ABSTRACT The sedimentary record, as revealed in sediment cores, can be used to reconstruct the past history of contaminant input into the aquatic environment. This is because contaminant inputs equilibrate rapidly with sediment supply, and the sediment column represents a continuous sequence of sediments that are associated with contaminant accumulation. With radiometric techniques, it is possible to date recent sediments over a period corresponding to about five half-lives (approximately 10...
ABSTRACT In most tropical countries including Ghana and Cameroon, knowledge of ecological importance of mangrove ecosystem in terms of litter production, structural characteristics, water and soil properties, has been qualitatively well documented and recognised. However, there is scanty quantitative scientific data to back this up. The purpose of this research dissertation was to study and compare the mangrove ecosystems of Cameroon and Ghana two contrasting coastal zones, using parameters ...
Only in 1954 the notes of late Prof. Moss on the genera Arthrocnemum and Salicornia l'Tere published, and although this was a big step forward in the classification of these genera, it proved to be unsatisfactory in many cases. This, however, should not throw the work on that subject done by him into shade, as shows his ealier works ( Moss, 19lo, 1912, 1914),and only his notes published by Prof. Adamson in 1954 w·ere unfortunately fragmentary. The revision of the genus Arthrocnemum is taken ...
Abstract Central Africa is, climatologically speaking, a poorly studied region (Clivar, 2000; Dezfuli and Nicholson, 2012; Nicholson and Dezfuli, 2012; Todd and Washington, 2004). It is considered as a knowledge gap in the understanding of the tropical climate system (Todd and Washington, 2004). Drivers of Central Africa rainfall are not well documented and deserve more attention. The aims of thesis are to enhance our fundamental understanding of Central Africa rainfall and the mechanisms inv...
Downstream evolution of ocean properties and associated fluxes in the Greater Agulhas Current System: Ad hoc Argo experiments and modeling Tamaryn Morris The evolution of cyclonic eddies across the Southern Mozambique Chanel and the downstream evolution of the Agulhas Current was investigated using Argo floats, in combination with output from ocean general circulation reanalysis models. Two dedicated experiments were undertaken in April and July 2013, whereby eight floats were deployed within...
ABSTRACT to influence habitat heterogeneity, possibly serving as strong predictors macrofaunal assemblage and abundance in the Keta lagoon. Some I agoons a re dumping a reas for d isposal o f waste f rom u rban and i ndustrial areas. In some places their water is used for the cooling o f generators o f electric power plants, which return effluent of warmed water to the lagoon. Coastal lagoons are economically important in their use for aquaculture facilities ((Day and Yanez- Arancibia, 1985;...
ABSTRACT A study was conducted on the growth pattern of the penaeid shrimp, Penaeus notialis, in earthen ponds at the Volta Estuary of Ghana. The ponds were treated with chicken manure at the rate of 0 kg/ha (control), 100 kg/ha, 200 kg/ha, and 300 kg/ha respectively. The culture period was divided into two phases; the first phase covered a period of 90 days and the second phase took 180 days. Growth rates established at the end of the 90 days of culture were 0.04 - 0.13 g/day that resulted...
Objectives: This study intends to describe the Andaman Sea circulation and investigate the dominant modes of variability in the basin. Analysis/Observations: The domain experiences stronger South-westerly winds from May to September and relatively weaker North-easterlies from November to February. A strong negative Ekman pumping along the north coast of Indonesia is observed during Summer. The transport of water across the straits of Andaman and Nicobar Islands (ANI) is computed by simple mas...
ABSTRACT The study was carried out in the southwestern sector of the Keta lagoon, a closed coastal lagoon located in the southeastern part of Ghana. The study was aimed at studying the population parameters and the feeding habits of the major fish species (in terms of catch) in the lagoon in relation to the prevailing physicochemical parameters and the benthic macrofauna of the area. The water physicochemical parameters studied included the electrochemical and the optical properties of the wa...
ABSTRACT Chrysichthys species have been characterised by previous investigators. Most often, characterisation has been based on morphological and meristic characters. These characters may be modified by environmental factors, thus making them difficult to use in characterising species. There is the need therefore to refine or supplement taxonomy based on morphological and meristic characteristics. In the present study, variation in meristic counts and twelve body proportion variables in three...
SUMMARY An assessment of the fishery of five major commercial species which together contribute more than 70% of the catches in stratum VII (near Yeji) of the Lake Volta has been made based on studies undertaken between March, 1995 and December, 1996. The species studied are: Hemisynodontis membranaceus (Geoffroy St. Hilaire, 1809), Chrysichthys nigrodigitatus (Lacepede, 1809), Chrysichthys auratus (Geoffroy St. Hilaire, 1809), Oreochromis niloticus (Linne, 1757), and Schilbe intermedius (Rup...
ABSTRACT Wave and wind dynamics are important in the estimation of beach erosion rates and sediment transport modelling. They are also important in modelling sea fatigue, oil spill transport and planning of coastal and marine activities. This work sought to quantify the magnitude of wave and wind parameters along the coast of Ghana as well as identify how these parameters varied across the year. A nine years wave and wind data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) gl...
ABSTRACT Little is known about dolphins present in Ghanaian coastal waters. Taxonomic status, catch rate, and impact of the fishery on these animals, are areas, which have remained virtually untouched by previous workers. The present study attempts to fill-in these gaps in knowledge. Studies conducted during 1998 -2000 revealed the presence of the following eight species in Ghanaian waters: Stenella clymene, Stenella attenuata, Steno bredanensis, Tursiops truncatus, Grampus griseus, Lagenodel...
The Republic of Liberia is situated on the southwest corner of the West Coast of Africa between longitudes 7o 30' and 11o and 30' west, and latitude 4o 18 minutes 8o 30' north. It covers surface areas of about 111,370 km2 (approximately 43,506 square miles). The dry land extent is 96,160 square km or 37,570 square miles. Liberia is limited on the west by Sierra Leone, on the north by Guinea, on the east by the Ivory Coast, and on the south by the Atlantic Ocean. Total land boundaries extend t...
ABSTRACT Functional diversity, an important component of biodiversity, has in recent years engaged global attention. This is in great part due to the mechanistic understanding achieved from functional diversity studies in the face of accelerated global biodiversity changes ascribed primarily to anthropogenic drivers. The exigency of the situation has stimulated biodiversity-ecosystem functions (B-EF) studies to elucidate ecosystem processes and services that are at threat notably in the marin...