The spatio-temporal dynamics of the trophic state of a lake are crucial in defining its water quality, as well as biodiversity. Accordingly, this study focused on the spatio-temporal variations of the trophic state, and the possible causes of the heterogeneous turbidity in Lake Naivasha, Kenya. The trophic state of the lake oscillated between a eutrophic and hypereutrophic condition, being found to be more eutrophic than reported in previous studies, indicating a progressive deterioration of its water quality. Inferences from the graphical representation of the deviations of total phosphorus and Secchi depth from the chlorophyll-a trophic state indices revealed that the lake is predominantly phosphorus limited. Furthermore, the turbidity in the northern part of the lake is dominated by suspended sediment and dissolved coloured material. Discriminant analysis resulted in identification of three distinct trophic state regions in Lake Naivasha, namely the northern region, the mid and southern part and the more or less isolated Crescent Lake. The results of this study provide a good basis for further investigation of the current loading magnitude of both nutrients and sediments, in order to facilitate sustainable management to ensure community integrity and ecosystem functions of the lake.

Water quality information in aquatic ecosystems is crucial in setting up guidelines for resource management. This study explores the water quality status and pollution sources in Lake Naivasha, Kenya. Analysis of water quality parameters at seven sampling sites was carried out from water samples collected weekly from January to June and biweekly from July to November in 2011. Principal component analysis (PCA) and cluster analysis (CA) were used to analyse the dataset. Principal component analysis showed that four principal components (PCA-1 to PCA-4) explained 94.2% of the water quality variability. PCA-1 and PCA-2 bi-plot suggested that turbidity in the lake correlated directly to nutrients and iron with close association with the sampling site close to the mouth of Malewa River. Three distinct clusters were discerned from the CA analysis: Crescent Lake, a more or less isolated crater lake, the northern region of the lake, and the main lake. The pollution threat in Lake Naivasha includes agricultural and domestic sources. This study provides a valuable dataset on the current water quality status of Lake Naivasha, which is useful for formulating effective management strategies to safeguard ecosystem services and secure the livelihoods of the riparian communities around Lake Naivasha, Kenya.

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The hydrodynamics in Lake Naivasha, a shallow endorheic lake, are simulated using the Delft3D Flow Module to investigate the major driving forces of hydrodynamics in the lake. The results showed wind as the major forcing. The shallow zones of the lake showed currents movement in the same direction as the wind while the deep zones showed currents movements against the wind direction. These findings were confirmed and further explained using an idealized model. Limited exchange between the Crescent Lake (crater lake which is temporally separated from the lake during low water levels) and the main lake was observed. These findings can explain the spatial variability of the water quality in the lake. Similar studies could be used in exploratory studies of the spatial-temporal variability in water quality in other shallow water systems.

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