Future water resources and droughts in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco under a high-emission climate scenario
Study Region: Morocco, North Africa. This study examines 36 mountainous basins that supply most of the country’s surface water.Study Focus: This study aims to evaluate the potential impacts of climate change on discharge in Morocco. Two hydrological models, World Wide HYPE and GR4J-CemaNeige, were u...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Elsevier
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S221458182500196X |
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| Summary: | Study Region: Morocco, North Africa. This study examines 36 mountainous basins that supply most of the country’s surface water.Study Focus: This study aims to evaluate the potential impacts of climate change on discharge in Morocco. Two hydrological models, World Wide HYPE and GR4J-CemaNeige, were used in combination with outputs from nine bias-corrected regional climate models. Future discharge was projected under the high-emission RCP8.5 scenario for the mid-century (2040–2060) and late-century (2070–2100). By implementing a state-of-the-art modeling approach on numerous representative sites, the study provides a robust framework for assessing changes in hydrological processes and water availability.New Hydrological Insights for the Region: This research identifies critical changes in snow dynamics, with peak snow storage projected to decrease by over 50 % due to rising temperatures. Consequently, the contribution of snowmelt to discharge will significantly diminish. These snow-related shifts are heading to an average reduction in discharge of −55 % by the late century (2070–2100). This reduction is primarily driven by significant decreases in precipitation (up to −43 %) combined with substantial increases in potential evapotranspiration (up to +38 %). Additionally, hydrological droughts are expected to become more frequent and prolonged, underscoring the urgent need for adaptive water management strategies specifically designed to address basin-specific characteristics. |
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| ISSN: | 2214-5818 |