Predicting the Thermal Regime of the Sebou River Estuary (Morocco) Using a One-Dimensional Model (HEC-RAS 5.0)

Abstract

Temperature is regarded as one of the most important variables for aquatic life, as well as a key physical criterion of water quality, due to its role in a variety of chemical, physical, and biological processes. We chose the HEC-RAS tool to model the thermal regime of the Sebou-Kenitra river estuary because it is impossible to determine the spatiotemporal evolution of temperature in watercourses using traditional methods such as single measurements or interpolation due to the influence of several factors, including hydraulic, tidal rhythm, upstream contributions, and intrusion. The main goal of this research is to develop and test the “HEC-RAS” model with the aim of better understanding thermal dynamics and predicting the spatiotemporal variation of the Sebou river estuary temperature, using the energy transport equation and a variety of input data such as initial temperature, air temperature, wind speed, and dispersion coefficient. The HEC-RAS model, which takes into account many meteorological and geophysical elements and provides an overview of the thermal situation at our study site “the Sebou river estuary,” has also been acknowledged for its deterministic role. We illustrated the impact of meteorological and tidal data on spatiotemporal temperature change at numerous places in the Sebou river estuary by using this model.