Abstract
Lake Oguta is a relatively small, shallow fresh water body (flood season maximum surface area=2.48 km2; max. depth=9.30 m) but the largest natural lentic system in Southeastern Nigeria. The maximum water depth, surface water temperature, Secchi-disc-transparency and conductivity, varied seasonally with rainfall.
These parameters had ranges of 7.0–9.3 m, 24.0–31.0 °C, 0.61–4.00 m and 8.6–16.5 μS.cm−1, respectively. Weak, unstable thermal stratification developes towards midday in the warmer months (April–August).
The sedimentological data show variation in the lake's particle size distribution; with coarse sandy shores, and fine, silty clay at the deep, open area. The sediment particle size variation is related to relief, transportation and depositional processes. The lake basin is a low energy, aqueous continental depositional environment. The origin of the lake is related to the Quartenary/Holocene Eurasian glaciation which correlate with the pluvials in the tropics.
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Odigi, M.I., Nwadiaro, C.S. Geophysical limnology of lake Oguta in Southeastern Nigeria with notes on its possible origin. Hydrobiological Bulletin 22, 113–126 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02256815
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02256815