Satellite technology keeping an eye on South Africa’s dams

Abstract

Persistent algal blooms and dense mats of aquatic weeds are the easily observed signs of nutrient-enrichment of freshwater systems, but more insidious are the secondary impacts of such profuse growth. There’s the light limitation due to turbidity and shading that hampers photosynthesis by other primary producers, the resulting habitat alteration that changes the species composition of the animal community, and the oxygen depletion that – at its most extreme – causes fish kills and mass mortalities of bottom-dwelling invertebrates. Collecting information on the extent and prevalence of the problem is labourintensive and expensive though. The National Eutrophication Monitoring Programme (NEMP) was launched by the then-Department of Water Affairs (now the Department of Water and Sanitation - DWS) in 2002 following a two-year, Water Research Commission-funded project to develop an implementation plan.

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