Abstract
The Oum Er-Rbia estuary is located on the Atlantic littoral of Morocco. It undergoes severe clogging due to the sand deposition in its outlet. The current study examined the indicators of the morphodynamic evolution in the littoral system including the Oum Er-Rbia estuary and the neighboring beaches over 1970–2017. The methodology adopted was based on the analysis and the interpretation of aerial photographs and Google Earth images under a GIS environment and field work. The morphodynamic evolution was discussed by taking into account the evolution of hydraulic facilities installed in the watershed area, especially the construction of dams, as well as the dredging works in the Oum Er-Rbia estuary. The results highlight the morphologic evolution estimated in terms of surface units observed in the estuary and the neighboring beaches. The evolution of the littoral system was mainly influenced by the closest dam location and by the dredging works, in addition to the regulation of the river flow by the installation of hydraulic facilities upstream.
Highlights
The design of any sustainable development strategy should necessarily incorporate the concepts of environmental preservation and the rational management of natural resources
The factors controlling the morphodynamics of estuaries and deltas are variable, including natural factors such as sea level change, swell and tide actions, storm event, fluvial hydrology, etc., and anthropogenic factors such as hydraulic facilities, engineering works of protection and rehabilitation, dredging, etc. [6,7,8,9,10]
Drought periods affected the hydrodynamics of the surface waters [48] and a dam construction program has been running since the 1960s in Morocco to combat the effects of drought by the management of surface water mobilization in all watersheds throughout the country, especially in the Oum Er-Rbia catchment area
Summary
The design of any sustainable development strategy should necessarily incorporate the concepts of environmental preservation and the rational management of natural resources. This expectation is not always easy to achieve because it is often hampered by compelling socio-economic requirements. The waves generate coastal currents that interact with incident waves and lead to the sediment transportation and the process is favored when the angle between the waves and the coastal line is significant [13,14,15,16]. As a response to coastal hydrodynamics, the alternation of sedimentation and erosion processes in the estuary can generate net sedimentary balances through a tide cycle [17,18]
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