Lake Kivu

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xi

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2. Lake Kivu: Past and Present

   • Jean-Pierre Descy, François Darchambeau, Martin Schmid

   Pages 1-11

3. Stratification, Mixing and Transport Processes in Lake Kivu

   • Martin Schmid, Alfred Wüest

   Pages 13-29

4. Nutrient Cycling in Lake Kivu

   • Natacha Pasche, Fabrice A. Muvundja, Martin Schmid, Alfred Wüest, Beat Müller

   Pages 31-45

5. Variability of Carbon Dioxide and Methane in the Epilimnion of Lake Kivu

   • Alberto V. Borges, Steven Bouillon, Gwenaël Abril, Bruno Delille, Dominique Poirier, Marc-Vincent Commarieu et al.

   Pages 47-66

6. Phytoplankton of Lake Kivu

   • Hugo Sarmento, François Darchambeau, Jean-Pierre Descy

   Pages 67-83

7. Microbial Ecology of Lake Kivu

   • Marc Llirós, Jean-Pierre Descy, Xavier Libert, Cédric Morana, Mélodie Schmitz, Louisette Wimba et al.

   Pages 85-105

8. Zooplankton of Lake Kivu

   • François Darchambeau, Mwapu Isumbisho, Jean-Pierre Descy

   Pages 107-126

9. Fishes in Lake Kivu: Diversity and Fisheries

   • Jos Snoeks, Boniface Kaningini, Pascal Masilya, Laetitia Nyina-wamwiza, Jean Guillard

   Pages 127-152

10. Paleolimnology of Lake Kivu: Past Climate and Recent Environmental Changes

    • Natacha Pasche

    Pages 153-163

11. Methane Formation and Future Extraction in Lake Kivu

    • Alfred Wüest, Lucas Jarc, Helmut Bürgmann, Natacha Pasche, Martin Schmid

    Pages 165-180

12. Lake Kivu Research: Conclusions and Perspectives

    • Jean-Pierre Descy, François Darchambeau, Martin Schmid

    Pages 181-190

In the heart of Africa, a unique lake attracts the attention of scientists since the beginning of the  20th century. At the foot of the Virunga volcano chain, Lake Kivu harbors a vast amount of dissolved carbon dioxide and methane, making this lake the most dangerous lake on Earth. But the lake furnishes also many goods and services for surrounding populations and may soon become the most important energy supplier in the area. At the beginning of gas exploitation, the time has come for gathering the large amount of scientific information acquired during past and present research on Lake Kivu. The eleven chapters cover many aspects of the physics, geochemistry and biology of the lake, with a particular focus on the unique physical and geochemical features of the water column and on the ecological functioning of the surface waters. The impacts of the introduced fish species and the potential impacts of methane exploitation are also summarized. This multi-disciplinary book may also be used as an introduction to the limnology and biogeochemistry of large tropical lakes, as it covers various aspects of the physics, geochemistry, biology and ecology of the African Great Rift lakes.​

• African Great Rift Lakes
• Lake Kivu limnology
• Lake Kivu natural resources
• Lake Kivu pelagic ecosystem
• Methane exploitation

• , Department of Biology, University of Namur, Namur, Belgium

  Jean-Pierre Descy

• , Chemical Oceanography Unit, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium

  François Darchambeau

• EAWAG, Kastanienbaum, Switzerland

  Martin Schmid

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