The mining production industry often leaves large quantities of mine spoil heaps exposed on the surface. The lack of monitoring of these discharges could create sources of pollution; the most common ...among them is acid mine drainage, which causes the contamination of the environment by heavy metals present in its solutions. Bouaazza’s mine, present in Taza province North-East Morocco, was known for lead and sulfide exploitation for many years, which contributed to the exposure of important quantities of acid spoil heaps on the surface. To assess the impact caused by acid mine drainage in Makhat’s stream plants, sediments, and plant samples were collected along the stream. Physicochemical results for sediments showed pH values below 6. Geochemical results for sediments indicated Pb concentrations higher than the World Surface Rock Average standards (16 ppm), with values over 3000 ppm. As for plants, the values found after ICP-AES analyses were higher than the WHO permissible limit (2 ppm). These results confirm the harmful impact of the lack of environmental monitoring while and after abandoning mining explorations, which leads to environmental disasters.
Water erosion is one of the main causes of soil degradation around the world. In M orocco, In M orocco, the watersheds have very significant soil wastes, related to various physical and anthropic ...factors. The Oued Inaouene watershed is concerned because of its location in the eastern part of the Saïss basin, between the Middle Atlas and the Pre-Rif, where water erosion is more accentuated. This basin covers a total area of 3597.13 Km
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and it is marked by a semi-arid climate with relatively abundant (989.68 mm), irregular rainfall and strong anthropic pressure. This will have an impact of overexploiting natural resources in general and soils in particular. The excessive use of agricultural land has led to their fragility and aggravation of their susceptibility to erosion. These conditions, both natural and anthropic, have induced a rather intense erosive dynamic, which can be visible in its various forms, including gullying and landslides. The erosive dynamics leads progressively and certainly to impoverish the soils of the watershed and the silting of the dam Idris 1st located downstream of the Oued Inaouene, hence the interest of this study. The use of the “EPM” model for the estimation of soil losses approaches the severity of the erosive phenomenon. The average soil loss due to water erosion according to the model used is estimated at 53.34 t/ha/year. The maximum losses are about 597.642 t/ha/yr per plot. Total annual losses for the watershed are approximately 211084195 t/yr. Furthermore, the analysis of these results allowed, with the help of GIS, to determine the factors that control water erosion and which are, in order of importance: rainfall, slope, and soil sensitivity Soil protection. If anti-erosion measures aren’t adopted in the threatened parts of the watershed, this will have serious consequences for the dam and water quality .
The floods of the Lahdar river cause repeated inundations and damage to road infrastructures, particularly crossing structures in the territorial center of Had Msila. Our study involved the ...application of various methods to estimate flood flows for different return periods along the Lahdar river. The selected flows were chosen after a comparative analysis of values calculated by the different methods used. These results served as the basis for hydraulic modeling aimed at assessing water levels to establish risk zone mapping. This step is crucial in flood risk assessment. Two main approaches were distinguished: hydrometeorological methods, based on regional parameters derived from rainfall data, and empirical methods, used in the absence or with limited data on flood flows in a given region. Hydraulic modeling was carried out using two software programs: a Geographic Information System (GIS) such as Arc-GIS, and a specific river modeling software like Hec-Ras, allowing for the numerical representation of the natural state of the territory. The results obtained serve as the foundation for all river hydraulic modeling, thereby facilitating flood prediction and hydrological risk management in floodplains. Modeling Lahdar river floods in the studied sections enables the prediction of flood risk and its impacts on constructions and infrastructure in the Had Msila Center.
Under hydrological uncertainty and to secure the potable water supply for the Fez city with more than one million and a half inhabitants, the competent authority intends to bring water from the ...Idriss 1 st reservoir 30 km away, downstream the Inaouene watershed. The pollution risks as well as the contamination degree of surface water and sediments were assessed by monitoring the physicochemical characteristics of the water and sediment samples. The results revealed high values of chemical oxygen demand and chloride mainly linked to the uncontrolled liquid discharges. Calcium and magnesium showed also high concentrations that are due to the watershed geology, where carbonate rocks are dominant. The contents of some heavy metals remain relatively low and within the Moroccan standards. The metal contents in sediments show a low degree of the anthropogenic pollution. This led to conclude that the waters and sediments in the study area show relatively degraded quality and then could be used for water supply under continuous control.
Acid mine drainage (AMD) threats the soils and water bodies in the territories of the sulfide mining activities all over the world. Bouaazza’s mine (NE Morocco) lead and sulfides exploitation ...resulted in the surface exposure of large superficies of acid discharges. The results of physicochemical and geochemical analysis indicate an acidic pH (3.0 – 7.0) of water samples, with concentrations of lead exceeding Moroccan standards (50µg/L). The pH in soils is considered from slight up to moderate acidic (< 6.5), with low limestone content (< 6% of CaCO3), and high lead and zinc values exceeding international standards (300 mg/Kg). These results indicate the high health risk generated by the absence of environmental monitoring of the mining operations which threaten the water quality in the surrounding area.
