Morphodynamic Classification of Morocco's Steep Coasts Using Multivariate Methods and Remote Data

Farhaoui, I.; Dakki, M., and Saloui, A., 2025. Morphodynamic classification of Morocco's steep coasts using multivariate methods and remote data. Journal of Coastal Research, 41(3), 431–451. Charlotte (North Carolina), ISSN 0749-0208. The Moroccan coastline extends for 3500 km on the East Atlantic and Western Mediterranean coasts. It shows a high diversity of estuaries, bays, beaches, and steep coasts. Despite its ecological, economic, and recreational importance, Morocco does not have a comprehensive inventory of its coastal landscapes. This study develops a primary classification of Moroccan steep coasts based on a descriptive inventory of these landscapes, mainly using geological, morphological, hydrodynamic, and eolian criteria, which have been measured from satellite images and verified on the field. To achieve this classification, the 175 steep coast units of the country and the criteria are presented in a binary matrix that have been submitted to the k-means algorithm, the hierarchical ascending classification method, and factor correspondence analysis. The results of this treatment provide a clustering scheme that distinguishes six different groups of cliffs, each of them being subdivided into two or three subgroups. In this classification, four categories of criteria appear as determinants: morphometric (length, area, and elevation), geologic (dominant rock and geologic eras), hydrodynamic (swells), and aerodynamic (wind). However, the morphometric and geologic criteria have the most significant influence on the classification. Using knowledge of the Moroccan coast, this classification, mainly based on satellite data, remains preliminary and requires improvements by using additional field data. Finally, the raw and compiled data collected in this study constitute a database comprising 175 cliffs, which are described using parametric criteria; this database is a contribution to the national wetlands inventory and is essential to promoting their conservation and management.