Recent hydrological variability of the Moroccan Middle Atlas Mountains inferred from microscale sedimentological and geochemical analyses of lake sediments. Issue 1 (7th December 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Jouve, Guillaume; Vidal, Laurence; Adallal, Rachid; Rhoujjati, Ali; Benkaddour, Abdelfattah; Chapron, Emmanuel; Tachikawa, Kazuyo; Bard, Edouard; Courp, Thierry; Dezileau, Laurent; Hebert, Bertil; Rapuc, William; Simonneau, Anaëlle; Sonzogni, Corinne; Sylvestre, Florence
• Is Part Of: Quaternary research. Volume 91:Issue 1(2019)
• Page Start: 414
• Page End: 430
• Publication Date: 2018-12-07
• Subjects: North Africa hydrology, -- Moroccan Middle Atlas, -- Lake sediments, -- Microfacies, -- XRF, -- Runoff, -- Lake level; Geology, Stratigraphic -- Quaternary -- Periodicals; Glacial epoch -- Periodicals; Stratigraphie -- Quaternaire -- Périodiques; Époque glaciaire -- Périodiques; Geology, Stratigraphic; Glacial epoch; Quaternary Geologic Period; Electronic journals; Periodicals; 551.79
• DOI: 10.1017/qua.2018.94
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0033-5894

Abstract

Abstract: Study of the hydro-sedimentary dynamics of lakes provides key information on hydrological changes. In this work, we investigate Lake Azigza in the Moroccan Middle Atlas, a region that suffers from a scarcity of observational hydrological data necessary for a coherent management of water resources. Sedimentary deposits of Lake Azigza (32°58′N, 5°26′W, 1, 550 m above sea level) were dated and analyzed by combining geochemical and mineralogical measurements coupled with microfacies characterization for the last 134 yr. The detrital component derived from X-ray fluorescence elemental composition and microstructures analysis of the lake sediments provided proxies of runoff activity and lake-level changes, respectively. These proxies were calibrated with regional hydro-climatic and instrumental measurements available over the last 50 yr and used to reconstruct past hydrological changes on inter-annual to decadal time scales between 1879 and 2013. Since 1879, lake level and runoff proxies responded in phase to regional inter-annual precipitation variations. We also show that after the major lake-level drop observed in 2008, the response of the runoff proxy to variable precipitation regime is enhanced. Such an approach emphasizes the potential of these hydro-climate-sensitive sedimentary archives to assess the impact of climate change in the Mediterranean region.