Seasonal dynamics of physico-chemical characteristics and biological responses of Lake Chilwa, Southern Africa

cg.contribution.worldfishauthorJamu, D.
cg.contributor.affiliationUniversity of Malawi
cg.contributor.affiliationWorldFish
cg.coverage.countryMalawi
cg.coverage.countryMozambique
cg.description.themeFisheriesen_US
cg.description.themeAquacultureen_US
cg.identifier.ISIindexedISI indexed
cg.identifier.statusLimited access
cg.identifier.urlhttp://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0380133010002613
cg.identifier.worldfish2773
cg.subject.agrovocagriculture
cg.subject.agrovocclimate change
cg.subject.agrovocfreshwater
cg.subject.agrovocwetlands
cg.subject.impactAreaClimate adaptation and mitigationen_US
cg.subject.worldfishfresh water
dc.creatorMacuiane, M.
dc.creatorKaunda, E.
dc.creatorJamu, D.
dc.date.accessioned2018-10-06T09:57:04Z
dc.date.available2018-10-06T09:57:04Z
dc.date.issued2011
dc.description.abstractLake Chilwa is shared by Malawi and Mozambique, it supports an important fishery and its watershed is undergoing rapid population growth and increasing utilization for agricultural production. It is a shallow, closed basin lake with extensive surrounding wetlands; and it has suffered several desiccation events in the last century. To better understand the current condition of the lake, we monitored a suite of physical, chemical and biological parameters at approximately monthly intervals over an annual cycle in 2004–2005. The limnology of the lake was extremely sensitive to seasonal changes in the lake's seasonal hydrological cycle. The physico-chemical parameters, temperature, electrical conductivity, and total suspended solids exhibited clear seasonal patterns driven by the highly seasonal rainfall and resultant lake levels. In response, phytoplankton and zooplankton abundance, as well as biologically dependent oxygen concentrations and pH, exhibited several maxima levels over the year. The peaks of phytoplankton and zooplankton were out of phase suggesting a lag in the zooplankton grazing in response to pulses in primary productivity. Chlorophyll concentrations can exceed 1 mg/L in surface waters indicative of hypereutrophic conditions, but they fell dramatically during zooplankton peaks. This hydrologically driven, shallow and mesohaline lake is a productive and critical resource to the region. Its management poses challenges arising from the dependence of its limnology and fishery on the lakes hydrology, catchment land use and climate variability.
dc.description.versionPeer Review
dc.formatapplication/pdf
dc.identifierhttp://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0380133010002613
dc.identifier.citationJournal of Great Lakes Research 37(S1): 75-82
dc.identifier.doihttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.jglr.2010.12.009en_US
dc.identifier.issn0380-1330
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12348/1070
dc.languageen
dc.publisherInternational Association of Great Lakes Research
dc.sourceJournal of Great Lakes Research
dc.titleSeasonal dynamics of physico-chemical characteristics and biological responses of Lake Chilwa, Southern Africa
dc.typeJournal Article
dcterms.bibliographicCitationMacuiane, M.; Kaunda, E.K.W.; Jamu, D.M. (2011). Seasonal dynamics of physico-chemical characteristics and biological responses of Lake Chilwa, Southern Africa. Journal of Great Lakes Research 37(S1): 75-82
worldfish.location.areaAfrica
worldfish.location.areaMalawi, Chilwa Lake

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