Abstract
The inflow of River Rusizi to Lake Tanganyika has been assumed not to mix with the lake epilimnion as it would sink as an interflow or an underflow, because of its higher density due to sediment load, lower temperature and higher salinity. Nevertheless, efforts made to trace the Rusizi flow into the lake have failed. Ten sampling surveys were carried out from March 1994 to July 1995. Each consisted of 22 samples, at different distances off the Rusizi estuary and at different depths. Eighteen physical and chemical variables were studied at each site. The Rusizi water was always denser (800 – 1400 g m−3) than the lake water. The relative importance of temperature, suspended solids and salinity varied seasonally. A descent of the Rusizi inflow was observed. Close to the river estuary, river and lake waters mixed and Rusizi sediments settled. Complete mixing occurred within 800 m offshore. The Rusizi inflow merged with the epilimnion rather than the hypolimnion. Horizontal spread by shorebound currents seemed to be more important than offshore spread.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
A. P. H. A., A. W. W. A. and W. P. C. F., 1989. Standard methods for the examination of water and waste water. 17th edn, American Public Health Association, Washington, D.C., 1587 pp.
Beadle, L. C., 1981. The inland waters of tropical Africa. An introduction to tropical Africa. An introduction to tropical limnology. 2nd edn. Longman, London, New York.
Beauchamp, R. S. A., 1939. Hydrology of Lake Tanganyika. Int. Rev. ges. Hydrobiol. 39: 316–353.
Beauchamp, R. S. A., 1940. Chemistry and hydrography of Lakes Tanganyika and Nyasa. Nature 3695: 253–256.
Beauchamp, R. S. A., 1946. Lake Tanganyika. Nature 3981: 183–184.
Boyd, C. E., 1990. Water quality in ponds for aquaculture. Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station, Auburn University, Alabama.
Caljon, A. G., 1987. A recently landlocked brackish-water lagoon of Lake Tanganyika: physical and chemical characteristics, and spatio-temporal distribution of phytoplankton. Hydrobiologia 153: 55–70.
Caljon, A. G., 1991. Sedimentary diatom assemblages in the northern part of Lake Tanganyika. Hydrobiologia 226: 179–191.
Capart, A., 1952. Le milieu géographique et géophysique, Résultats scientifiques de l’exploration hydrobiologique du Lac Tanganika (1946–1947). Institut Royal des Sciences Naturelles de Belgique 1: 3–27.
Cohen, A. S., 1989. Facies relationships and sedimentation in large rift lakes and implications for hydrocarbon exploration: examples from Lakes Turkana and Tanganyika. Palaeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 70: 65–80.
Cohen, A. S., 1990. Tectono-stratigraphic model for sedimentation in Lake Tanganyika, Africa. In B. Katz (ed.), Lacustrine Basin Exploration: Case Studies and Modern Analogs. Amer. Assoc. Pet. Geol. Memoir 50: 137–150.
Coulter, G. W., 1963. Hydrological changes in relation to biological production in southern Lake Tanganyika. Limnol. Oceanogr. 8: 463–477.
Coulter, G. W., 1968a. Thermal stratification in the deep hypolim- nion of Lake Tanganyika. Limnol. Oceanogr. 13: 385–387.
Coulter, G. W., 19686. Hydrobiological processes and primary production in Lake Tanganyika. Proc. 11th Conf. Great Lakes Res., Intern. Assoc. Great Lakes Res.: 609–626.
Coulter, G. W., 1975. The fish resources of Lake Tanganyika and present approaches in fishery research. FI:DP/BDI/73/020, F.A.O., Rome, 16 pp.
Coulter, G. W., 1992. Vulnerability of Lake Tanganyika to pollution, with comments on social aspects. Mitt. int. Ver. Limnol. 23: 6770.
Coulter, G. W. and R. W. Spigel, 1991. Hydrodynamics. Chapter 3. In G. W. Coulter (ed.), Lake Tanganyika and Its Life. Natural History Museum Publications, Oxford University Press, London, Oxford, New York: 49–75.
Craig. H., 1974. Lake Tanganyika geochemical and hydrographic study: 1973 expedition. S.I.O. Reference Series 75–5, S.I.O., University of California, San Diego, California, 83 pp.
Degens, E. T., R. P. Von Herzen and How-Kin Wong, 1971. Lake Tanganyika: water chemistry, sediments, geological structure. Naturwissenschaften 58: 229–241.
Degens, E. T. and G. Kulbicki, 1973. Data file on metal distribution in East Africa: Rift sediments. W.H.O.I., Unpublished manuscript, Woods Hole, Massachusetts WHOI-73–15, 255 pp.
Dubois, J. T., 1958a. Composition chimique des affluents du nord du lac Tanganika. Bull. Séances Acad. r. Sci. coloniales (d’outre mer) 4: 1226–1237.
