PHYSICO-CHEMICAL STUDY OF LAKE KIVU

The waters of Lake Kivu manifest a particularly obvious 'stair-like' stratified structure following the variations of their physico-chemical parameters with depth. The exact explanation of this phenomenon of stratification is complex. The waters of the lake are made up of homogenous layers - where mixing by convection easily takes place - separated by layers with a high density gradient which act as barriers to the mixing process.

A Franco-Swiss team of scientists is studying the physico-chemical makeup of the lake, its evolution through time, the origin of the dissolved gases and an evaluation of the risk of a gas explosion.