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The physico-chemical hydrology of a tropical seasonal river-upper Ogun river

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Abstract

The physico-chemical properties of the Ogun River were recorded between January 1974 and December 1975. A wet season with mean monthly rainfall of 9.72 cm. (s.d. = 5.07 cm) occurred from April through October, while a dry season with mean monthly rainfall of 0.56 cm. (s.d. = 0.99 cm) occurred between November and March. The seasonal changes in the rainfall of the drainage area resulted in an alternation of the hydrological regimes of the river. The high water level of the river that arose as a result of the rains made the water flowed unidirectionally from July through December. After the rains, the water level receded gradually to a point where by January the river broke up into a chain of pools. In a lotic state, the water's tansparency, pH, total alkalinity and conductivity were lower, while its dissolved oxygen, free carbon dioxide concentrations were higher than the corresponding conditions in the residual pools formed when the water was lentic. In this latter form, the observed diurnal surface water temperature fluctuations were more and diel thermal stratification occurred. It was evident that the water in both phases was well aerated. The diurnal fluctuations in the water temperatures and the relationships between the determined environmental factors were assayed.

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Adebisi, A.A. The physico-chemical hydrology of a tropical seasonal river-upper Ogun river. Hydrobiologia 79, 157–165 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00006123

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