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Satellite-based rainfall estimation for river flow modelling in Morocco

Morocco, as many African countries, has limited observed precipitation data that is a major obstacle for water management, flood monitoring and climate change adaptation planning using hydrological models. The objective of this study is to evaluate satellite rainfall products for hydrological modelling over 12 basins in Morocco using four hydrological models: IHACRES, MISDc, GR4J and CREST. Six satellite products are used in this analysis: the H03, H05, H64 and H67 HSAF products, in addition to SM2RAINASCAT product and GPM IMERG-E. The results showed that the best results to reproduce river runoff are achieved with the SM2RAINASCAT and H64 products, using the CREST and MISDc hydrological models. However, there are strong interplays between the different precipitation products and hydrological model structures in different basins, highlighting the need to carefully select hydrological models according to the intended application. This first evaluation over 12 Moroccan basins suggests that the use of satellite rainfall products for hydrological modelling could a viable alternative to observed rainfall in basins where precipitation is not monitored.

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