This study provides a first estimate of the offshore wind power potential along the Moroccan Atlantic shelf based on remotely sensed data. An in-depth knowledge of wind potential characteristics allows assessment of the offshore wind energy project. Based on consistent daily satellite data retrieved from the Advanced Scatterometer (ASCAT) spanning the period from 2008 to 2017, the seasonal wind characteristics were statistically analyzed using the climatological Weibull distribution functions and an assessment of the Moroccan potential coastal wind energy resources was qualitatively analyzed across a range of sites likely to be suitable for possible exploitation. Also, an atlas of wind power density (WPD) at a height of 80 m was provided for the whole Moroccan coast. An examination of the bathymetrical conditions of the study area was carried out since bathymetry is among the primary factors that need to be examined with the wind potential during offshore wind project planning. The results were presented based on the average wind intensity and the prevailing direction, and also the wind power density was shown at monthly, seasonal and interannual time scale. The analysis indicated that the coastal wind regime of the southern area of Morocco has the greatest energy potential, with an average power density which can reach in some places a value around 450 W/m² at heights of 10 m and 80 m above sea level (a.s.l) (wind turbine hub height) more particularly in the south of the country.

We use a combination of satellite, in situ, and numerical data to provide a comprehensive view of the seasonal coastal upwelling cycle off NW Africa in terms of both wind forcing and sea surface temperature (SST) response. Wind forcing is expressed in terms of both instantaneous (local) and time‐integrated (nonlocal) indices, and the ocean response is expressed as the SST difference between coastal and offshore waters. The classical local index, the cross‐shore Ekman transport, reproduces reasonably well the time‐latitude distribution of SST differences but with significant time lags at latitudes higher than Cape Blanc. Two nonlocal indices are examined. One of them, a cumulative index calculated as the backward averaged Ekman transport that provides the highest correlation with SST differences, reproduces well the timing of the SST differences at all latitudes (except near Cape Blanc). The corresponding time lags are close to zero south of Cape Blanc and range between 2 and 4 months at latitudes between Cape Blanc and the southern Gulf of Cadiz. The results are interpreted based on calculations of spatial and temporal auto and cross correlations for wind forcing and SST differences. At temporal scales of 2–3 weeks, the alongshore advection of alongshore momentum compensates for interfacial friction, allowing the upwelling jet and associated frontal system to remain active. We conclude that the coastal jet plays a key role in maintaining the structure of coastal upwelling, even at times of relaxed winds, by introducing a seasonal memory to the system in accordance with the atmospheric‐forcing annual cycle.

Near-shore water along the North-West African margin is one of the world’s major upwelling regions. It is associated with physical structures of oceanic fronts which influence the biological productivity. The study of these coherent structures in connection with chlorophyll concentration data is of fundamental importance for understanding the spatial distributions of the plankton. In this work, we study the horizontal stirring and mixing in different upwelling areas using Lagrangian coherent structures (LCSs). These LCSs are calculated using the recent geodesic theory of LCSs. We use these LCSs to study the link between the chlorophyll fronts concentrations and surface mixing, based on 10 years of satellite data. These LCSs move with the flow as material lines, thus the horizontal mixing is calculated from the intersection of these LCSs with the finite time Lyapunov exponent maps. We compare our results with those of a recent study conducted over the same area, but based on finite size Lyapunov exponents (FSLEs), whose output is a plot of scalar distributions. We discuss the differences between FSLE and geodesic theory of LCS. The latter yields analytical solutions of LCSs, while FSLEs can only provide LCSs for sharp enough ridges of nearly constant height.

L’étude du filament d’upwelling de Cap Ghir (31°N) a été entreprise afin d’énoncer le mécanisme de dispersion, engendré par la résurgence d’eau profonde. Cinq campagnes océanographiques ont été réalisées entre 2008 et 2009. Au cours de ces campagnes, la collecte du zooplancton a été réalisée en même temps que la mesure de la température de surface et la chlorophylle « a ». La répartition des paramètres du milieu accuse des extensions qui mettent en évidence le trajet du filament. Les copépodes constituent l’essentiel du zooplancton et sont représentés par 86 espèces et dominés par Acartia clausi et Oncaea venusta . Quelques espèces profondes ou d’eaux froides rencontrées dans la zone témoignent d’une nette remontée d’eaux froides. L’analyse de la répartition des copépodes a permis de visualiser le trajet du filament à différentes périodes de l’année. La distribution de l’espèce A. clausi , espèce néritique recensée au large, témoigne en conséquence de cette dynamique.