Long-term analysis of snow-covered area in the Moroccan High-Atlas through remote sensing

• Published in: International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation
• Main Authors: Boudhar, A., Duchemin, Benoît, Hanich, L., Jarlan, Lionel, Chaponniere, A., Maisongrande, Philippe, Boulet, Gilles, Chehbouni, Ghani
• Other Authors: Equipe Ecologie Végétale, Sol et Environnement, Faculté des Sciences Semlalia Marrakech, Université Cadi Ayyad Marrakech (UCA)-Université Cadi Ayyad Marrakech (UCA), Centre d'études spatiales de la biosphère (CESBIO), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées (OMP), Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales Toulouse (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Météo-France -Centre National d'Études Spatiales Toulouse (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Météo-France -Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE), International Water Management Institute CGIAR, Ghana (IWMI), International Water Management Institute CGIAR, Sri Lanka (IWMI), Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research CGIAR (CGIAR)-Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research CGIAR (CGIAR)
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2010
• Subjects: High-Atlas; Snow cover; Optical remote sensing; SPOT-VEGETATION; Snow; Index; Nival hydrology; [SDV.EE.ECO]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Ecology; environment/Ecosystems; North Atlantic; North Atlantic oscillation
• Online Access: https://hal.ird.fr/ird-00490046; https://hal.ird.fr/ird-00490046/document; https://hal.ird.fr/ird-00490046/file/009_Boudhar_IJAEOG_proof2.pdf; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jag.2009.09.008

The High-Atlas Mountainous region in Morocco is a true Water tower for the neighbouring arid plains, where the water resources at e intensively and increasingly Subjected to exploitation for agriculture and tourism In order to manage this resource sustainably, it is necessary to describe accurately all the processes that contribute to the hydrological cycle of the area. and, in particular, to know the respective contributions of liquid and solid precipitations to runoff In this context, a seven-year time series of SPOT-VEGETATION images is used for mapping snow-covered areas The spatial and temporal variations of the snow cover are analyzed for the entire High-Atlas region as well as by altitudinal zones The spatial distribution of snow-covered areas appears logically controlled by elevation. and its temporal fluctuations can be clearly used to identify dry and wet seasons In addition, a possible control of snowfalls by the Northern Atlantic climate variability, and, in particular, the North Atlantic Oscillation, is highlighted Finally, this Study Shows how satellite remote sensing can be useful for the long-term observation of the intra- and inter-annual variability of snowpacks in rather inaccessible regions where the network of meteorological stations is deficient (C) 2009 Elsevier B V All rights reserved