ISSN:
1573-5117
Source:
Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
Topics:
Biology
Notes:
Abstract Lake McIlwaine is an artificially eutrophic impoundment in tropical Africa, which has received sewage effluent since 1952, and has developed troublesome algal blooms. Rapid chemical changes have taken place since about 1960, and the lake is very much richer than other impoundments in the area. Chemical composition of the inflowing rivers shows that sewage effluent is responsible for this eutrophication, and rural runoff is not considered significant. The presence of an anaerobic hypolimnion is a doubtful index of eutrophication as this occurs in tropical lakes, regardless of trophic status. By contrast, the epilimnion of Lake McIlwaine shows permanent oxygen super-saturation, probably due to the high phytoplankton productivity. The lake has a high seasonal inflow and rapid replacement time, factors which could enhance the success of measures to reduce the inflow of sewage effluent.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF00014260
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