Al Hoceima Research Articles

Risk of Groundwater Contamination by Domestic Wastewater in Rural Areas of the Province of Al Hoceima, Northern Morocco

Risk of Groundwater Contamination by Domestic Wastewater in Rural Areas of the Province of Al Hoceima, Northern Morocco

Phytochemical, Anti-inflammatory and Antioxidant Activities of Pistacia Lentiscus L. Leaves from Ajdir, Al Hoceima Province, Morocco

Phytochemical, Anti-inflammatory and Antioxidant Activities of Pistacia Lentiscus L. Leaves from Ajdir, Al Hoceima Province, Morocco

"Sources and Propagation Mechanism of Odor Nuisance in the Landfill of Al Hoceima, Morocco"

"Sources and Propagation Mechanism of Odor Nuisance in the Landfill of Al Hoceima, Morocco"

Assessment of Landslide Risks Through a Multi-Disciplinary Approach: A Case Study of Al Hoceima, Northern Morocco

Landslides are very dangerous phenomena dependent upon several parameters and criteria widespread in Northern Morocco. Their management is complex because of the dangers posed to the population and by the habitat, but also due to the difficulty of remedial actions. To address this, a methodology is needed based on the analysis of land movements through a multidisciplinary approach combining geology, hydrogeochemistry, and geotechnics. This perspective was adopted in this study of landslides in the city of Al Hoceima (Northern Morocco), and in particular on the slope located in front of the Al Hoceima port, which shows a morphology of old landslides, and more recent ones subject to factors of instability or landslides that activate after periods of intense rain. The analysis and interpretation of satellite images reveals a complex morphology, shaped by a geology characterized by tectonic activity and often-altered lithology. From a geotechnical point of view, the latter induces low to medium mechanical characteristics. Inclinometric measurements situate the average depths of the sliding planes at between 15 m and 25 m. The chemical facies of the groundwater is sodium sulphate, sometimes tilting toward chloride-sodium, proof of a leaching of the autochthonous formations (Trias-Lias and Jurassic), to which is added the action of the rising water table. All these factors intervene directly in the destabilization of the slope. These results allow us to establish concrete actions for the stabilization of the slope.

Determination of Vibro - Compaction Parameters by Making a Test Board in a Port Site in Morocco

Abstract Vibro-compaction is a recent technique for treating soils in the mass, thus improving its mediocre geo mechanical properties. In addition, this treatment makes it possible to minimize the risk of liquefaction, it is closely linked to the grain size of the soil to be treated. The soil underlying the construction project of the port of Nador in Morocco requires treatment to improve its characteristics and in particular to minimize the risk of liquefaction, given that Morocco is in a collision zone, near the border between the two African-Eurasian plates that are seismically active (earthquake in the city of Al Hoceima in 2004 in Morocco). The purpose of this work is to test the different parameters of vibro-compaction (mesh, vibration frequency, height of passes, duration of compaction) necessary to obtain the objectives set for the work (relative density ≥ 77 %), through the carrying out of an embarkation test on the substitute sands of the main breakwater of this Port. The in situ control tests (CPT) of the main dam, which were carried out by the substitution sand, made it possible to confirm the results of the test bench. These results stipulate on the one hand that the vibro-compaction mesh of 4.00 m is the most optimal and on the other hand that the relative density is an important parameter of liquefaction control.

Abundance, composition and sources of benthic marine litter trawled-up in the fishing grounds on the Moroccan Mediterranean coast

This study aims to investigate the abundance, composition and sources of marine litter captured with fishing net during a fisheries survey in the Al Hoceima region, in the Moroccan Mediterranean. A total of 50 hauls were conducted and 2664 items of litter were collected. Plastic (57.15%) was the most frequent type of litter, and consisted mainly of bottles, crisps packets and plastic bags. The abundance values range between 0 and 1887 items/km2. Comparing our findings with other regions of the Mediterranean, Moroccan waters displayed a higher impact, probably due to high human population density and also poor waste management. Higher amounts of litter were reported in coastal areas, especially offshore coastal cities and at river mouths. The abundance of marine litter varies by region, season and depth. The litter abundance was significantly greater at 24–50 m (957 items/km2) compared to 50–100 m (405 items/km2) and >100 m (297 items/km2) depth classes. This study also indicates that the Al Hoceima Marine Protected Area is a hotspot for marine litter that can threaten the biological richness of this region. Our observation also showed that fishermen are poorly managing the litter caught in the nets. In all the trips, the fishermen did not keep the waste caught in the nets but threw it back into the water after sorting. This study highlights the need for educational programs for fishermen to develop good environmental practices that will help protect the marine environment.

