August 1st, 2010 Category: Image of the day, Lakes

Tanzania - July 17th, 2010

Lake Tanganyika appears as a thick dark blue line, cutting across the terrain of Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Tanzania and Zambia. It is an African Great Lake and is estimated to be the second largest freshwater lake in the world by volume.

Visible to the right of Lake Tanganyika is Lake Rukwa, in southwestern Tanzania. In contrast to its neighbor, its waters appear a golden brown color. It is an alkaline lake whose size has fluctuated greatly over the years, due to varying inflow of streams. Currently it is about 180 km long and averages about 32 km wide, making it about 5760 square kilometres in size.

Tags: African Great Lakes Lake Rukwa Lake Tanganyika |  Print This Post |  Email This Post | | Leave a comment

July 1st, 2010 Category: Lakes

Central Africa - April 17th, 2010

Several lakes can be seen in Central Africa, by the borders of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (upper right), Zambia (lower left), Tanzania (upper right) and Malawi (lower right). Most of these borders are near the three large lakes visible: Lake Tanganyika, Lake Rukwa and Lake Malawi.

Only the southern end of Lake Tanganyika (blue, upper left corner) and the northern end of Lake Malawi (blue, lower right corner) are visible; however, these lakes are quite large and are considered to be two of the Great Lakes of Africa. These great lakes are located in and around the geographic Great Rift Valley formed by the action of the tectonic East African Rift. Lake Rukwa (brown with sediments, above) is a Rift Valley lake although not considered one of the African Great Lakes.

Tags: Africa African Great Lakes Lake Malawi Lake Rukwa Lake Tanganyika |  Print This Post |  Email This Post | | Leave a comment

January 7th, 2010 Category: Lakes

Tanzania - December 20th, 2009

Lake Rukwa is a lake in southwestern Tanzania. The alkaline Lake Rukwa lies midway between Lake Tanganyika and Lake Nyasa at an elevation of about 800 metres, in a parallel branch of the rift system. Numerous hills can be seen near its shores in this orthorectified image.

The lake has seen large fluctuations in its size over the years, due to varying inflow of streams. Currently it is about 180 km long and averages about 32 km wide, making it about 5760 square kilometres in size. In 1929 it was only about 30 miles (48 km) in length, but in 1939 it was approximately 80 miles (128 km) long and 25 miles wide (40 km).

Tags: Africa ASAR Lake Rukwa Orthorectification Rift Valley Tanzania |  Print This Post |  Email This Post | | Leave a comment

September 9th, 2009 Category: Lakes

Central Africa - June 21st, 2009

The brownish green landscape of Central Africa is interrupted by several lakes. Lake Tanganyika is the largest, shared by Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (left), Tanzania (upper right quadrant) and Zambia (lower central section). Most of the lake is possessed by Tanzania and the DRC.

Lake Rukwa, in Tanzania, can be seen east of Lake Tanganyika. Its waters, which have an average depth of only four meters, appear golden brown. The water level varies greatly with the seasons: Lake Rukwa often splits into two individual bodies of water, separated by a huge plain of marsh and swampland.

The two lakes south of Tanganyika are the dark blue Lake Mweru, on the border of Zambia and the DRC, and the similarly named Mweru Wantipa, whose waters are a reddish burgundy color. In the local dialect, “wa ntipa” means “with mud”; its name therefore distinguishes it from its bigger neighbour Mweru, whose waters are clearer.

West of Lake Mweru, near the left border, is the Upemba Depression. This area contains over fifty lakes, the largest of which is called Lake Upemba.

Finally, Lake Bangweulu and the Bangweulu Wetlands can be seen in Zambia, towards the bottom edge of the image.

Tags: Bangweulu Wetlands Democratic Republic of the Congo DRC Lake Bangweulu Lake Mweru Lake Mweru Wantipa Lake Rukwa Lake Tanganyika Lake Upemba Tanzania Upemba Depression Zambia |  Print This Post |  Email This Post | | Leave a comment

July 25th, 2009 Category: Fires, Image of the day, Lakes

Tanzania, DRC and Zambia - June 21st, 2009

Three lakes in Central Africa are easily identifiable by their differences in color: Lake Rukwa appears golden yellow, Lake Tanganyika dark blue, and Lake Mweru Wantipa burgundy. Also of note is a wild fire burning in the upper part of the image.

Lake Rukwa is an alkaline lake in southern Tanzania that lies at an elevation of about 800 metres, in a branch of the rift system. The lake has seen large fluctuations in its size over the years, due to varying inflow of streams.

In 1929 it was only about 30 miles (48 km) in length, but in 1939 it was approximately 80 miles (128 km) long and 25 miles wide (40 km). Currently it is about 180 km long and averages about 32 km wide, making it about 5760 square kilometres in size.

Lake Tanganyika is a large lake in central Africa. Its southern section, visible here, is shared by the Democratic Republic of the Congo (left), Zambia (below) and Tanzania (right). It is estimated to be the third largest freshwater lake in the world by volume, and the second deepest. Here, an S-shaped algal bloom can be observed in its waters.

Lake Mweru Wantipa is a lake and swamp system in the Northern Province of Zambia, lying in a branch of the Great Rift Valley. Its water is muddy in appearance, at times appearing reddish and ’slightly oily’.

It has been regarded in the past as something of mystery, displaying fluctuations in water level and salinity which were not entirely explained by variation in rainfall levels; it has been known to dry out almost completely.

Tags: Africa Algal Bloom Democratic Republic of the Congo Fires Great Rift Valley Lake Mweru Wantipa Lake Rukwa Lake Tanganyika Tanzania Zambia |  Print This Post |  Email This Post | | Leave a comment