The alkaline,saline lakes of Uganda: a review

Most saline lakes in Uganda are alkaline and occur in closed basins associated with the Western Rift Valley. They are small shallow lakes exhibiting considerable temporal variation in volume and surface area. They have been categorized as maar lakes. Salinity in these lakes results from evaporative concentration of ions leached from their drainage basins. These lakes can be grouped into three broad categories: carbonate-chloride, sulphate-chloride, and chloride lakes according to the dominant anion(s). The relative amounts of ions in solution determines, in part, the limnochemical characteristics of the lakes. There is some evidence of thermal and chemical stratification in the deeper lakes. Records of the limnobiology in these lakes are scarce and not exhaustive.