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In Morocco's oases, which rely heavily on surface water from mountain sources, the threat of decreasing rainfall presents a significant challenge, leading to a decline in surface water availability. This study focuses on the Rheris Watershed in Southeast Morocco, where brackish water desalination emerges as a viable alternative to ensure sustainable water supply for agriculture. Prior to the deployment of a pilot plant integrating a desalination unit, selecting an optimal site for PV-powered MCDI desalination plants was critical. This selection was based on a range of criteria, including Groundwater Quantity, Global Horizontal Irradiation, Temperature, Evaporation, Water Salinity, Water Quantity, Well Density and Slope. These criteria were evaluated using a combination of the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), and geospatial data obtained from Remote Sensing (RS) and Geographic Information System (GIS) techniques.This case study in the Rheris watershed identified potential sites for future Membrane Capacitive Deionization (MCDI) desalination projects, High suitability areas encompass 280.45 km² (30.91 %), located west of Tinejdad, Khettarat Moulay Hachem, north of Goulmima, and south of Tinghir. Low suitability areas cover 63.75 km² (7.02 % of the study area), including regions south of Tadighoust and Tinejdad. Moderate suitability areas span 562.86 km² (62.05 %), involving central regions of Goulmima, Tadighoust, Tinejdad, and Tinghir. Based on the results of the study, the recommendations include focusing on areas identified as highly suitable for MCDI technology for sustainable agriculture, refining selection criteria based on local data, exploring brine management strategies, and adopting integrated water management approaches to ensure sustainable resource use.

Six lithostratigraphic sections distributed in different parts of the Errachidia-Boudenib-Erfoud basin (SE Morocco) were surveyed bed by bed and sampled in order to study stratigraphy, analyzed the facies, and characterized the depositional environment of the Senonian series. This study shows that this series is mainly constituted of three lithostratigraphic units: the first one is mixed, attesting to an alluvial plain environment disturbed by marine incursions at the base. The second is dominated by "kerkoub" sandstone bars intercalated by silt-clay intervals, reflecting a floodplain environment. The third is dominated by gypsum versicolored facies, marking an evaporitic playa environment. The correlation of the studied sections shows that the Senonian sedimentary prism opens progressively to the East. The series ends with Tertiary deposition: western marine carbonates and eastern continental conglomerates. The non-deposition of these faces in the center of the basin could be the result of the presence of a paleorelief at the Tinejdad-Goulmima transition.

Ten detailed sections have been logged and studied from the “Infra-Cenomanian’’ to the Cenomanian–Turonian deposits in the Errachidia–Boudnib–Erfoud Basin between Tazzouguerte and Anounizme(SE Morocco). They show variations in their lithology and microfacies that reflect changes in the depositional environment from the base to the top of the sedimentary record. Indeed, depositional setting grades from a fluvial environment marked by sandstone deposits of the Ifezouane Formation to an alluvial plain and coastal lagoon environment comprising an alternation of red clay, gypsum, and green marl beds of the Aoufous Formation and, finally, towards shallow to moderately deep marine environments with the deposition of the carbonates of the Akrabou Formation. Correlations between the studied sections show variations in the thickness of strata throughout the basin. The variations recorded in the so-called “Infra-Cenomanian” series may be related to the structuration of the basement. The Cenomanian–Turonian carbonate platform shows deeper marine and thicker sediments towards the east, while it thins towards the west until its disappearance in Anounizme. This reflects the global Cenomanian–Turonian transgression in the Errachidia–Boudnib–Erfoud Basin from the eastern Tethyan realm towards the west. The regional correlation of the Errachidia–Boudnib–Erfoud Basin with the Ouarzazate and Agadir basins shows an eastward thinning of the Cenomanian–Turonian marine deposits of Agadir. This suggests the presence of a paleorelief at the Anounizme locality. This could be the boundary between the Errachidia–Boudnib–Erfoud Basin, with Tethyan influence, to the east and those of Ouarzazate and Agadir, with Atlantic affinity, to the west.

In the Ferkla Oasis, much like in numerous other oases across the southeastern region of Morocco, a range of socioeconomic and environmental challenges are intricately linked to the inadequate management of water resources. One proposed remedy to address these concerns is the implementation of artificial aquifer recharge, which stands as an alternative strategy to safeguard the crucial oasis ecosystems. Thus, to evaluate the viability of this method in promoting sustainable water resource usage, it becomes imperative to delineate groundwater recharge potential zones (GRPZs). This study aims to achieve this objective by mapping GRPZs within the Ferkla Oasis, employing a fusion of the analytical hierarchy process (AHP), geospatial information derived from remote sensing (RS), and geographic information system (GIS) technologies. In pursuit of this goal, an array of geological, topographical, pedological, hydrological, and climatic criteria have been meticulously selected, classified, and assigned weights following their relevance to water infiltration suitability. This comprehensive approach culminates in the generation of seven thematic maps: slope, lineament density, lithology, soil type, drainage density, land use/land cover, and rainfall distribution. Through the integration of these aforementioned maps, a tripartite classification of potential GRPZs emerges, comprising low, medium, and high categories. The findings underscore the distribution: 30% of the total study area exhibits a low potential for GRPZs, 50% of the total land area is characterized as having medium potential GRPZs, while the remaining 20% is designated as high potential GRPZs. These outcomes have been substantiated through validation against piezometric levels, which have been ascertained through recent field surveys. Consequently, these results stand as a testament to the efficacy of the presented approach as a robust decision-making tool. The approach effectively facilitates the establishment of conditions conducive to viable artificial recharge, thereby offering a means to safeguard the groundwater reservoirs that sustain the fragile oasis environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Mountainous depocentres are often the single available archives in intracontinental areas. As such, the investigation of their sedimentary dynamics is the only way to reconstruct palaeoenvironmental evolution in these peculiar regions. Here, the basin‐scale sedimentary dynamics of the Agadir‐Tissint Feija (i.e. feija is the local name for lowlands) are discussed together with new palaeoenvironmental information on the late Quaternary in the north‐western Sahara margin. The succession consists of up to ca 40 m thick fluvio‐lacustrine deposits subdivided into three depositional sequences (S1–S3) that were deposited between ca 75 ka and ca 10 ka. S1 and S2 reflect the evolution of a palaeolake intercalated by carbonate‐rich palustrine to alluvial plain environments, while S3 shows the transition to an entirely clastic alluvial plain environment. The three sequences are genetically associated with three pulses of tufa buildups at the outlet of the depocentre. Each pulse of tufa buildup is attributed to wet conditions, while each interruption is associated with drier conditions. The wet–dry alternation at the origin of S1 fits with summer insolation fluctuation suggesting that precession parameters may have paced long‐term climate variability in the area. Superimposed on wet–dry cycles, submillennial‐scale (750–900 year) shorter‐term lake fluctuations are identified in S1 and S2; their origins may be related to North Atlantic Oscillation mechanisms. Furthermore, the sudden increase in clastic sediment supply in S3 evidences a change in sediment production in the catchment area attributed to lower temperatures established during the last glacial period. Finally, this newly identified continental archive is unique at the northern Sahara margin; it enables reconstructions of the local and regional hydrological conditions during the last glacial cycle. Even if a more systematic investigation of palaeoclimate forcing is still necessary, the Agadir‐Tissint Feija will potentially bring important information to understand past and anticipate future regional climate change.