News / Science News

    Environmental change in Africa: Will it lead to a drying Lake Victoria?

    Global climate change could cause Africa's Lake Victoria, the world's largest tropical lake and source of the Nile River, to dry up in the next 500 years, according to new findings by a team led by University of Houston researchers. Even more imminent, the White Nile -- one of the two main tributaries of the Nile -- could lose its source waters in just a decade.



    View of modern Lake Victoria from Kenya, where fisheries are susceptible to changes in climate. Photo: University of Houston


    Using ancient sediment from outcrops along the edge of the lake, Emily Beverly, a sedimentary geologist at the University of Houston, along with researchers at Baylor University, generated a water-budget model to see how Lake Victoria's levels respond to changes in evaporation, temperature, rainfall and solar energy.

    The findings indicate that a rapid lake level decline was possible tens of thousands of years ago -- and could happen again in the future.

    That would significantly affect the economic resources supplied by the lake and the livelihoods of approximately 40 million people living in the Lake Victoria Basin.

    Lake Victoria gets most of its water from rain -- about 55 inches each year. The sediment analyzed from locations along the lake shows that rainfall levels 35,000 to 100,000 years ago were about 28 inches, or almost half what they are today.

    The water-budget model in the study shows low amounts of rainfall caused the lake to dry up at least three times in the past 100,000 years, and it could happen again. (National Science Foundation)

    NOVEMBER 27, 2019



    YOU MAY ALSO LIKE

    Children’s average daily time spent watching television or using a computer or mobile device increased from 53 minutes at age 12 months to more than 150 minutes at 3 years.
    An early example of fake news has been found in the 3000-year-old Babylonian story of Noah and the Ark, which is widely believed to have inspired the Biblical tale.
    Researchers mostly from Pennsylvania State University in the U.S. reported the invention of a new coating that could reduce bacterial growth, water waste, and odor when sprayed onto an ordinary house toilet by rendering its surface too slippery for anything to remain attached for long.
    Researchers found a place on the earth where no life exists.
    Researchers at Cornell University and Virginia Tech said shaking the head to free trapped water can cause brain damage in small children.
    Multiple factors may influence plant seasonal patterns.

    © 1991-2023 The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin | Titi Tudorancea® is a Registered Trademark | Terms of use and privacy policy
    Contact