Mzime Ndebele-Murisa is a Freshwater Ecologist based in the Department of Freshwater and Fishery Sciences, School of Wildlife, Ecology and Conservation, Chinhoyi University of Technology, Zimbabwe. Her research interests include water resource sciences, management and development, climate change modeling, vulnerability and impact assessments, climate adaptation as well as fisheries sciences and management. Mzime has over ten years experience working in collaborative research projects and programs which include the Climate Impact Research Capacity and Leadership Enhancement (CIRCLE), CODESRIA’s Comparative Research network, and more recently the START-funded Global Environmental Change (GEC) project entitled, ‘Water and energy systems, urban governance and decision-making in Harare’ under the NERC and DFID-funded Future Resilience for African CiTies and Lands (FRACTAL) project. Mzime’s work spans the global environmental change, ecology and conservation divide. More recently, Mzime’s research passion lies in bridging the communication divide between climate physical sciences and the socio-policy dynamics.
The primary production of a shallow, eutrophic inland lake in Zimbabwe was investigated during th... more The primary production of a shallow, eutrophic inland lake in Zimbabwe was investigated during the period of March 2003 to May 2003. The study was carried out at three sites along the length of the lake. The average primary production in the lake was 8.2 mg h-1 (2 334 g C m-2h-1). There was no significant difference in primary production among the sites (P<0.05). Primary production levels at site 2 were found to be significantly higher than those of the last long-term primary production study recorded by Robarts (1979) at P<0.05, twenty-four years before the present study. The presence of dominating cosmopolitan phytoplankton species Microcystis sp. together with the high primary production values indicated that the lake is now hyper-eutrophic. The primary production values ranged from 1.1 mg h-1 (275 g C m2 h-1) to 25.4 mg h-1 (6 350 g C m2 h-1). There is an urgent need to address the deteriorating health of the lake.
A lot of research has been conducted on phytoplankton communities in African lakes and they have ... more A lot of research has been conducted on phytoplankton communities in African lakes and they have generated debate around whether climate change, among other factors is impacting phytoplankton communities and consequently fish production in these lakes. A review of the then current knowledge on phytoplankton production, seasonality, and stratification in tropical African lakes, which also considered the effects of nutrient enrichment and the potential impacts of air and water climate warming on phytoplankton production and composition has been presented (Ndebele-Murisa et al., 2010). However, since that review, a lot more research has been conducted to warrant further examination of these topics. This chapter is therefore an update and further review of current associations between the environment and phytoplankton assemblages in tropical African lakes which are known to be sensitive to climate warming. The question that the chapter seeks to answer is whether climate warming is leadi...
Some aspects of the phytoplankton community namely, species composition, biomass and diversity wi... more Some aspects of the phytoplankton community namely, species composition, biomass and diversity within Lake Chivero were investigated during the period of March 2003 to April 2003. The highest concentration of phytoplankton was within 0 to 3m with values ranging from 0.8 (2 mg m-3 dry weight) to 7.6 mg/l (86 mg m-3 dry weight) in fresh weight (FW). The average phytoplankton biomass was 4.9 mg/l FW (31.1 mg m-3 DW). There were 25 phytoplankton species that were identified from the phytoplankton samples, which mainly consisted of cyanobacteria, chlorophytes and diatoms. The most abundant phytoplankton species was Microcystis aeruginosa (64.3%) followed by Melosira sp. (19.3%). The phytoplankton species diversity was 0.92 according to the Shannon-Weiner diversity index. The composition of the phytoplankton community was used as an indication of the trophic status and general health of the lake’s ecosystem.
This chapter discusses global environmental and climate change manifestations at the local level ... more This chapter discusses global environmental and climate change manifestations at the local level in Zimbabwe, including an analysis of the country’s changing physical and climatic characteristics. Climate change refers to any change in climate over time, whether due to natural variability or/and as a result of human activity (IPCC, 2007:871). In this chapter we use the term climate change in a broad context that includes changes in weather variability over a long period of time. We define climate change as any long term (+30 years) changes in weather patterns that occur over a defined area. Smallholder farmers are defined as those who own or work on small pieces of land (<6 hectares) practicing either subsistence or commercial farming activities, using mostly unpaid family labour, and in the majority of cases either using hand held or animal drawn farm implements. Nations in the warmest parts of the earth will be hardest hit by climate change, as temperature rises there are expected to be sharpest and their agricultural systems least prepared to cope with climate change impacts in the future. Arid and semi-arid zones are expected to become drier, for one, while precipitation in other areas will be more variable and much less predictable (FAO 2013). In order to meet projected demand over the next 40 years, farmers in the arid and semi-arid zones in the developing world must double food production, a challenge made even more daunting by the combined effects of climate change and variability and growing competition for land, water and energy.
The primary production of a shallow, eutrophic inland lake in Zimbabwe was investigated during th... more The primary production of a shallow, eutrophic inland lake in Zimbabwe was investigated during the period of March 2003 to May 2003. The study was carried out at three sites along the length of the lake. The average primary production in the lake was 8.2 mg h-1 (2 334 g C m-2h-1). There was no significant difference in primary production among the sites (P<0.05). Primary production levels at site 2 were found to be significantly higher than those of the last long-term primary production study recorded by Robarts (1979) at P<0.05, twenty-four years before the present study. The presence of dominating cosmopolitan phytoplankton species Microcystis sp. together with the high primary production values indicated that the lake is now hyper-eutrophic. The primary production values ranged from 1.1 mg h-1 (275 g C m2 h-1) to 25.4 mg h-1 (6 350 g C m2 h-1). There is an urgent need to address the deteriorating health of the lake.
