A Modelling Approach for Lake Malawi/Nyasa/Niassa: Integrating Hydrological and Limnological Data

Abstract

This study presents a toolkit approach for linking land-and lake-based data and models to determine the impact of human activities on the water quality of rivers and lakes. The integrated modelling framework was adapted to address specific issues and scenarios. Based on the preliminary results, a hypothetical 50% re-forestation of the Linthipe Watershed in the southern part of Lake Malawi/Nyasa/Niassa may lead to a decrease in the spring peak value of total phosphorus concentration from about in the top layer (0 – 40 m) of the lake's Outlet Basin. Discussions on improvement to future modelling and monitoring programs are also presented.