June 12, 2023 - Lake Tanganyika and Lake Rukwa

Tanzania
Tweet
Share

Separated by only 60 miles (100 km) of rugged East African Rift
country, Lake Tanganyika and Lake Rukwa offer stark contrasts in
appearance and biodiversity.

Lake Tanganyika, located on the left (west), is the Earth’s second
deepest lake and also the longest freshwater lake, stretching for more
than 400 miles (644 km) across four countries (Tanzania, Democratic
Republic of the Congo, Burundi, Zambia). Plunging to a depth of 4,820
feet (1,470 meters), Tanganyika provides a home to about 1,500 species,
including a vast array of spectacular fish known as cichlids, many of
which have developed unique behaviors as they evolved in various niche
habitats of the lake. Roughly half of all the species of Lake
Tanganyika are endemics, existing nowhere else in the world.

Lake Rukwa is much smaller and shallower, and the water is alkaline
rather than fresh. With an average depth of only 10 feet (3 meters) and
a maximum depth of 49 feet (15 meters), the water levels fluctuate with
the rainfall and inflow of rivers, often looking murky and muddy. In
the dry season, the lake can even separate into two basins. Lake Rukwa,
which sits in both Tanzania and Zambia, has much less biodiversity than
Tanganyika. Although total species are few, it does host some endemic
cichlids and catfish, as well as the largest population of crocodiles
in Tanzania.

Image Facts
Satellite: Terra
Date Acquired: 6/9/2023
Resolutions: 1km (189.8 KB), 500m (589.4 KB), 250m (531.4
KB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit: MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC



https://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/individual.php?db_date=2023-06-12

--- up 1 year, 15 weeks, 20 minutes
* Origin: -=> Castle Rock BBS <=- Now Husky HPT Powered! (1:317/3)