Based on modern limnology and environmental research, syntheses of the composition, functions and production of pelagic ecosystems are being provided in the Great Lakes of Africa. Special attention is given to Lake Tanganyika and recent research activities. New findings on relationships between lake hydrophysics, climatic patterns and biological productivity are presented. The roles of organic matters and microbes are discussed. The implications of environmental and fishery research on regional fisheries management are presented, together with the outcomes of the recent major research projects in lakes Tanganyika and Malawi, particularly in practical fisheries development.

Small pelagic fish species found in lakes and introduced to reservoirs dominate by volume and contribute some of the most important inland fisheries in Africa with steadily increasing catches and additional potential. This circular reviews the status and importance of the pelagic fish and fisheries, together with small fish in general, for sustainable and healthy livelihoods in Africa. It reviews the biology and biological production of the most important pelagic species in lakes and reservoirs as well as the impacts of environmental and climatic variation on the stocks of these species. It examines and discuss the various capture techniques together with potential of improvements in the fisheries and associated processing and national and regional trade within Africa. The knowledge generated by the circular will be useful for policy makers and development practitioners to design and implement more effective policies, strategies and programs that will contribute to reducing the food insecurity and conflicts that currently affect the people in sub-Saharan Africa.

Based on modern limnology and environmental research, syntheses of the composition, functions and production of pelagic ecosystems are being provided in the Great Lakes of Africa. Special attention is given to Lake Tanganyika and recent research activities. New findings on relationships between lake hydrophysics, climatic patterns and biological productivity are presented. The roles of organic matters and microbes are discussed. The implications of environmental and fishery research on regional fisheries management are presented, together with the outcomes of the recent major research projects in lakes Tanganyika and Malawi, particularly in practical fisheries development.

This volume presents recent advances in the research on meromictic lakes and a state-of-the art overview of this area. After an introduction to the terminology and geographic distribution of meromictic lakes, three concise chapters describe their physical, chemical and biological features. The following eight chapters present case studies of more than a dozen meromictic lakes, showing the variety of physical and biochemical processes that promote meromixis. The result is a broad picture of the ecology and biochemistry of meromictic lakes in tropical and cold regions, in man-made pit lakes and euxinic marine lakes, and in freshwater as well as hypersaline lakes. In the final chapter the editors provide a synthesis of the topic and conclude that the study of meromictic lakes also offers new insights into the limnology of inland lakes. The book appeals to researchers in the fields of ecology, limnology, environmental physics and biophysics.

Lakes and reservoirs hold about 90% of the world's surface fresh water, but overuse, water withdrawal and pollution of these bodies puts some one billion people at risk. The Encyclopedia of Lakes and Reservoirs reviews the physical, chemical and ecological characteristics of lakes and reservoirs, and describes their uses and environmental state trends in different parts of the world. Superbly illustrated throughout, it includes some 200 entries in a range of topics, including acidification, artificialisation, canals, climate change effects, dams, dew ponds, drainage, eutrofication, evaporation, fisheries, hydro-electric power, nutrients, organic pollution, paleolimnology, reservoir capacities and depths, sedimentation, water resources and more.

Depositional models for organic-carbon-rich sediments have been the subjects of both great interest and great controversy for many years. These sediments serve as the ultimate source of virtually all oil and gas. They also represent the interface between biological and geological processes and provide critical evidence for the state of the atmosphere and oceans. Yet despite their importance and decades of research, the origin of these sediments remains the source of vigorous disagreement. The twelve papers in this volume represent the cutting edge of research in this topic. They explore the origin of organic-carbon-rich sediments through a variety of techniques, including sedimentology, geochemistry, paleontology and computer modeling. All papers take multidisciplinary approaches to the topic, and together, they demonstrate the complex interconnected processes that trigger the deposition of organic carbon. This book will appeal to geoscientists in many disciplines, including explorers for petroleum who need models for source rock deposition, organic and inorganic geochemists who study processes in water and sediment, sedimentologists who interpret ancient deposition environments, and climatologists and oceanographers who reconstruct the behavior of the ancient atmosphere and oceans.