Map showing the location of Lake Kyoga in Uganda.

Lake Kyoga on a 2002 NASA MODIS satellite picture. White spots are clouds.

Lake Kyoga is a large shallow lake complex of Uganda, about 1,720 km² in area and at an elevation of 914 m. The Victoria Nile flows through the lake on its way from Lake Victoria to Lake Albert. The main inflow from Lake Victoria is regulated by the Owen Falls Dam in Jinja. Another source of water is the Mount Elgon region on the border between Uganda and Kenya. While Lake Kyoga is part of Great Lakes system, it is not itself considered a Great Lake. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (600x637, 79 KB)Lakes in Uganda. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (600x637, 79 KB)Lakes in Uganda. ... Image File history File links Lake_Kyoga_(NASA). ... Image File history File links Lake_Kyoga_(NASA). ... NASA Logo Listen to this article · (info) This audio file was created from the revision dated 2005-09-01, and does not reflect subsequent edits to the article. ... Ash plumes on Kamchatka Peninsula, eastern Russia MODIS (Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) is a payload scientific instrument launched into Earth orbit by NASA in 1999 on board the Terra (EOS AM) Satellite, and in 2002 on board the Aqua (EOS PM) satellite. ... A lake is a body of water surrounded by land. ... (White Nile is also a state of Sudan) The White Nile is a river of Africa, one of the two main branches of the Nile, the other being the Blue Nile. ... Lake Victoria, as seen from space Lake Victoria or Victoria Nyanza is one of the Great Lakes of Africa. ... Lake Albert and its river systems. ... Jinja is a city in Uganda, located near the source of the White Nile river, at the shore of Lake Victoria. ... Mount Elgon is an extinct volcano on the border of Uganda and Kenya. ... The Great Lakes of Africa are a series of lakes in and around the Great Rift Valley. ...

The lake complex is nowhere deeper than about 5.7 meters, and most of it is less than 4 m in depth. Areas less than 3 m deep are completely covered by water lilies, while much of swampy shoreline is covered with papyrus and water hyacinth. The papyrus also forms floating islands that drift between a number of small permanent islands. Extensive wetlands fed by a complex system of streams and rivers surround the lakes. Genera Barclaya Wall. ... Blank papyrus. ... Species Seven species, including: - Anchored Water Hyacinth - Common Water Hyacinth - Variableleaf Water Hyacinth - Brazilian Water Hyacinth The seven species of water hyacinths comprise the genus Eichhornia of free-floating perennial aquatic plants native to tropical South America. ...

46 species of fish have been recorded in Lake Kyoga, and crocodiles are numerous. Groups Conodonta Hyperoartia Petromyzontidae (lampreys) Pteraspidomorphi (early jawless fish) Thelodonti Anaspida Cephalaspidomorphi (early jawless fish) Galeaspida Pituriaspida Osteostraci Gnathostomata (jawed vertebrates) Placodermi Chondrichthyes (cartilaginous fish) Acanthodii Osteichthyes (bony fish) Actinopterygii (ray-finned fish) Sarcopterygii (lobe-finned fish) Actinistia (coelacanths) Dipnoi (lungfish) A fish is a poikilothermic (cold-blooded)* water-dwelling... Genera Crocodylus Osteolaemus Tomistoma See full taxonomy. ...

Excessive El Niño rains in 1997-1998 have resulted in exceptionally high water levels, causing large islands of papyrus and water hyacinth mats to become dislodged on the lake and to accumulate at the lake's outlet into the Victoria Nile. This blockage has caused the water level to become even higher, flooding about 580 km² of the surrounding land (DWD 2002) and resulting in population displacement and severe socioeconomic damage. In 2004, the Egyptian government granted Uganda a gift of 13 million USD to streamline the flow the Nile at Lake Kyoga. As of 2005, the outlet is still for a large part blocked. Chart of ocean surface temperature anomaly [°C] during the last strong El Niño in December 1997 El Niño and La Niña (Spanish for the boy and the girl, often written in English as El Nino and La Nina) are major temperature fluctuations in the tropical Pacific Ocean. ... (White Nile is also a state of Sudan) The White Nile is a river of Africa, one of the two main branches of the Nile, the other being the Blue Nile. ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

References

• DWD (2002) El Niño preparedness for Lake Kyoga and other flood prone areas of Uganda. Directorate of Water Development. Ministry of Water, Lands and Environment, Entebbe, Uganda.
• ILM (2004) Support to the Management of Sudd Blockage on Lake Kyoga. Produced for the Integrated Lake Management Project by Environmental Impact Assessment Centre of Finland, EIA Ltd. (online PDF version)
• Twongo, T. (2001) The Fisheries and environment of Kyoga Lakes. Fisheries Resources Research Institute (FIRRI), Jinja, Uganda.

External link

• Lakes and rivers in Uganda
• Lake Kyoga (World Lakes Database)
• Modelling Lake Kyoga (Environmental Impact Assessment Centre, Finland)