Increasing pressures, eroding beaches and climate change in Morocco. (April 2020) - Kasmi, Siham
Abstract: The coastal zone of Morocco forms one of the main socioeconomic areas of the country. However, intensive coastal development places beaches under significant anthropogenic pressures, aggravated by sea-level rise and storm surges due to climate change. The potential retreat of the beaches can threaten seaside tourism business, which plays a critical role in the local economy. It is therefore important to predict the behavior of the most touristic beaches in Morocco, in response to the future sea-level rise. The estimation of the rate of beach retreat under different scenarios of sea-level rise, at 16 touristic sandy beaches, using an ensemble of five morpho-dynamic models showed that: (i) the narrower the beach, the more it is at risk of erosion and loss in response to SLR; (ii) almost half of the studied beaches would lose more than 50% of their width with 2m SRL scenario. The main shortcomings of current management approaches to coastal erosion are analyzed and recommendations for future beach management within an integrated strategy are suggested. Highlights: Sandy beaches represent the primary natural capital on which seaside tourism is based. Climate change and sea level rise will aggravate coastal erosion of sandy beaches. Matlab GUI is an appropriate tool for estimating the beach retreat due to SLR. The initial width of the beaches is decisive in their future response to SLR. 7 of 16 beaches would lose more than 50% of their width with a 2m SRL scenario.