EGU21-10196, updated on 04 Mar 2021
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu21-10196
EGU General Assembly 2021
© Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Modern pollen distributions and their relationship with environmental gradient in Southern Morocco

Sokaina Tadoumant1, Ilham Bouimetarhan2,3, Martin Koelling2, Asmae Baqloul1, and Lhoussaine Bouchaou1,4
Sokaina Tadoumant et al.
  • 1Laboratory of Applied Geology and Geo-Environment, Ibn Zohr University, Agadir, Morocco
  • 2MARUM—Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, University of Bremen, Germany
  • 3Faculty of Applied Sciences, Ibn Zohr University, Morocco
  • 4International Water Research Institute, Mohammed VI Polytechnic University, Ben Guerir, Morocco

      Terrestrial signals in marine sediment archives are frequently used for paleoclimate reconstructions. A little is known about the origin of terrestrial components such as pollen and spores, organic and inorganic elements in the sedimentary archives. The aims of this study is to investigate the geographic distribution pattern of pollen and spores in southern Morocco in relation to environmental gradients, and different transport mechanisms in order to link temporal variations in marine sediment cores to environmental changes in southern Morocco. Pollen taxa of Argania spinosa, Cichorioideae, Poaceae and Cyperaceae exhibit high percentages and concentrations in the semi-arid Souss Massa basin and the relatively humid Tensift basin accompanied with higher values of Fe/Ca and Ti/Al. Moreover, the simulation between distribution of Olea/Phillyrea and Ti/Al ratio suggests that Olea/Phillyrea are mainly dispersed by wind transport. However, Artemisia and Quercus distributions are limited to the south of High Atlas and the northern Anti Atlas. Chenopodiaceae, Caryophyllaceae , and Amaranthaceae (CCA) show a maximum percentages in littoral sites especially of Souss and Draa basins according to the important production of pollen quantities, the  high values of CCA from north to south of study area are indicated the starts of Saharan-type climate with increasing values of Acacia, Ziziphus, Asphodelus and Tamarix taxa may indicate plants adaptation to droughts, and/or a dominant aeolian transport. The South of Morocco which is known by higher wind inflows and low rainfall during the year occurring as occasional events during the winter, we conclude that pollen are primarily transported by the NE trade winds and occasionally with rivers in the basins.

How to cite: Tadoumant, S., Bouimetarhan, I., Koelling, M., Baqloul, A., and Bouchaou, L.: Modern pollen distributions and their relationship with environmental gradient in Southern Morocco, EGU General Assembly 2021, online, 19–30 Apr 2021, EGU21-10196, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu21-10196, 2021.

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