Seasonal tracking of the Moroccan Mediterranean coastal risks between Tangier and Ksar-Sghir

Abstract

The Mediterranean coast stretching from Tangier to Ksar Sghir within the Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region represents a crucial coastal area. This region's coastal environment faces multiple challenges, including demographic pressures and the evolving impacts of climate change which result in sea-level rise. Our research takes a comprehensive approach, integrating sedimentary and mineralogical analysis, along with the application of GIS tools for data processing and visualization. Through this research, we aim to identify vulnerable coastal areas, particularly those susceptible to erosion, and assess the effects of climate change, specifically focusing on rising sea levels. This study's findings shed light on the dynamic coastal landscape and provide valuable insights for sustainable coastal management in the face of environmental change. Our study shows that the studied region suffers from significant losses in the surface area of sand on some beaches due to the phenomenon of erosion. At the same time, some beaches knew a set back the shoreline by several metres, and others knew to advance the shoreline by several metres. In this way, it constitutes a continuation of a development that began several centuries ago, and which has been observed in the Mediterranean coast between Tangier and Ksar Sghir coastlines in the context of a rapid rise in sea level.