A Socioeconomic Study of the Coastal Fishing Fleet in the Al Hoceima Port (Moroccan Mediterranean)

Coastal fishing in the Moroccan Mediterranean plays a key role in the fishing industry's economy. This activity is an important source of jobs and income for many coastal communities in the Al Hoceima region of the north-western Mediterranean. This study aims to investigate the state of socio-economic knowledge of the fishermen of the coastal fleet in the region of Al Hoceima, using a diagnosis based on the analysis of socio-economic indicators. The data were obtained by a structured questionnaire with 90 fishermen, 30 captains, and 15 ship owners. The analysis of the data collected revealed, from a social level, a high rate of illiteracy and a low level of education among the fishermen. The economic weight and value of trawlers are significant. Despite the high commercial value of the species, the net income is not satisfactory, so the wealth produced by these fisheries does not have a real impact on the quality of life of the fishers, which does not guarantee the sustainable development of this activity.

Pollution Vulnerability of the Ghiss Nekkor Alluvial Aquifer in Al-Hoceima (Morocco), Using GIS-Based DRASTIC Model.

Groundwater resources of the alluvial aquifer Ghiss Nekkor, which covers an area of 100 km2, are the main source of domestic and agricultural freshwater supply in the region of Al Hoceima in Morocco. Due to human activities (overexploitation, increase in agricultural activity), this alluvial aquifer has become very sensitive to chemical pollution. The principal objective of this current study is to develop and implement a calibration method to assess, map, and estimate the vulnerability of the Ghiss Nekkor alluvial aquifer to pollution risk. In this work, the GIS-based DRASTIC model was used to estimate the inherent vulnerability to contamination of the Ghiss Nekkor alluvial aquifer with seven standard hydrogeological parameters. Nitrate (NO3) and electrical conductivity (EC) data were used to validate the DRASTIC map. The results of the vulnerability map analysis show that the vulnerability to contaminants varies from non-existent in the southwestern part of the plain (7.3% of the total area), to very high (14.5%). The vulnerability is moderate in the central and northeastern areas (26.9%), while it is high in the other areas (17.5%). Furthermore, the most sensitive areas are mainly concentrated near the coastal strip and the central plain on both sides of the Nekkor River. In these areas, the NO3 and EC values are above the maximum allowable limit of the World Health Organization. The results suggest that the DRASTIC model can be an effective tool for decision-makers concerned about managing groundwater sustainability.

An assessment of the physicochemical, bacteriological quality of groundwater and the water quality index (WQI) used GIS in Ghis Nekor, Northern Morocco

This study, being realized in its totality in the groundwater of Ghis Nekor, which is located in the city of Al Hoceima in Northern Morocco, consists in analyzing the groundwater as to its suitability for human consumption, its physicochemical and bacteriological characteristics and their water quality index (WQI), as well as identifying the initial sources of contamination to conserve and protect them as required by the Moroccan water law taking into account, in particular, the strong demand of this type of water by the local population which suffers from the bad quality and high cost of tap water. Consequently, as an economic choice, the population opts for consuming well and spring water. The groundwater of Ghis Nekor is affected by a decline in water quality which has an anthropogenic cause. It could also be related to the dissolution of mineral constituents in the soil. To assess the bacteriological and physico-chemical quality of the groundwater in the Nekor watershed, significant elements of the water analyses compiled from seventeen springs scattered along the watershed were studied. The analyses showed that the water Ghis Nekor ground water has a very high level of mineralization reaching 1400 µS/cm. The majority of the samples are in chemical facies, such as sodium chloride, potassium or sodium sulfate, chloride, sulfate and calcium magnesium according to the Piper diagram that allowed to establish the dominant hydrochemical facies. Based on the principal component analysis (PCA) and the study of the extent of key portions, two important mineralization processes were identified: stone disintegration due to contact with water and nutrient input to revitalize the aquifer. Three homogeneous groups are produced via the hierarchical analysis technique (HCA). Bacteriological analysis of these water samples showed considerable contamination with fecal germs. Steps should be taken regularly to assess groundwater quality to mitigate pollution and protect water quality from further degradation.

