Abstract
Water resources in the Upper Drâa basin south of the High Atlas Mountains are of high importance for the persistence of human settlement in this region. To enlighten the hydro-climatologic situation, precipitation data from regional stations was analysed with respect to changes in annual precipitation sums and intensities. Then the inflow into the reservoir, its annual variability and its connection to precipitation events of different intensities was investigated. It was found that precipitation has a high variability that covers possible trends during the last decades. The study is concluded with an appraisal of the current and future hydrological regime of the Upper Drâa basin in the regard of water availability. Climate change is predicted to decrease annual precipitation sums but to increase precipitation intensities which leads to a higher number of floods. Since it was shown that floods provide most of the water volume for the reservoir Mansour Eddahbi, more research of the regional interdependencies is needed.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
ABH Souss/Massa/Drâa (Agence du Bassin Hydraulique de Souss/Massa/Drâa à Agadir) (2003): Hydrologie du Haut et Moyen Drâa. Agadir.
Benarafa, S. (1992): Le Maroc en l’an 2050. Impacts d’une eventuelle evolution climatique sur la vegetation et les ecosystems. Royaume du Maroc. Ministère des Travaux Publics, de la Formation Professionelle et de la Météorologie Nationale. Rabat.
Cappy, S. (2006): Hydrogeological characterization of the Upper Drêa catchment: Morocco. PhD thesis at the University of Bonn.
Cappy, S. and B. Reichert (2005): Water balance and hydrogeochemical investigations in a mesoscale catchment in High Atlas: The Assif-n-Ait-Ahmed catchment. In: Ait Hamza, M. and H. Popp (Eds.): Pour une nouvelle perception des functions des montagnes du Maroc. 7éme Colloque scientifique maroco-allemand, Rabat, 23-25 September 2004.
DAF (Direction de l’Agriculture et des forêts) (1957): Carte des precipitations. Rabat/Paris.
DRPE (Direction de la Recherche et de la Planification de l’Eau) (1988): Etude de la gestion de retenues de barrages. Partie B: Barrage de Mansour Ed Dahbi. Rabat.
DRPE (Direction de la Recherche et de la Planification de l’Eau) (1994): Etude du plan directeur de l’aménagement des eaux des basins du Guir, Ziz, Rheris, et Drâa: étude des schémas d’aménagement. Volume II, Rabat.
Fihri, Hafid Fassi (2007): Nos oasis sont mencées de disparition. L’Opinion, internet source: http://www.lopinion.ma/spip.php?article15997 (9.7.2007).
Hasler, M. (1980): Der Einfluss des Atlasgebirges auf das Klima Nordwestafrikas. Geographica Bernensia G11.
IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) (2001): Climate Change 2001. Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability. Contribution to the Working Group II to the third Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Cambridge.
Joly, F. (1949): Géographie du Maroc.
Klose, S., Reichert, B. and A. Lahmouri (2007, this book): Developing management options for a sustainable groundwater use in the Middle Drâa Oases under the pressure of climatic changes. In: Zereini et al. (Eds): Climatic Changes and Water Resources in the Middle East and in North Africa. Frankfurt. (this citation has to be updated)
Knippertz, P. (2003): Niederschlagsvariabilität in Nordwestafrika und der Zusammenhang mit der groβkaligen atmosphärischen Zirkulation und der synoptischen Aktivität. Dissertation. Mitteilungen aus dem Institut für Geophysik und Meteorologie der Universität zu Köln, Heft 152. 137 Seiten.
Knippertz, P., Fink, A., Reiner, A. und P. Speth (2003a): Three late summer/early autumn cases of tropical-extratropical interactions causing precipitation in Northwest Africa. American Meteorological Society, p.116-135.
Knippertz, P., Christoph, M. and P. Speth (2003b): Long-term precipitation variability in Morocco and the link to the large-scale circulation in recent and future climates. Meteorology and Atmospheric Physics 83, p. 67-88.
Lahlou, A. (1988): The silting of Moroccan Dams. IAHS Publ. 174, p. 71-77.
Maselli, D. (1995): L’écosystême montagnard agro-sylvo-pastoral de Tagoundaft (Haut-Atlas occidental, Maroc): resources, processus et problêmes d’une utilisation durable. Geographica Bernensia African Studies Series A12.
ORMVAO (Office Régional de Mise en Valeur Agricole de Ouarzazate) (2003): Report sur la situation de la Vallée Moyenne du Drâa. Ouarzazate.
Parish, R. and D.C. Funnell (1999): Climate change in mountain regions: some possible consequences in the Moroccan High Atlas. Global Environmental Change 9, p. 45-58.
Piqué, A. (2001): Geology of Northwest Africa. Berlin.
Pletsch, A. (1971): Strukturwandlungen in der Oase Dra. Untersuchungen zur Wirtschafts- und Bevölkerungsentwicklung im Oasengebiet Südmarokkos. Marburger Geographische Schriften 46.
Rademacher, C. (in prep.): Arbeitsmigration und Aspekte souio-ökonomischen Wandels in einer süd-marokkanischen Oasensiedlung. PhD thesis. University of Cologne.
Riser, J. (1973): Le barrage Mansour Eddahbi et les amenagements agricoles de la vallée du Dra moyen. Revue de Géographie du Maroc, No. 23-24, p. 167-177.
Schulz, O. (2006): Analyse schneehydrologischer Prozesse und Schneekartierung im Einzugsgebiet des Oued M’Goun, Zentraler Hoher Atlas (Marokko). PhD thesis at the University of Bonn.
Schulz, O. and C. de Jong (2004): Snow melt and sublimation: field experiments and modelling in the High Atlas Mountains of Morocco. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, 8 (6), p.1076-1089.
Speth, P. and B. Diekkrüger (Eds.) (2006): An integrated approach to the efficient management of scarce water resources in West Africa – case studies for selected river catchments in different climatic zones. Second Final Report. Period: 01.05.2003-31.07.2006, Cologne.
Wiche, K. (1953): Klimamorphologische und talgeschichtliche Studien im M’Goungebiet. Mitteilungen der Geographischen Gesellschaft Wien Bd. 95.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2008 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Schulz, O., Busche, H., Benbouziane, A. (2008). Decadal Precipitation Variances and Reservoir Inflow in the Semi-Arid Upper Drâa Basin (South- Eastern Morocco). In: Zereini, F., Hötzl, H. (eds) Climatic Changes and Water Resources in the Middle East and North Africa. Environmental Science and Engineering. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-85047-2_13
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-85047-2_13
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-540-85046-5
Online ISBN: 978-3-540-85047-2
eBook Packages: Earth and Environmental ScienceEarth and Environmental Science (R0)