Oases can play a significant role in the sustainable economic development of arid and Saharan regions. The aim of this study was to map the desertification-sensitive areas in the Middle Draa Valley (MDV), which is in the southeast of Morocco. A total of 13 indices that affect desertification processes were identified and analyzed using a geographic information system. The Mediterranean desertification and land use approach; which has been widely used in the Mediterranean regions due to its simplicity; flexibility and rapid implementation strategy; was applied. All the indices were grouped into four main quality indices; i.e., soil quality; climate quality; vegetation quality and management quality indices. Each quality index was constructed by the combination of several sub-indicators. In turn; the geometric mean of the four quality index maps was used to construct a map of desertification-sensitive areas; which were classified into four classes (i.e., low; moderate; high and very high sensitivity). Results indicated that only 16.63% of the sites in the study were classified as least sensitive to desertification; and 50.34% were classified as highly and very highly sensitive areas. Findings also showed that climate and human pressure factors are the most important indicators affecting desertification sensitivity in the MDV. The framework used in this research provides suitable results and can be easily implemented in similar oasis arid areas.

Desertification is an environmental problem worldwide. Remote sensing data and technique offer substantial information for mapping and assessment of desertification. Desertification is one of the most serious forms of environmental threat in Morocco, especially in the oases in the south-eastern part of the country. This study aims to map the degree of desertification in middle Draa Valley in 2017 using a Sentinel-2 MSI (multispectral instrument) image. Firstly, three indices, namely, tasselled cap brightness (TCB), greenness (TCG) and wetness (TCW) were extracted using the tasselled cap transformation method. Secondly, other indices, such as normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and albedo, were retrieved. Thirdly, a linear regression analysis was performed on NDVI–albedo, TCG–TCB and TCW–TCB combinations. Results showed a higher correlation between TCW and TCB (r = −0.812) than with that of the NDVI–albedo (r = −0.50). On the basis of this analysis, a desertification degree index was developed using the TCW–TCB feature space classification. A map of desertification grades was elaborated and divided into five classes, namely, nondesertification, low, moderate, severe and extreme levels. Results indicated that only 6.20% of the study area falls under the nondesertification grade, whereas 26.92% and 32.85% fall under the severe and extreme grades, respectively. The employed method was useful for the quantitative assessment of desertification with an overall accuracy of 93.07%. This method is simple, robust, powerful, and easy to use for the management and protection of the fragile arid and semiarid lands.

Oasis agroecosystems monitoring plays a significant role in the economic development, sustainable management, and policy-making of arid and Saharan regions. The aims of this study are to analyze the spatiotemporal changes of oasis vegetation and discuss possible driving forces of changes. This analysis employed field and ancillary data, geographic information system, Landsat imagery, and remote-sensing techniques. Minimum noise fraction is used for endmembers extraction, and spectral mixture analysis is applied to each image to extract vegetation fraction, which is used as an indicator of change. Change detection is performed in six oases in south-eastern Morocco over eight separate periods from 1984 to 2017 using Landsat data. The pattern of the spatiotemporal changes in vegetation cover is analyzed using time- and space-oriented change detection algorithms. Results indicate that the Mezguita, Tinzouline, and Ternata oases had an evenly distributed and constant expansion during the last three decades (of ∼41.35 % ), whereas the oases of Fezouata and Ktaoua presented low expansion and randomly distributed change (∼29 % ). However, the vegetation cover of M’Hamid oasis decreased by 23% over the studied period. The results show that spectral mixture analysis yields high accuracies for oasis vegetation extraction in arid areas and accounts for mixed pixel issues. The results are discussed considering also climate and socioeconomic factors, showing that the driving forces of these dynamics are primarily anthropogenic.