Intersections between the global economy and gender structures in the workforce in relocated industries

This study examines the impact of industrial relocation on gender relations in the Tanger–Tetouan–Al Hoceima region of Morocco. Having detected the importance of diversity among workers in relocated industry, our objective is to show how the global process shapes the local. To this end, we carried out 114 biographical interviews with relocated industry workers in the aforementioned region, which we analysed using grounded theory, identifying the ways in which gender relations are interconnected with global dynamics. The key dimensions that emerged in our analysis as interacting with gender were marital status, occupational status, and the status of being an internal migrant to a major industrial city or a native. This intersectional perspective acquires meaning in a theoretical scheme that shows the global–local interconnection and the importance of social action. We identify two profiles located at opposite poles in terms of privilege and access to resources, as well as a range of cases in between that illustrate the configuration of social and employment realities in the relocated industry: married men with middle to high occupational status, born in Tangier or Tetouan, and single women with low occupational status born in depressed areas of the country.

LANDSLIDE SUSCEPTIBILITY MAPPING USING MACHINE LEARNING ALGORITHMS STUDY CASE AL HOCEIMA REGION, NORTHERN MOROCCO

Abstract. Landslides are one of the most dangerous natural disasters worldwide. Al Hoceima region, Part of the Moroccan mountain chain of the Rif is not an exception, since it’s dominated by relatively young reliefs and marked by its dynamics compared to other regions. The main goal of this study is to assess the performance of Machine learning algorithms and identify the optimal method for the mapping of the area susceptible to landslides, in Al Hoceima city and its periphery, The current study aimed at evaluating the capabilities of six advanced machine learning algorithms including, Random Forest (RF), Support Vector Machine (SVM), Decision Tree (DT), Naïve Bayes (NB), XGBoost (XGB) and Logistic Regression (LR). A total of 114 landslides were mapped from various sources. 70% of this database was used for model building and 30% for validation. Ten landslide factors are selected to detect the most sensitive areas: altitude, slope, aspect, distance to faults, distance from roads, lithology, curvature, plan curvature, profile curvature, and vegetation index (NDVI). The outcome of the landslide susceptibility analysis was verified using receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves and precision-recall curves (PRC), acknowledging XGBoost and Random Forest as the optimal methods with AUCROC (96% and 95.5% accordingly), a severe imbalanced classification was detected by the PRC, solved by undersampling the majority class, to obtain major improvement in models performance according to AUCPRC (from 40% to 87% for XGBoost) and slight decrease according to AUCROC (from 96% to 94% for XGBoost). The outcome of this study and the landslide susceptibility maps would be useful for environmental, economic, and social protection and to help formulate suggestions for optimizing landslide risk assessment in areas exposed to this phenomenon.

Modeling and implementation of a low-cost IoT-smart weather monitoring station and air quality assessment based on fuzzy inference model and MQTT protocol.

The automatic weather system serves to inform farmers, tourists, planners, and others with precise information to help them take the appropriate action. Today, with the advancement of smart technologies, the system has evolved into many sensing methods to gather real-time climate data. Thisarticleinvestigatesthemodelingandimplementationofalow-cost weatherstationdevicethatalsofunctions to measureairquality. The proposed system based on the Internet of Things (IoT) allows access to real-time climate data for a given area. This system monitors environmental conditions such as ambient temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, altitude, and levels of harmful atmospheric gases like CO2 and NO2. This real-time telemetry device uses MQ-135, DHT-11 and BMP280 sensors to gather data. The ESP32 board processes the obtained data from all sensors. Additionally, we present a model for a fuzzy inference system (FIS) that performs parameter categorization using a reasoning procedure and incorporates the results into an air quality index (AQI) that describes the levels of pollution for Al Hoceima city. The FIS takes CO2 and NO2 values as input and returns the AQI. The AQI for Al Hoceima city is categorized into six levels: Excellent, Good, Regular, Bad, Dangerous, and Very Dangerous. Furthermore, the suggested system's block hardware employs the Message Queuing Telemetry Transport (MQTT) protocol to broadcast collected data to a mobile and web application via the Internet. The suggested IoT-embedded device was tested in real life, and the results were promising.

