Table 1.
Mean (± SE) of limnological parameters recorded nearshore in Lake Victoria from either closed or open bays (n.d = not determined). P value calculated from pairwise comparison using Mann-Whitney Rank Sum test or Students t-test if normality and equal variance tests were passed.
| Bay Morphometry | Depth (m) | Temp. (°C) | Conductivity (μS cm-1) | pH | Secchi Depth (m) | TP (μgL-1) | Chl a (μgL-1) | Biovolume (mm3 L-1) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 2009 | ||||||||
| Closed Bays (n=8) | ||||||||
| Mean | 2.9±0.4 | 27.1±0.8 | 118.7±5.3 | 8.5±0.3 | 1.2±0.2 | 81.6±0.7 | 24.6±5.7 | 36.3±12 |
| Median | 2.6 | 26.9 | 116.2 | 8.8 | 1.0 | 87.9 | 21.4 | 28 |
| Open Bays (n=8) | ||||||||
| Mean | 2.5±0.5 | 26.3±2.2 | 106.3±3.8 | 8.4±0.3 | 1.3±0.2 | 78.9±10 | 9.6±2.3 | 5.1±1.3 |
| Median | 2.0 | 25.8 | 105.2 | 8.1 | 1.3 | 71.1 | 6.9 | 5.1 |
| P value | 0.2 | 0.46 | 0.066 | 0.53 | 0.43 | 0.49 | 0.03 | 0.01 |
| Dec 2009 | ||||||||
| Closed Bays (n=6) | ||||||||
| Mean | 2.2±0.4 | 28.4±0.6 | n.d | 7.9±0.4 | 0.8±0.2 | 116.3±26 | n.d | 63±29 |
| Median | 2.0 | 28.5 | 8.2 | - | 104.8 | 38 | ||
| Open Bays (n=4) | ||||||||
| Mean | 1.9±0.1 | 26.6±0.2 | n.d | 7.4±0.3 | 0.5±0 | 120.4±33.3 | n.d | 7.4±4 |
| Median | 13.0 | 26.6 | 7.3 | - | 95.8 | 5.6 | ||
| P value | 0.82 | 0.04 | 0.3 | - | 0.9 | 0.26 | ||
| Data combined | ||||||||
| Closed bays | 2.6±0.3 | 27.4±0.5 | 118.7±5.3 | 8.4±0.3 | 1.0±0.1 | 97.0±5.9 | 24.6±5.7 | 45.4±10.9 |
| Open bays | 2.5±0.5 | 26.3±0.3 | 106.3±3.8 | 8.1±0.2 | 1.2±0.2 | 85.8±14.3 | 9.6±2.3 | 5.4±1.5 |
| P value | 0.4 | 0.14 | 0.066 | 0.4 | 0.46 | 0.05 | 0.03 | 0.003 |