Forecasts agree in indicating that 75% of the world's population will live less than 60 km from the coast within 20 years, compared to 60% currently, stressed André Ozer, professor-researcher at the University of Liège (Belgium) and one of the great specialists in remote sensing and geomorphology, estimating that urban, tourist and industrial pressures on the coastlines have become a primary cause of beach retreat.
The global climate changes currently observed have as a consequence a universal rise in sea level estimated, for stable zones of the globe, at 13 cm per century since 1870, noting that this rate is constantly increasing, insofar as the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) estimates it at a speed of 18 cm per century since 1961 and 31 cm per century since 1993. The consequences of this sea level rise on the coastlines lead to various environmental problems, among others, the salinisation of coastal groundwater, difficulties in draining drainage water and generalised beach erosion, noted Mr. Ozer, noting that more than 70% of the world's coastlines are today in retreat. This phenomenon is however not linked only to global climate changes, but also to anthropogenic activities, more particularly in coastal zones, he explained, putting the emphasis on the contribution of remote sensing in terms of coastal environment management.
By using remote sensing data, whether aerial or satellite, it is possible to retrace the evolution of the coastline over more than half a century, to understand coastal dynamics, determine the direction of drift, calculate the speed of erosion and consequently predict the future location of the coastline and also to evaluate the impact of new infrastructure, he said. This three-day international symposium, which is part of the cooperation between the Mohammed I University of Oujda and the University Commission for Development (CUD, Belgium), is also intended as a tribute to Mr. Ozer, indicated, for his part, the academic Abdelkader Sbaï, in a speech on behalf of the Organising Committee of this scientific meeting. This meeting aims to describe the processes that are at the origin of the observed risks, to analyse the factors that govern them, to map the potential risks that result from them and to propose and discuss prevention and protection measures, he continued.
It also proposes to develop the adopted methods and the possibilities of using geomatics for each type of risk, he added, noting that more than 160 specialists in natural risks from 12 countries have been invited to present the results of their research and debate the various issues of this theme. The interventions are scheduled around several themes: hydrological and climatic risks, coastal risks (erosion and sedimentation), seismic and volcanic risks, soil erosion and slope movement risks, pollution, forest fires and industrial risks, methodological aspects of modelling and the contribution of geomatics, and rehabilitation and prevention strategies.
The Mohammed I University of Oujda is composed of five faculties and four schools and its vocation is to train students in very varied fields: science, law, literature, history, geography, languages, management, economic sciences, technology, engineering sciences and medical sciences. The University welcomes more than 35,000 students (start of the 2011-2012 academic year) spread over the sites of Oujda, Nador and Al Hoceima. It employs 590 teachers and 440 administrative and technical agents. It is with all its strengths (research, training, teaching, multidisciplinarity...) that the Mohammed I University hopes to collaborate in the development of the region and the country. It has, for this purpose, common research services providing high-level technological equipment, departments grouping the various laboratories (mathematical sciences, earth sciences, water, biology, chemistry, physics, electronics, electrotechnics, automation, computer science, mechanics, management sciences, literature and human sciences. It also has centres (Coste, CU, CUP, CEMMM, Remote Sensing Centre, Culcom, etc.) responsible for federating research activities and promoting technology transfer.
Multidisciplinary, the Mohammed I University offers attractive and varied training, several professionalising courses complete the training offer. The collaboration between the University and its environment, in varied forms, has experienced notable development in recent years.
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