Biodiversity and frequency of occurrence of jellyfish (cnidaria) in Al Hoceima Bay (North coast of Morocco, Alboran Sea)

Jellyfish are the best-known group of gelatinous zooplankton; they refer to organisms from the phylum Cnidaria, including animals with cnidocytes (stinging cells). As part of our research on jellyfish that swarm in the bay of Al Hoceima conducted during the period (2021-2022), a study of the diversity of species of jellyfish in the bay has proved to be of paramount importance because of the risks associated with their proliferation, especially in summer periods. The species composition and frequency of occurrence of the jellyfish community in Al Hoceima Bay (The northern coast of Morocco) were studied during two seasons, summer 2021 and winter 2022. Zooplankton sampling was conducted within the epileptic layer (between 0 and 80 m) at 9 stations. A total of 9 species of Hydromedusae and Scyphomedusae were identified in the study area. The populations of Hydromedusae are represented by Trchymedusae (4 species), Anthomedusae (2 species), and Leptomedusae (one species). The Trachymedusa Aglaura hemistoma was widely distributed in the bay, as it was found in six sampling stations, with a frequency of occurrence Fi>66% during the summer period. The Antomedusae Pantachogon militare was inventoried for the first time in the southwestern Mediterranean Sea.The population of Scyphomedusae is represented by two species, Pelagia noctiluca and Rhizostoma Pulmo, both species showed dense aggregations in the Bay during the summer of 2022.

Determining Hematological Reference Intervals of the Blood Count in a Healthy Moroccan Adult Population (Al Hoceima Province).

The hemogram is the most frequently prescribed laboratory test. It guides the complementary tests essential to the diagnosis and follow-up of the patient. Hematology reference values can be influenced by several parameters such as environmental and genetic factors, rendering it essential to define reference intervals (RIs) for specific populations. This study aimed to determine RIs from a population of healthy adults in Al Hoceima province by following the procedures recommended by the IFCC-CLSI guidelines in 2008 and comparing them to those of similar studies conducted in various countries. We initially recruited 977 healthy adults from 18 to 60 years old including 255 men and 722 women, who presented themselves at the provincial hospital center of Al Hoceima (Morocco) for health checkups from February 2019 to September 2019. The erythrocyte, leukocyte, and platelet parameters were investigated using hematology analyzer ABX Pentra XL80 HORIBA® (HORIBA ABX SAS, Kyoto, Japan). The results showed that the RIs of the blood count parameters searched were more or less close to the RIs determined in Caucasian populations. Nevertheless, they were low compared to the limits of the RIs published in the literature for certain erythrocyte and platelet parameters. Our RIs were also similar in their majority, except for some parameters, to the RIs published very recently in a study conducted on a Moroccan population in the Tangier-Tetouan region. In addition, our intervals differ in their majority from those published in a study of a Ghanaian population. The differences reported by this preliminary work reinforce the need to establish hemogram RIs specific to the Moroccan population through more extensive studies carried out in different regions of Morocco. These studies should avoid misdiagnosis and allow physicians to interpret hematological tests more specifically.

