Several years of drought have left a mark on Morocco.
Several years of drought have left a mark on Morocco. Satellite observations of the North African country show that croplands and wildlands that are normally green and lush in the rainy winter months are instead parched and brown, and reservoirs that once brimmed with water are nearly empty.
On February 19, 2024, the MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) on NASA’s Terra satellite captured this image (right) showing parched landscapes around Casablanca, the largest city in Morocco. The MODIS on the Aqua satellite captured the other image (left) of the same area on February 12, 2023. While drought was present in winter 2023 as well, the situation worsened in 2024.
Moroccan officials have called the situation “disastrous” noting that nearly 70 percent less rain has fallen in the past few months compared to an average year, according to Reuters. Analysis by the Global Drought Observatory indicates that the prolonged rainfall deficit has been accompanied by unusual heat in recent months, which has also taken a toll on plants.
Read more at NASA Earth Observatory
Image: Reservoirs are running out of water and crops are browning in the North African country. (NASA Earth Observatory image by Wanmei Liang, using MODIS data from NASA EOSDIS LANCE and GIBS/Worldview)
