the snowpack and its effect on water distribution, particularly when a portion of the watershed is predominately covered by snow. This research demonstrates the added value of remotely sensed snow cover products from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) in evaluating the performance of hydrological models to estimate seasonal snow dynamics and discharge. The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model was used in this work to simulate discharge and snow processes in the Oued El Abid snow-dominated watershed. The model was calibrated and validated on a daily basis, for a long period (1981–2015), using four discharge-gauging stations. A spatially varied approach (snow parameters are varied spatially) and a lumped approach (snow parameters are unique across the whole watershed) have been compared. Remote sensing data provided by MODIS enabled the evaluation of the snow processes simulated by the SWAT model. Results illustrate that SWAT model discharge simulations were satisfactory to good according to the statistical criteria. In addition, the model was able to reasonably estimate the snow-covered area when comparing it to the MODIS daily snow cover product. When allowing snow parameters to vary spatially, SWAT model results were more consistent with the observed streamflow and the MODIS snow-covered area (MODIS-SCA). This paper provides an example of how hydrological modelling using SWAT and snow coverage products by remote sensing may be used together to examine seasonal snow cover and snow dynamics in the High Atlas watershed.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

The Application of SWAT Model and Remotely Sensed Products to Characterize the Dynamic of Streamflow and Snow in a Mountainous Watershed in the High Atlas

Taia

Erraioui

Arjdal

et al. 2023

Sensors

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Climate change impacts on snow cover area and snowmelt runoff in the Ajichai Basin‐Iran

Goodarzi

Sabaghzadeh

Fatehifar

et al. 2023

Intl Journal of Climatology

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During snowmelt in mountainous areas, runoff can play an important role in providing water to the region. This study examined the effect of climate change on runoff in Ajichai, Iran, since it affects air warming and faster melting of snow and ice. Using the sixth report provided by IPCC, the future temperature and precipitation in the years 2015–2100 were predicted using two scenarios, SSP1‐2.6 and SSP5‐8.5. According to the results, the average annual minimum and maximum temperatures would increase by 1° during this period, but precipitation would decrease by about 3%. Based on the Snow Runoff Model (SRM) model and the snow cover area (SCA) obtained from Google Earth Engine and MODIS daily images from 2013 to 2018, runoff caused by snow melting was simulated. Based on the Pearson correlation coefficient between snow cover and temperature and precipitation, the SCA was estimated in three decades: 2031–2040, 2061–2070, and 2091–2100. With reasonable accuracy, the SRM was able to simulate runoff. In the SSP1 scenario, the SCA in spring and winter will remain the same throughout all three decades, but in the SSP5 scenario, it will decrease by about 17%. In the future, the runoff will decrease by up to 6% in the winter and increase in the spring.

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Gridded Datasets for Climatic and Hydrological Characterization over the Main River Basins in Moroccan Atlas Mountains

Boudhar,

Baba,

Marchane

et al. 2024

Advances in Science, Technology &Amp; Innovation

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Snow hydrology in the Moroccan Atlas Mountains

Cited by 15 publications

References 74 publications

The Application of SWAT Model and Remotely Sensed Products to Characterize the Dynamic of Streamflow and Snow in a Mountainous Watershed in the High Atlas

The Application of SWAT Model and Remotely Sensed Products to Characterize the Dynamic of Streamflow and Snow in a Mountainous Watershed in the High Atlas

Climate change impacts on snow cover area and snowmelt runoff in the Ajichai Basin‐Iran

Gridded Datasets for Climatic and Hydrological Characterization over the Main River Basins in Moroccan Atlas Mountains

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