GIS preprocessing for rainfall-runoff modeling using HEC-HMS in Nekkor watershed (Al-Hoceima, Northern Morocco)

All Discharge data are among the most critical factors that must be considered when evaluating the management of water resources in a watershed. Simulation of rainfall-runoff is therefore an important element in assessing the impacts of serious flooding. In the present study, rainfall-runoff in the Nekkor watershed in Al Hoceima province was simulated using GIS, remote sensing and the Hydrologic Engineering Center Hydrologic Modeling System (HEC-HMS) model. The applicability, capacity and suitability of this model for rainfall runoff in the watershed were examined. The watershed parameters were generated using (HEC-GeoHMS) and ArcGIS. The model was calibrated using a daily data set that occurred in the watershed between 2003 and 2007, the validation period was from 2009 to 2012. Model performance was evaluated using a variety of different statistical indices to study the response and impact of rainfall-runoff. Model parameters were changed and calibration was performed using the Soil Conservation Service Curve Number loss method. Consistent and satisfactory performance in terms of peak discharge, total flood volume, timing of peak discharge and overall hydrograph adjustment effect was found. The determination coefficient (R2) for the validation period reached 0.73 versus 0.71 for the calibration period. The root mean square error (RMSE) is within the acceptable range. The relative bias (RE) demonstrates an overestimation in the calibration period and an underestimation in the validation period in the peak flows. These results will help decision makers to better manage water resources in this watershed and mitigate flood risks.

Potential reuse of sludge from a potable water treatment plant in Al Hoceima city in northern Morocco

Producing potable water generates a large amount of sludge, which consumes energy and must be managed and controlled. A case study of a potable water production plant in Al Hoceima City in northern Morocco is described here. The plant produces 15000 ​m3 of potable water each day to meet the water demand of Al Hoceima City, and this causes 3 ​t of sludge to be produced each day. Sludge extracted while producing potable water was characterized, and the possibility of reusing the sludge rather than disposing of it directly to the environment was assessed. The pH, turbidity, aluminum content, and other characteristics of the sludge were determined. Jar tests were performed to determine the optimum coagulant (aluminum sulfate) dose to ensure that the minimum required amount of aluminum sulfate was used. The characterization results indicated that the sludge was stable and reusable. The jar-test results allowed the amount of coagulant used to be optimized and will lead to markedly less sludge being disposed of than is currently the case.

Impact assessment of treated wastewater reuse for irrigation: growth potential and development of lettuce in Al Hoceima province, Morocco

The reuse of treated wastewater for agricultural practices is becoming increasingly important due to the growing demand for the transition to a circular economy. It has the major advantage of providing an alternative resource to the conventional water used for agricultural irrigation. The main objective of this work is to study, through tests on experimental installations, the effect of the type of irrigation water on the growth and development of lettuce. The types of irrigation water were prepared from purified wastewater, treated wastewater plus fertilizer, conventional water, and conventional water plus fertilizer. The physicochemical analyzes of wastewater from the Imzouren-Bni Bouayach WWTP resulted in different values of the parameters measured (pH, temperature, electrical conductivity, oxygen below, suspended matter, BOD5, COD, nitrate, nitrite and phosphorus) which fall within the limited range of direct discharges and comply with Moroccan standards for the quality of water intended for irrigation. The results of the characterization of the soil showed that it is a basic soil (pH= 8.5), unsalted (electrical conductivity = 2.43 ms/cm) and poor in organic and nutrient elements (Carbon 0.8%, organic matter 1.46%, nitrogen 0.06 mg/l, phosphorus 10.5 mg/l, potassium 56.4 mg/l.) The main results of the plant analysis show that the production level of this study crop irrigated with conventional water is similar to that of this study crop irrigated with treated wastewater. In other words, irrigation with treated wastewater allows lettuce to guarantee irrigated production at least at the level of conventional water. Another motivated addition of nitrogen, phosphate and potash mineral supplement in the treated wastewater improves the production potential of lettuce.

Assessment and Prediction of the Water Quality Index for the Groundwater of the Ghiss-Nekkor (Al Hoceima, Northeastern Morocco)

