ARLINGTON, Virginia, August 14, 2003 (ENS) - An African lake that holds 18
percent of the world's liquid freshwater is suffering from the Earth's warming
climate, according to new research released today. Climate change in the region
is harming Lake Tanganyika's ecosystem, reducing fish populations by one-third
over the past 80 years, an international team of scientists, whose study was
supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation, report in the latest issue of
the journal "Nature."
Lake Tanganyika is large and deep, filling the chasm of a rift valley bordering
the Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania, Zambia and Burundi. The lake
supports many types of fish. Only a few species are eaten by people, yet they
supply 25 to 40 percent of the animal protein for the communities of that
region.
Scientists Catherine O'Reilly of Vassar College, Andrew Cohen of the University
of Arizona, Simone Alin of the University of ...