International Journal of Innovation and Applied Studies ISSN 2028-9324 Vol. 13 No. 2 Oct. 2015, pp. 235-250 © 2015 Innovative Space of Scientific Research Journals http://www.ijias.issr-journals.org/ Corresponding Author: Soufouyane ZAKARI 235 Variabilité hydropluviométrique et dynamique de l’occupation des terres dans le bassin de la Sota à l’exutoire de Coubéri au Bénin (Afrique de l’Ouest) [ Hydropluviometric variability and dynamic of land cover in the catchment of Sota at the outlet of Coubéri in Benin (West Africa) ] Soufouyane ZAKARI 1-3 , Brice Agossou Hugues TENTE 2 , Ismaïla TOKO IMOROU 1 , Ibouraïma YABI 3 , Fulgence AFOUDA 3 , and Benoît N’BESSA 4 1 Laboratoire de Cartographie, (LaCarto), Université d’Abomey-Calavi, 10 BP 1082, Cotonou, Bénin 2 Laboratoire de Biogéographie et d’Expertise Environnementale (LABEE), Université d’Abomey-Calavi, BP : 677 Abomey-Calavi, Bénin 3 Laboratoire Pierre PAGNEY ‘‘Climat, Eau, Ecosystèmes et Développement’’ (LACEEDE), Université d’Abomey-Calavi, BP 922, Abomey-calavi, Bénin 4 Laboratoire d’Etude des Dynamiques Urbaines et Régionales (LEDUR), Université d’Abomey-Calavi, 01 BP : 526 Cotonou, Cotonou, Bénin Copyright © 2015 ISSR Journals. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. ABSTRACT: The present study aims to analyze the hydropluviometric variability and the dynamic of land cover in the catchment of the Sota located at the North-east of Benin. It is based on the exploitation, on one hand, of rainfall and runoff data over the period 1965-2010 and, on the other hand, of satellite images Landsat TM of 1995 and Landsat 8 OLI/TIRS of 2013. The calculation of rainfall and hydrometric index and the application of statistical tests were used to analyze the hydropluviometric variability in the catchment of Sota. This variability is marked by similar fluctuations of rainfall and runoff. The break identified on rainfall and hydrometric series in 1970 is followed by a rainfall deficit of 6,76 % and a flow deficit of 33,75 %. The analysis of land cover maps produced from satellite images made it possible to release the land cover dynamic. This dynamic is characterized by the regression of natural vegetation formations to the profit of anthropic formations. The crops areas and fallows knew the greatest expansion with an annual growth rate of 6, 16 %. The degradation of the vegetation cover is undoubtedly one of the factors of the persistence of the relatively high level of the hydrometric deficit in the watershed of Sota. KEYWORDS: Sota, North-Benin, hydropluviometric variability, vegetation cover, statistical tests. RÉSUMÉ: La présente étude vise à analyser la variabilité hydropluviométrique et la dynamique de l’occupation des terres dans le bassin versant de la Sota situé au Nord-est du Bénin. Elle se base sur l’exploitation, d’une part des chroniques de hauteurs de précipitations annuelles et de débits annuels de la Sota à Coubéri sur la période 1965-2010 et d’autre part des images satellitaires Landsat TM de 1995 et Landsat 8 OLI/TIRS de 2013. Le calcul des indices pluviométrique et