The Imiter silver mine in the Eastern Anti-Atlas metallogenic province, Eastern Morocco, is a world-class silver ore deposit. This region has potential for undiscovered silver mineralisation and deserves a detailed remote-sensing study. In this study, Crosta, band ratios and mixture-tuned matched-filtering (MTMF) methods were applied to ASTER remote-sensing data. Argillic, phyllic and propylitic alteration zones were identified using specialised band ratios and Crosta techniques. Sub-pixel abundances of goethite, haematite, limonite, muscovite/illite, chlorite/epidote, jarosite and kaolinite/alunite were detected using MTMF algorithm. Accordingly, several alteration zones were identified and delimited in the central, northern, southern and northeastern parts of the study region, which can be considered as high prospective zones. GPS survey, analysis of thin and polish sections, XRD and geochemical survey verified the alteration zones and sulphide mineralisation in high prospective zones. This approach can be applied in other parts of the Eastern Anti-Atlas metallogenic province to explore hydrothermal ore deposits.

Drought is an increasing concern in Morocco’s semi-arid regions, where water resources are under growing pressure from climate variability and land degradation. Most previous studies on drought monitoring in Morocco have examined meteorological or hydrological dimensions separately, overlooking vegetation dynamics. This fragmented approach limits the ability to capture the full spectrum of drought impacts across natural and managed ecosystems. This study assesses drought dynamics in the Ahmed El Hansali Dam basin, located in the Upper Oum Er-Rbia watershed, during 1975–2023. The novelty of this research lies in the long-term, combined assessment of meteorological, hydrological, and remote sensing indices at the basin scale, providing one of the most comprehensive drought evaluations for Morocco’s inland watersheds. A multi-index approach combining Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI), Streamflow Drought Index (SDI), and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) was applied to assess meteorological, hydrological, and vegetation responses to drought. Meteorological data from five stations, hydrological inflows at the dam, and Landsat-derived NDVI composites were utilized. The SPI and SDI revealed a marked increase in drought frequency and severity beginning in the early 1990s, with the most critical period between 2020 and 2023. SPI values below − 1.5 and SDI near − 1.6 confirmed intensifying precipitation deficits and declining inflows. The NDVI showed moderate interannual variability with lower values during drought years, though weak correlation with SPI and SDI suggests that vegetation response is influenced by altitude, land cover, and soil water retention, and agricultural practices including irrigation. Spatial analyses highlighted the greater resilience of forested highlands compared to lower-elevation agricultural areas. Overall, the combined use of these three indices offers a robust picture of drought evolution in the basin. By bridging the gap between single-dimension studies and proposing a comprehensive multi-source monitoring framework, this work provides a more holistic understanding of drought impacts and delivers actionable insights for water resource managers and policymakers.

Serpentinites and associated chromitites of the Neoproterozoic Bou Azzer ophiolite (Central Anti-Atlas, Morocco) provide key constraints on mantle depletion, melt–rock interaction, and the tectono-metamorphic evolution of a supra-subduction zone (SSZ) system. This study integrates field observations, petrography, Raman spectroscopy, and whole-rock/mineral chemistry to decipher the history of this highly dismembered ultramafic suite. The mantle sequence is dominated by antigorite-bearing serpentinites derived primarily from refractory harzburgitic and dunitic protoliths. Whole-rock geochemistry and highly depleted chromite compositions (Cr# = 0.50–0.68; Mg# = 0.43–0.77; TiO₂ ≤ 0.18 wt.%) demonstrate that these peridotites represent refractory residues formed after high degrees of partial melting (~15–25%). The data delineate a clear evolutionary trend from abyssal to fore-arc and back-arc environments, where infiltrating boninitic melts drove localized podiform chromitite formation through intense melt–rock interaction. Crucially, thermodynamic and mineral–chemical constraints challenge previous models of simple greenschist-facies obduction. Equilibration temperatures exceeding 600 °C and chromite stability within the lower amphibolite to near-granulite facies indicate that the oceanic lithosphere underwent deep subduction prior to its exhumation. This high-temperature, high-pressure metamorphism was followed by multistage retrogressive serpentinization and intense CO₂-rich metasomatism (talc-magnesite alteration) during Pan-African transpressional tectonics. Ultimately, the Bou Azzer ophiolite represents a mature SSZ mantle wedge, recording a complete geodynamic cycle from deep subduction-zone metamorphism to final tectonic emplacement along the northern margin of the West African Craton.