Okavango water nutrients study

Simulation of DOM fluxes in a seasonal floodplain of the Okavango Delta, Botswana by HOORC associate researchers Dr Nathalie Mladenov and D.M. McKnight with HOORC researchers Piotr Wolski and Mike Murray-Hudson, was recently published in the journal, Ecological Modelling. The paper reports a study of dissolved organic matter (DOM)– an energy source for microorganisms and a source of nutrients – for a seasonal floodplain near the Boro River channel. The study revealed that burning of vegetation in the Delta considerably reduced the amount of DOM. A climate change scenario worked out by the researchers, using a two per cent increase in average water temperature and 10 per cent reduction in upstream DOM mass, resulted in an 11 per cent reduction in DOM mass within the study floodplain. You can find the article in HOORC’s Library.