Water quality index (WQI) is the primary method applied to characterize water quality in the world. The current study employed the statistical analysis and multilayer perceptron (MLP) approaches for predicting groundwater quality in the Ghiss-Nekkor aquifer, northeast of Al Hoceima, Morocco. Fifty sampled groundwater were identified and analyzed for major anions and cations throughout May 2019. Several physicochemical parameters of all the samples were identified in this investigation, such as TDS, pH, EC, Na, K, Ca, Mg, HCO3, NO3, Br, SO4, and Cl. The entropy-weighted groundwater quality index (EWQI) was calculated from these parameters. The WQI procedure determined the suitability of groundwater for consumption. The WQI value varied from 90.98 to 337.28. The EC, TDS, WQI, and Cl− spatial distribution showed that EC and Cl− are associated with poor groundwater quality. A single sample (W16) represented unsuitable water for drinking purposes and offered a WQI value of 337.28, indicating poor drinking quality due to seawater intrusion, overexploitation, and harsh weather conditions. The majority of the values obtained for the parameters exceeded the recommended limit of the World Health Organization (WHO)’s guidelines for consumption. The findings show that using parameters is a straightforward method for predicting water quality indexes with sufficient and suitable precision. The MLP model shows good predictive performances in terms of the coefficient of determination R2, mean absolute error (MAE), and root-mean-square error (RMSE) with values of 0.9885, 5.8031, and 4.7211, respectively. The ANN approach was applied to develop a model that can accurately predict WQI utilizing mineralization, TH, NO3, and NO2 as inputs. The MAE for the model’s performance was calculated to be 4.72. A Bland–Altman test was used to validate that the model is suitable. Following the test, it was determined that the model is appropriate for predicting WQI, with an error of just 0.1%.

Reconstruction of Cymodocea nodosa’s dynamics as a tool to examine the conservation status of a Mediterranean declared marine protected area

Seagrass habitats rank amongst the most valuable ecosystems in the biosphere. They support fisheries production, climate change mitigation, water quality improvement, and coastal protection. Faced with the current global crisis of accelerating losses of this key component of coastal environments, strong efforts have been expended within the conservation movement to flatten their decline curve. Although understanding the functioning of seagrass ecosystems and how they respond to stressors has improved over the last years, major gaps exist for West Africa including basic ecological and distributional knowledge. This study aimed to investigate, for the first time, the structural development and dynamics of two Cymodocea nodosa meadows in Al Hoceima National Park (the unique official marine protected area of the Mediterranean Moroccan coast) using the reconstruction techniques as an indirect measurement of seagrass growth. C. nodosa’s leaves were remarkably invaded by epiphytes while leaf production, shoot density, above and belowground biomass, and vertical and horizontal rhizome elongation were in the lowest recorded values. Shoot age structure showed that since the second-year class, the survival rate of shoots has decreased. Regarding the severely slow recruitment rates, the populations’ net growths declined. Besides this negative growth trend, CymoSkewm biotic index assigned a slightly polluted ecological status to both meadows. The seagrass faces numerous pressures, mainly fishing by trawling and alien species invasion. The primary conservation challenge for C. nodosa of Al Hoceima National Park is ensuring that this marine protected area becomes operationally implemented and actively managed. Until then, the seagrass habitat-forming species is not safeguarded.

Stochastic Modeling of the Al Hoceima (Morocco) Aftershock Sequences of 1994, 2004 and 2016

The three aftershock sequences that occurred in Al Hoceima, Morocco, in May 1994 (Mw 6.0), February 2004 (Mw 6.4) and January 2016 (Mw 6.3) were stochastically modeled to investigate their temporal and energetic behavior. A form of the restricted trigger model known as the restricted epidemic type aftershock sequence (RETAS) was used for the temporal analysis of the selected series. The best-determined fit models for each sequence differ based on the Akaike information criteria. The revealed discrepancies suggest that, although the activated fault systems are close (within 10 to 20 km), their stress regimes change and shift across each series. In addition, a stochastic model was presented to study the strain release following a specific strong earthquake. This model was constructed using a compound Poisson process and depicted the progression of the strain release during the aftershock sequence. The proposed model was then applied to the data. After the RETAS model was used to evaluate the behavior of the aftershock decay rate, the best-fit model was obtained and integrated into the strain-release stochastic analysis. By detecting the potential disparities between the observed data and model, the applied stochastic model of strain release allows for a more comprehensive examination. Furthermore, comparing the observed and expected cumulative energy release numbers revealed some variations at the start of all three sequences. This demonstrates that significant aftershock clusters occur more frequently shortly after the mainshock at the start of the sequence rather than if they are assumed to occur randomly.