|
|
|
Location
Haut-Republic of Congo (DRC), Republic of Congo (DRC); and Western, Uganda.
l:00-2:20N, 30:20-31:30E; 615 m above sea level.
Description
Lake Albert is a typical Rift Valley lake lying at an altitude
of 615 m between two parallel escarpments, that on the western
side rising abruptly to nearly 2,000 m above the water surface.
The lake is about 150 km long, with an average width of about
35 km, and a maximum depth of 56 m within 7 km of the mid-western
|
|
|
| |
shore.
The main inflow isat the south end via the Semliki River which
comes from Lake Edward through the western edge of the great
Ituri rain forest in Republic of Congo (DRC), augmented by streams from the northern
slopes of the Rwenzoris. On its course through the forest are
several kilometers of rapids which are an effective barrier
to faunal interchange between the two lakes. Most of the lateral
inflows into the lake from the escarpments are seasonal and
contribute very little, since their catchments are small. Owing
to an accident of geological history, the overflow from Lakes
Victoria and Kyoga, known as the Victoria Nile, originated by
uptilting of the Victoria basin in the late Pleistocene and
made its way via a previous river valley to a low point along
the Rift wall to plunge over the Murchison Falls and to reach
Lake Albert at its very northernmost end almost directly into
the outflowing Albert Nile.
The water of the Victoria Nile is much less saline than that
of Lake Albert. It has therefore been possible to demonstrate
by conductivity measurements that even in times of floods the
river water does not affect the lake beyond about 10 km from
the north end. The Victoria Nile thus serves to maintain the
level but has no other influence on the water of the lake except
at its northern end though its rate of flow is considerably
greater than that of the Semliki. The hydrology and ecology
of the lake would have been different if the Victoria Nile had
flowed into it near the south end, or alternatively, had joined
the Albert Nile further north where it could have had no controlling
influence on the level of the lake. In the latter event a small
reduction in the rainfall in the Albert and Edward basins and
thus a smaller inflow from the Semliki, could result in an excess
of evaporation over inflow with a consequent fall in level and
stoppage of the outflow. The level of Lake Albert is now maintained
above the exit partly by the Victoria Nile which functions in
the manner of the inflow to a constant level water.
Lake Albert is part of the Great Rift Valley system which extends
from the Middle East to Mozambique, and since 1894 has formed
part of the border between Uganda and Congo. The first European
to spot the lake was the British explorer Sir Samuel Baker in
1864, who named it after Albert, prince consort of Great Britain.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
