Characterization of climate impacts on a semi-arid agricultural perimeter in Morocco

Abdelhaq Boundi,Zehor Ait Yacine,L El Youssfi,O Seidou,A Aghzar,E.S.P Assèdé,D.R Salazar,S.I Cherkaoui,A.G Faundez,Y Ouaggajou

doi:10.1051/e3sconf/202233702001

Abdelhaq Boundi, Zehor Ait Yacine + Show 8 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/202233702001

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Abstract

The manifestations of climate change in precipitation, air temperature and simulated evapotranspiration for crops in the Tadla perimeter in central Morocco are examined. The study area is characterized by a semi-arid climate, with a potential agricultural vocation. This area is exposed to a scarcity of water resources for crop irrigation. To this effect, it is it is treating of rainfall in this area over 60 years (1958-2018) at 27 measuring stations and for temperature and reference evapo-transpiration (ETo) over 49 years (1969-2018) at 4 stations. Following data analysis by homogeneity tests on the agro-climatic time series (Pettitt test, Lee and Heghinian test, Buishand test and Hubert’s segmentation method). It is detecting that there are time breaks on annual rainfall, mean temperature and reference evapo-transpiration at the respective years of 1978, 1995 and 1978. Because of these breaks in time, rainfall is reducing by 36%, atmospheric warming is 1°C and the climate demand for evaporation coupled with plant transpiration increases by 13%. Consequently, the water requirement increases significantly in the agricultural area of crop production.

Highlights

The present research aims to evaluate the long-term manifestations of climate change in a vulnerable semi-arid bioclimatic zone, which is most prevalent in North-West Africa, while characterizing the most relevant agroclimatic indicators, including rainfall, ambient temperature and reference evapo-transpiration of crops
The Tadla perimeter a strategic Moroccan agricultural area was selected as the study area
Shift in of the year 1978 is not in line with the findings in recent research works in the eastern part of the Oum Er Rbia hydraulic basin, located near the study area

Summary

Introduction

The present research aims to evaluate the long-term manifestations of climate change in a vulnerable semi-arid bioclimatic zone, which is most prevalent in North-West Africa, while characterizing the most relevant agroclimatic indicators, including rainfall, ambient temperature and reference evapo-transpiration of crops. It has been reported precipitation in continental regions has been effectively decreasing during last decade’s in West Mediterranean and in West Africa area [1]. In this context, the Tadla perimeter a strategic Moroccan agricultural area was selected as the study area. Multiples changes in hydroclimatic variables have been reported in the basin, starting from the late 1970s onwards [2]: gradual rainfall decrease from the late, a relative atmospheric heating and a the gradual increase in climatic demand for evaporation, as well as the higher transpiration of the vegetation affected in this biotope

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