The Potential Link Between El Nino and Water Hyacinth Blooms in Winam Gulf of Lake Victoria, East Africa: Evidence from Satellite Imagery |
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Authors: | Lawrence M Kiage and Joyce Obuoyo |
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Affiliation: | (1) Department of Geosciences, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA;(2) School of Environment and Earth Sciences, Maseno University, P.O. Box 333, Maseno, Kenya |
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Abstract: | This study evaluates the link between the occurrence of El Nino events in East Africa and water hyacinth blooms in Winam Gulf
of Lake Victoria using remote sensing technology. A time-series of the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) analyzed
from data acquired by the multispectral Aqua/Terra sensors aboard the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS)
satellite are used to monitor areal extent and density of the aquatic plants. We related the NDVI derived from MODIS imagery
to data on El Ni?o South Oscillation (ENSO) events that were obtained from NOAA and rainfall data from the study site. Our
results from the 11-year time-series data show a statistically significant positive correlation (R = 0.6, P = 0.021) between the occurrence of El Ni?o events and water hyacinth blooms in Winam Gulf. The proliferation of water hyacinth
rafts in Winam Gulf may be a response to dramatic environmental and water quality changes in Lake Victoria. The patterns of
impact of ENSO events and rainfall show spatial and temporal variation patterns in the region, depending on the time and space
evolution of each individual ENSO event that could explain the differences in general patterns of water hyacinth cover in
Lake Victoria during different El Ni?o events. Although the problems eutrophication and water hyacinth are severe in the Winam
Gulf of Lake Victoria some of the solutions to the problem are located several hundreds of kilometers away in the rich agricultural
farmlands of the Lake Victoria catchment area. These include better land management practices and strategies aimed at limiting
pollution and soil erosion within the lake’s drainage basin. |
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