Dubois, J. T., 19586. Evolution de la température, de l’oxygène dissous et de la transparence dans la baie nord du lac Tanganika. Hydrobiologia 10: 215–240.
Edmond, J. M., R. F. Stallard, H. Craig, V. Craig, R. F. Weiss and G. W. Coulter, 1993. Nutrient chemistry of the water column of Lake Tanganyika. Limnol. Oceanogr. 38: 725–738.
Ferro, W., 1975. Observations limnologiques dans le nord du Lac Tanganyika (1972–1975). FI:DPBDI/73/020/10, F.A.O., Rome, 29 pp.
Hecky, R. E. and E. T. Degens, 1973. Late Pleistocene-Holocene chemical stratigraphy and paleolimnology of the Rift Valley lakes of Central Africa. W.H.O.I., Unpublished manuscript, Woods Hole, Massachusetts WHOI-73–28, 93 pp.
Hecky, R. E., R. H. Spigel and G. W. Coulter, 1991. The nutrient regime. Chapter 4. In G.W. Coulter (ed.), Lake Tanganyika and its life. Natural History Museum Publications, Oxford University Press, London, Oxford, New York: 76–89.
Home, A. J. and C. R. Goldman, 1994. Limnology. 2nd edn. McGraw-Hill, New York.
Inskeep, W. P. and R. Bloom, 1985. Extinction coefficients of chlorophyll a and b in N,N-dimethylformamide and 80% acetone. Plant Physiol. 77: 483–485.
Kotilainen, R, T. Huttula and A. Peltonen, 1995. Results of the period of March 1993-December 1994 in hydrodynamics on Lake Tanganyika. GCP/RAF/271/FIN-TD/42, F.A.O., Rome, 97 pp.
Kufferath, J.,1952. Le milieu biochimique. Résultats scientifiques de l’exploration hydrobiologique du Lac Tanganika (19461947), Institut Royal des Sciences Naturelles de Belgique 1: 31–47.
Lozet, J., 1949. De la présence de types de Solontchacks dans la vallées de la Ruzizi. Bull. agricol. Congo belge 40: 217–226.
Melack, J. M., 1980. An initial measurement of photo-synthetic productivity in Lake Tanganyika. Hydrobiologia 72: 243–247.
Mpawenayo, B., 1986. De waters van de Rusizi-vlakte (Burundi): milieu, algenflora en -vegetatie. Ph.D.-thesis, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, 270 pp.
Ntakimazi, G., 1995. Le rôle des écotones terre/eau dans la diversité biologique et les ressources du lac Tanganyika. UNESCO/MAB/DANIDA/510/BDI/40, 1991–1994.
Plisnier, R.-D., 1994. Presentation of SSP results: limnology. GCP/RAF/271/FIN-TD/94/3. 2a, F.A.O., Rome, 16 pp.
Rodier, J., 1984. L’analyse de l’eau, Eaux naturelles, eaux résiduaires, eau de mer, Chimie, physico-chimie, bactériologie, biologie. 7th edn, Dunod, Paris, 1365 pp.
Symoens, J. J., 1968. The mineral content of natural waters, Hydro-biological survey of the Lake Bangweulu - Luapula River basin. Cercle hydrobiologique de Bruxelles 2: 1–199.
Vandelannoote, A., H. Robberecht, H. Deelstra, F. Vyumvuhore, L. Bitetera and F. 011evier, 1996. The impact of the River Ntahangwa, the most polluted Burundian affluent of Lake Tanganyika, on the water quality of the lake. Hydrobiologia 328: 161–171.
Meel, L. I. J., 1988. Contribution à la limnologie de quatre grands lacs du Zaïre oriental: Tanganika, Kivu, Mobutu Sese Seko (ex Albert), Idi Amin Dada (ex Edouard), Les paramètres chimiques d’après des notes et des ébauches inédites de J. Kufferath, Fasc. A: le lac Tanganika 2. Institut Royal des Sciences Naturelles de Belgique, Document de Travail 49, 82 pp.
Well, P. and D. W. Chapman, 1976. Summary of limnological observations in Lake Tanganyika near Kigoma 1974–1975. FI:DP/URT/71/012/39, F.A.O., Rome, 17 pp.
Wetzel, R. G., 1983. Limnology. W.B. Saunders, Philadelphia, 743 pp.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1999 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Vandelannoote, A., Deelstra, H., Ollevier, F. (1999). The inflow of the Rusizi River to Lake Tanganyika. In: Lindqvist, O.V., Mölsä, H., Salonen, K., Sarvala, J. (eds) From Limnology to Fisheries: Lake Tanganyika and Other Large Lakes. Developments in Hydrobiology, vol 141. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-1622-2_6
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-1622-2_6
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-90-481-5339-8
Online ISBN: 978-94-017-1622-2
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive