Variability in chemistry of surface and soil waters of an evapotranspiration-dominated flood-pulsed wetland: solute processing in the Okavango Delta, Botswana

Mosimane, Keotshephile; Struyf, Eric; Gondwe, Mangaliso J.; Frings, Patrick J.; Pelt, Dimitri van; Wolski, Piotr; Schoelynck, Jonas; Schaller, Jörg; Conley, Daniel J.; Murray-Hudson, Mike

doi:10.4314/wsa.v43i1.13

Cited by 14 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 27 publications

(49 reference statements)

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“…Masamba and Muzila [43] also observed increasing concentrations of major cations (Na, K, Mg and Ca) along the OD which is attributed to evapo-concentration. This observation is consistent with Mosimane [44] who observed a similar trend for the same major cations and also dissolved silica (DSi) and dissolved Boron (B) in the OD. Conversely, concentrations of some trace metals (Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn) generally decreased down the OD which suggests that the Delta acts as a filter for these metals [43].…”

Section: Water Qualitysupporting

confidence: 91%

“…Mosimane et al [44] made similar observations for the same trace metals in the Delta. It is noteworthy that while Hart [40] fieldwork was done in 1986 and Mosimane et al [44] in 2011, 25 years apart, the consistency of the results for conductivity between them suggests that there has been no significant change in the Delta water quality within that period. Generally, the water quality of the OD is good because the values of key parameters falls within international standards for potable water [45].…”

Section: Water Qualitymentioning

confidence: 65%

“…Conversely, concentrations of some trace metals (Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn) generally decreased down the OD which suggests that the Delta acts as a filter for these metals [43]. Mosimane et al [44] made similar observations for the same trace metals in the Delta. It is noteworthy that while Hart [40] fieldwork was done in 1986 and Mosimane et al [44] in 2011, 25 years apart, the consistency of the results for conductivity between them suggests that there has been no significant change in the Delta water quality within that period.…”

Section: Water Qualitymentioning

confidence: 92%

“…The shallow, seasonally flooded floodplains are the key engine of nutrient cycling in the OD [21,44] where most of the primary production occurs [21,31]. Initial flooding in the seasonal floodplains elicits increased concentrations of P and N which gradually decreases over time with decreasing flooded area [50,52].…”

Section: Nutrient Dynamics and Primary Productionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Review of Aquatic Biodiversity Dynamics in the Okavango Delta: Resilience in a Highly Fluctuating Environment

Mosepele¹,

Mosepele²

2021

Inland Waters - Dynamics and Ecology

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Wetlands are key ecosystems of high biological diversity that provide valuable ecosystem services. These are particularly important in water stressed semi-arid countries, which enhances their vulnerability to degradation. The Okavango Delta, a key wetland in Botswana, is characterised by dynamic inter and intra specific interactions. There are dynamic biotic and abiotic interactions in the system that enhances its resilience. The flood pulse is the main factor mediating bio-physical dynamics in this system. Despite the various perturbations that have been experienced in the system, the Delta has always been able to absorb them and retain its character at the general ecosystem level. These notwithstanding, there have been some changes at the local scale where the Delta has shifted regimes and entered into altered states as a consequence of either channel or lagoon failure. Management of these systems should ensure that their dynamic characteristics are maintained, and this is enshrined within the panarchy concept. Adopting the resilience framework in natural resources management allows for flexibility in devising management strategies to respond to future unexpected events.

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Section: Water Qualitysupporting

confidence: 91%

Section: Water Qualitymentioning

confidence: 65%

Section: Water Qualitymentioning

confidence: 92%

Section: Nutrient Dynamics and Primary Productionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Review of Aquatic Biodiversity Dynamics in the Okavango Delta: Resilience in a Highly Fluctuating Environment

Mosepele¹,

Mosepele²

2021

Inland Waters - Dynamics and Ecology

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“…The carbon occluded in the phytoliths of wetland plant species potentially even forms an important sink to consider in the carbon cycle (Li et al, 2013). Exemplary to this is the strong (permanent) silica sink in the Okavango Delta sediments (Botswana) that can be associated with a dominance of silica-rich tropical giant-grasses such as Cyperus papyrus L. (Struyf et al, 2015;Mosimane et al, 2017;Schoelynck et al, 2017). BSi accumulation in macrophytes, and thus potentially in sediments, varies strongly between species.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Role of Macrophytes in Biogenic Silica Storage in Ivory Coast Lagoons

2019

Self Cite

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Lagoons are shallow aquatic environments that typically show a broad variety in colonization by macrophytes. We present the biogenic silica (BSi) data obtained from 11 macrophyte species randomly collected in three small lagoons (Ono, Kodjoboue, and Hebe) of Ivory Coast during 12 consecutive months. BSi concentrations were different between species and between lagoons with average values ranging from 2 to 36 mg g −1 .The highest values were found in Hebe and Kodjoboue lagoons due to the dominance of emergent plant species belonging to Poaceae and Cyperaceae families. However, because total plant coverage was low (5% of the lagoon surface), the total BSi stock in vegetation was low (0.2 and 6.1 t, respectively). Oppositely, lower BSi concentrations were found in plants from Ono lagoon, yet the abundance of macrophytes covered 66% of its surface area which resulted in a larger vegetation BSi stock (17.4 t). Dissolved silica in surface water varied seasonally between 1.7 and 10.8 mg L −1 , and variation is assumed to be linked to diatom blooms rather than to macrophyte uptake. Sediment data showed that the three lagoons store a large quantity of BSi in their sediments with values ranging from 2 to 8 t BSi ha −1 . Because of macrophyte influence in these lagoons, macrophyte phytoliths were expected to contribute significantly to this sediment BSi stock. However, microscopic analysis revealed that this stock is absolutely dominated by diatom frustules and sponge spicules rather than plant phytoliths. We conclude that macrophytes in these lagoons contribute only marginally to BSi storage in sediments but that fragile phytogenic silica structures may affect local silica cycling.

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Nutrients in a Changing Environment: Implications on the Sustainability of the Okavango Delta

Mogobe

Setomba

Masamba

2020

Sustainability in Developing Countries

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Variability in chemistry of surface and soil waters of an evapotranspiration-dominated flood-pulsed wetland: solute processing in the Okavango Delta, Botswana

Cited by 14 publications

References 27 publications

Review of Aquatic Biodiversity Dynamics in the Okavango Delta: Resilience in a Highly Fluctuating Environment

Review of Aquatic Biodiversity Dynamics in the Okavango Delta: Resilience in a Highly Fluctuating Environment

The Role of Macrophytes in Biogenic Silica Storage in Ivory Coast Lagoons

Nutrients in a Changing Environment: Implications on the Sustainability of the Okavango Delta

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