Impacts of climate change on Moroccan's groundwater resources: State of art and development prospects

The scientific knowledge of processes related to climate change impact on groundwater resources remains insufficient both nationally and internationally. This is due particularly to: the inadequacy of databases both quantitatively and qualitatively; Insufficient accuracy of predictions by climate models, especially rainfall and their sensitivity to the choice of climate scenarios; Insufficient accuracy of methods for estimating groundwater recharge; the difficulty of modelling surface water/groundwater interaction over large areas. The assessment of climate change impacts on groundwater resources requires reliable predictions of climate variables; a good estimation of groundwater recharge and its spatial and temporal variability; and the master of hydrodynamic response of the aquifer to different climate change scenarios. Several research studies have shown that climate change has accentuated negative repercussions on groundwater resources in Morocco. These studies were using different approaches: experimental, numerical and statistical modelling. Many aquifer problems were investigated regarding: saline intrusion; water resources quality; recharge, shortage of water reserves. This research works has rarely treating the different process aspects involved with integrated approach. Therefore, this paper focuses on the analysis of the effects of climate change on groundwater resources using a global and systemic approach that would take into account the multidisciplinary nature of the process: Climatic, hydrological and hydro-geological. (c) 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the Fourth edition of the International Conference on Materials & Environmental Science.