The hydrological cycle and local climate of a region are directly impacted by climate change. Rapid fluctuations in climate alter weather patterns, resulting in the occurrence of extreme weather ...phenomena. This study examines two basins situated in distinct regions of Morocco, each influenced by specific climatic conditions. The primary aim of this study is to examine the climatic changes occurring within the two watersheds. Initially, it involves a comparative analysis of annual precipitation and temperatures from 1982 to 2022. Subsequently, the study projects precipitation and temperatures for the period spanning from 2024 to 2100. This analysis relies on data collected from 13 stations, 8 in the Souss-Massa and 5 in the Ouergha regions, using the Statistical Downscaling Model (SDSM) version 4.2.9. The investigation employs the fourth generation coupled global climate model CanESM2. Precipitation data and historical temperature models are used to forecast future temperatures and precipitation, based on Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) scenarios 4.5 and 8.5. The projected scenarios indicate a decrease in observed precipitation for the years 2040, 2060, and 2080, while temperatures are predicted to rise in both watersheds across all future scenarios.
The Ras Elma region, situated to the south of the city of Taza in northern Morocco, boasts abundant travertine formations that continue to develop, albeit selectively in specific sheltered sites. ...This development is influenced by various parameters, including the role of water chemistry. This article presents a spatio-temporal analysis of various hydrochemical parameters, including conductivity, pH, temperature, magnesium, calcium, and others. It's worth noting that the water from the Ras Elma Vauclusian spring, a key driver of travertinization in the region, is sourced from water infiltrating through faults and flowing into Lake Tompraire, known as Dayat Chikker near the Bab Boudir area. The findings suggest that the water in Ras Elma has turned aggressive, as revealed by the examination of the calcaro-carbonic equilibrium. CaCO
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precipitation occurs predominantly in the summer, significantly impacting the formation of travertines, particularly those of the spring and dam types. However, valley-type travertines exhibit more extensive development compared to the other two types.
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EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
In order to evaluate the degree of sediments contamination by metallic trace elements in the watershed of Oued Inaouene (North-East of Morocco), samples of surface sediments were taken along the ...river and at the level of the Idriss 1st dam. The objective is to obtain a thorough knowledge of the environment (metallic element content, organic matter content, granulometry, and pH, EC, CaCO3 content) in order to identify the degree of pollution in these sediments. The results of analysis have highlighted a contamination accentuated by Ba, Sr, P, Cu, Pb, In fact, this element is present at very high levels, with a maximum content ppm for samples taken upstream of Oued Inaouene, this increase is related to the physicochemical conditions of the environment, although the diversity of sources of pollutants. The analysis of hazardous heavy metals have shown values under the detection limits. The qualitative study allowed us to identify the source of contamination, it is an anthropogenic source related to the discharges of cities approximately of Oued Inaouene, and natural considered as the main source of pollution by trace elements of sediments that constitute an important reserve of pollutants in the environment
In order to evaluate the degree of sediment contamination by metallic trace elements in the watershed of Oued Inaouene (North-East of Morocco), samples of surface sediments were taken along the river ...and at the level of the Idriss 1st dam. The objective was to obtain thorough knowledge of the environment (metallic element content, organic matter content, granulometry, and pH, EC, CaCO3 content) in order to identify the degree of pollution in these sediments. The results of analysis have highlighted a contamination accentuated by Ba, Sr, P, Cu, Pb, In fact, this element is present at very high levels, with a maximum content ppm for the samples taken upstream of Oued Inaouene. This increase is related to the physicochemical conditions of the environment, despite the diversity of sources of pollutants. The analysis of hazardous heavy metals showed the values under the detection limits. The qualitative study allowed to identifying the source of contamination, it is an anthropogenic source related to the discharges of cities in vicinity of Oued Inaouene, and natural considered as the main source of pollution by trace elements of sediments that constitute an important reserve of pollutants in the environment
Total decay energy spectrometry with cryogenic detectors is a promising technique for radionuclide analysis of α-emitting nuclides. The radioactive sample is embedded in the detector absorber, and ...the total decay energy for each disintegration is measured as a temperature elevation. We are developing this technique with metallic magnetic calorimeters (MMCs). The main condition of this technique is a detection efficiency close to unity. However, some α-emitting nuclides emit intense γ-rays that can partially escape from the absorber. So a feasibility study for several nuclides has been carried out based on Monte Carlo simulations of the detection efficiency and numerical calculations of the expected energy resolution to identify the radionuclides that can potentially be measured. Furthermore, an MMC prototype has been built and tested. The total decay energy spectrum of Po-210 was measured, and a FWHM energy resolution of 1.25 keV at 5.4 MeV was obtained and a Gaussian width at half maximum of 0.827 (5) keV. The baseline FWHM energy resolution is 207 eV, consistent with the resolution obtained on low-energy L X-rays in the same spectrum at 14 keV.
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