Lake Monoun
A Landsat 7 satellite image
Coordinates	5°35′N 10°35′ECoordinates: 5°35′N 10°35′E
Lake type	Meromictic

Lake Monoun is a lake in West Province, Cameroon that lies in the Oku Volcanic Field 5.58° N 10.59° E. On August 15, 1984, the lake exploded in a limnic eruption, which resulted in the release of a large amount of carbon dioxide that killed 37 people. At first, the cause of the deaths was a mystery, and causes such as terrorism were suspected. Further investigation and a similar event two years later at Lake Nyos led to the currently accepted explanation. Image File history File links Lake_Monoun. ... Landsat 7 is the latest satellite of the Landsat program. ... Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ... A man-made lake in Keukenhof, Netherlands A lake is a body of water or other liquid of considerable size contained on a body of land. ... A meromictic lake has layers of water which do not intermix. ... A man-made lake in Keukenhof, Netherlands A lake is a body of water or other liquid of considerable size contained on a body of land. ... The West Province (French Province de lOuest) is 14,000 sq km of territory located in the central-western portion of the Republic of Cameroon. ... Oku is a region in the Northwest Cameroon. ... August 15 is the 227th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (228th in leap years), with 138 days remaining. ... 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A cow suffocated by gasses from Lake Nyos A limnic eruption, also referred to as a lake overturn or exploding lake, is a rare type of natural disaster in which CO2 suddenly erupts from deep lake water, posing the threat of suffocating wildlife, livestock and humans. ... Carbon dioxide is a chemical compound composed of one carbon and two oxygen atoms. ... Lake Nyos is a crater lake in the Northwest Province of Cameroon, located at . ...

Disaster

Several people reported hearing a loud noise on August 15, 1984 around 22:30. A gas cloud reportedly emanated from a crater in the eastern part of the lake. The resulting deaths of residents in a low-lying area are believed to have occurred between 03:00 and dawn. The victims were said to have skin burns, which reports later clarified as "skin damage" such as discoloration. Survivors reported that the whitish, smoke-like cloud smelled bitter and acidic. Vegetation was flattened around the eastern part of the lake, probably by a water wave.

Although Lake Monoun is near the center of a volcanic field that includes at least 34 recent craters, the subsequent investigation found that the event was not caused by an eruption or sudden ejection of volcanic gas from the lake. Rather, emission of carbon dioxide in a limnic eruption is thought to be to blame. The cloud's smell and skin damage to victims were not fully explained. Some theories attribute the skin problems to a combination of preexisting conditions and routine postmortem effects like livor mortis, although there is no clear consensus. A volcanic field is a spot of the earths crust that is prone to localized volcanic activity. ... Carbon dioxide is a chemical compound composed of one carbon and two oxygen atoms. ... A cow suffocated by gasses from Lake Nyos A limnic eruption, also referred to as a lake overturn or exploding lake, is a rare type of natural disaster in which CO2 suddenly erupts from deep lake water, posing the threat of suffocating wildlife, livestock and humans. ... Livor mortis or postmortem lividity, one of the signs of death, is a settling of the blood in the lower (dependent) portion of the body, causing a purplish red discoloration of the skin: when the heart is no longer agitating the blood, heavy red blood cells sink through the serum...

Among the victims were some of the riders in a truck carrying twelve people. The truck's engine stopped working, and the people inside the truck got out and were killed. Two people sitting on top of the truck survived, however, because their elevated position allowed them to breathe.

Two years later, a similar and even more deadly event occurred at Lake Nyos, about 100 km (60 miles) NNW. Along with Lake Nyos and Lake Kivu, Lake Monoun is one of only three lakes in the world known to have high concentrations of gas dissolved deep below the surface. Lake Nyos is a crater lake in the Northwest Province of Cameroon, located at . ... Lake Kivu is one of the Great Lakes of Africa. ...

Degassing

In 2003, a venting pipe was inserted into the lake, in an effort to prevent the disaster from recurring. Initially a pump was needed to pull water from the bottom, but as carbon dioxide began to come out of solution it created buoyancy in the water in the pipes, allowing the pump to be turned off. The water is reported to travel at supersonic speeds and create a geyser 50 m in height. Dissolving table salt (NaCl) in water This article is about a chemical solution; for other uses of the term solution, see solution (disambiguation). ... In physics, buoyancy is the upward force on an object produced by the surrounding fluid (i. ... Strokkur geyser, Iceland A geyser is a type of hot spring that erupts periodically, ejecting a column of hot water and steam into the air. ...

However, a study in September 2005 by George Kling and other researchers at the University of Michigan found that gas was not being removed from the lake quickly enough to ensure that the disaster never happens again. Kling recommended the lowering of the existing pipe and the addition of a new one in order to release more carbon dioxide. The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (UM, U of M or U-M) is a coeducational public research university in the U.S. state of Michigan. ...

References

• Global Volcanism Program: Oku Volcanic Field

External links

• The Lake Nyos and Monoun Degassing Project
• Killer lakes in Cameroon may strike again
• Volcanic Lakes and Gas Releases -- Reports from the investigation of the disaster
• BBC News 27 Sep 2005: Action needed on deadly lakes