Use of Spatial Remote Sensing to Study the Temporal Evolution of the Water Retention of Al Massira Dam in Morocco

Abstract

In Morocco, irrigated agriculture is still very much linked to the climate and the water retention of dams. With climate change, this country is experiencing recurrent drought, which has led to deficits in water inflow from the rivers to the various dams. The Al Massira dam, the area of study, does not escape this trend. This dam is the only surface water source for the irrigated area of Doukkala. Therefore, special attention must be paid to monitoring this resource at this dam. Thus, the proposed study examined the possibilities offered by spatial remote sensing to improve the current information system. It aims to evaluate this dam's reservoir by exploiting the data generated by using satellite images. The Landsat satellite images were used to assess the area of this dam by adopting an approach combining spectral indices with thresholding. Then, the existing relationship between the area of the dam lake were examined, determined by spatial remote sensing and its water retention measured in situ. The results obtained revealed a strong correlation between the two parameters. Therefore, a study was conducted to find the best model for predicting the dam's impoundment based on its lake. The second-degree polynomial model showed a better performance. Given the results obtained, it is recommended to use geospatial methods in the current and prospective monitoring and steering system of water resources.

Keywords

• spectral indices
• spatial remote sensing
• al massira dam reservoir
• landsat satellite images
• doukkala irrigated perimeter