Characterization of Water Level Variability of the Main Ethiopian Rift Valley Lakes

Hydrology

Mulugeta Dadi Belete²  Bernd Diekkrüger²  Jackson Roehrig¹ 

[1] Institute for Technology and Water Resources Management in the Tropicsand Subtropics, Cologne University of Applied Sciences, Köln 50678, Germany;Department of Geography, University of Bonn, Bonn 53115, Germany;

关键词: Ethiopian Rift valley lakes;    water level fluctuation;    climate variability;   

DOI  :  10.3390/hydrology3010001

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

In this paper, the water level fluctuations of eight Ethiopian Rift Valley lakes were analyzed for their hydrological stability in terms of water level dynamics and their controlling factors. Long-term water balances and morphological nature of the lakes were used as bases for the analyses. Pettit’s homogeneity test and Mann–Kendall trend analysis were applied to test temporal variations of the lake levels. It is found that the hydrological stability of most of the Ethiopian Rift Valley lakes is sensitive to climate variability. In terms of monotonic trends, Lake Ziway, Hawassa, Abaya and Beseka experienced significant increasing trend, while Ziway, Langano and Chamo do not. In addition, homogeneity test revealed that Lake Hawassa and Abaya showed significant upward shift around 1991/1992, which was likely caused by climate anomalies such as the El Niño / Southern Oscillation (ENSO) phenomena. Lake Abiyata is depicted by its significant decreasing monotonic trend and downward regime shift around 1984/1985, which is likely related to the extended water abstraction for industrial consumption.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2015 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.