Effects of Lake level changes on water quality and fisheries production
of Lake Baringo, Kenya
Abstract
The study was conducted in Lake Baringo and determined quantitative
relationships between water level changes, water quality, and fishery
production for informed lake basin management. Long-term (2008 to 2020)
data on water level, water quality, and fisheries yields from Lake
Baringo were analyzed using a combination of statistical methods. Linear
and waveform regression analyses described patterns of lake level
fluctuations over time while, Pearson’s correlation determined the
concordance of lake level changes with water quality parameters,
landings, and condition of fish species. PCA results grouped the study
period into different years based on annual water quality variable
levels. LOWESS analysis showed the decline of annual lake level
amplitude over time with peak values in 1964 (8.6 m) and 2008 (9.4 m).
The waveform regression significantly modeled lake level fluctuations as
indexed by annual deviations from the long-term average (DLTM) and
showed a 20-year oscillation between peak water levels in the lake.
There were significant positive correlations of Water Level Fluctuations
(WLFs) with water quality variables and water quality index (WQI) in
Lake Baringo. Linear regression analyses showed a significant
concordance (p < 0.05) between the annual fishery yield and
the rising WLFs (r = 0.66). Overall, the results demonstrate that WLFs
of Lake Baringo are a driver of fish species biomass and
physico-chemical properties of the lake. We recommend the integration of
fisheries yields, water quality assessment, and WLFs modeling at
different temporal scales in the management of Afrotropical lake
ecosystems