Knowra Lake Tanganyika Lake Tanganyika Lake Tanganyika is a deep freshwater lake in East Africa, bordered by Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burundi, and Zambia. It is the world’s second-deepest lake and one of its oldest.
East African Rift : A network of tectonic rifts and volcanic regions where the African Plate is separating into smaller plates. Tanganyika occupies a deep basin formed within this continental rift system.
Internal wave : A wave that travels along the boundary between water layers of different density. Internal waves can transport nutrients across the lake’s stratified water column.
Lake Tanganyika fishery : The capture and trade of fish from Lake Tanganyika, including sardine-like clupeids and cichlids. Small pelagic fish support food supplies and livelihoods around the shoreline.
Tanganyika sardine : A small schooling fish, Limnothrissa miodon, native to Lake Tanganyika and important to local fisheries. This pelagic fish is a major target of nighttime lift-net fishing.
Climate change in Africa : Observed and projected changes in African climates, including warming and shifts in rainfall patterns. Changes in wind and rainfall may alter mixing and productivity in the lake.
Rift lake : A lake occupying a depression formed by tectonic stretching and faulting of Earth’s crust. Its long, narrow basin formed as the surrounding crust pulled apart.
Upwelling : The upward movement of deeper water toward the surface, often bringing nutrients with it. Seasonal upwelling helps fuel plankton growth in parts of the lake.
Limnology : The scientific study of inland waters, including lakes, rivers, and wetlands. Limnology examines the lake’s water chemistry, circulation, and ecology.
Lake Tanganyika sardine : Stolothrissa tanganicae is a small clupeid fish endemic to Lake Tanganyika. It is the second major sardine-like species in the lake’s fishery.
Endemism : The condition of a species being native to and restricted to a particular geographic area. Many lake species occur nowhere else, making local ecosystem change consequential.
Show all 27