A lot of research has been conducted on phytoplankton communities in African lakes and they have ... more A lot of research has been conducted on phytoplankton communities in African lakes and they have generated debate around whether climate change, among other factors is impacting phytoplankton communities and consequently fish production in these lakes. A review of the then current knowledge on phytoplankton production, seasonality, and stratification in tropical African lakes, which also considered the effects of nutrient enrichment and the potential impacts of air and water climate warming on phytoplankton production and composition has been presented (Ndebele-Murisa et al., 2010). However, since that review, a lot more research has been conducted to warrant further examination of these topics. This chapter is therefore an update and further review of current associations between the environment and phytoplankton assemblages in tropical African lakes which are known to be sensitive to climate warming. The question that the chapter seeks to answer is whether climate warming is leadi...
Some aspects of the phytoplankton community namely, species composition, biomass and diversity wi... more Some aspects of the phytoplankton community namely, species composition, biomass and diversity within Lake Chivero were investigated during the period of March 2003 to April 2003. The highest concentration of phytoplankton was within 0 to 3m with values ranging from 0.8 (2 mg m-3 dry weight) to 7.6 mg/l (86 mg m-3 dry weight) in fresh weight (FW). The average phytoplankton biomass was 4.9 mg/l FW (31.1 mg m-3 DW). There were 25 phytoplankton species that were identified from the phytoplankton samples, which mainly consisted of cyanobacteria, chlorophytes and diatoms. The most abundant phytoplankton species was Microcystis aeruginosa (64.3%) followed by Melosira sp. (19.3%). The phytoplankton species diversity was 0.92 according to the Shannon-Weiner diversity index. The composition of the phytoplankton community was used as an indication of the trophic status and general health of the lake’s ecosystem.
This chapter discusses global environmental and climate change manifestations at the local level ... more This chapter discusses global environmental and climate change manifestations at the local level in Zimbabwe, including an analysis of the country’s changing physical and climatic characteristics. Climate change refers to any change in climate over time, whether due to natural variability or/and as a result of human activity (IPCC, 2007:871). In this chapter we use the term climate change in a broad context that includes changes in weather variability over a long period of time. We define climate change as any long term (+30 years) changes in weather patterns that occur over a defined area. Smallholder farmers are defined as those who own or work on small pieces of land (<6 hectares) practicing either subsistence or commercial farming activities, using mostly unpaid family labour, and in the majority of cases either using hand held or animal drawn farm implements. Nations in the warmest parts of the earth will be hardest hit by climate change, as temperature rises there are expected to be sharpest and their agricultural systems least prepared to cope with climate change impacts in the future. Arid and semi-arid zones are expected to become drier, for one, while precipitation in other areas will be more variable and much less predictable (FAO 2013). In order to meet projected demand over the next 40 years, farmers in the arid and semi-arid zones in the developing world must double food production, a challenge made even more daunting by the combined effects of climate change and variability and growing competition for land, water and energy.
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the country’s changing physical and climatic characteristics. Climate
change refers to any change in climate over time, whether due to natural
variability or/and as a result of human activity (IPCC, 2007:871). In this
chapter we use the term climate change in a broad context that includes
changes in weather variability over a long period of time. We define climate change as any long term (+30 years) changes in weather patterns that occur over a defined area. Smallholder farmers are defined as those who own or work on small pieces of land (<6 hectares) practicing either subsistence or commercial farming activities, using mostly unpaid family labour, and in the majority of cases either using hand held or animal drawn farm implements. Nations in the warmest parts of the earth will be hardest hit by climate change, as temperature rises there are expected to be sharpest and their agricultural systems least prepared to cope with climate change impacts in the future. Arid and semi-arid zones are expected to become drier, for one, while precipitation in other areas will be more variable and much less predictable (FAO 2013). In order to meet projected demand over the next 40 years, farmers in the arid and semi-arid zones in the developing world must double food production, a challenge made even more daunting by the combined effects of climate change and variability and growing competition for land, water and energy.
the country’s changing physical and climatic characteristics. Climate
change refers to any change in climate over time, whether due to natural
variability or/and as a result of human activity (IPCC, 2007:871). In this
chapter we use the term climate change in a broad context that includes
changes in weather variability over a long period of time. We define climate change as any long term (+30 years) changes in weather patterns that occur over a defined area. Smallholder farmers are defined as those who own or work on small pieces of land (<6 hectares) practicing either subsistence or commercial farming activities, using mostly unpaid family labour, and in the majority of cases either using hand held or animal drawn farm implements. Nations in the warmest parts of the earth will be hardest hit by climate change, as temperature rises there are expected to be sharpest and their agricultural systems least prepared to cope with climate change impacts in the future. Arid and semi-arid zones are expected to become drier, for one, while precipitation in other areas will be more variable and much less predictable (FAO 2013). In order to meet projected demand over the next 40 years, farmers in the arid and semi-arid zones in the developing world must double food production, a challenge made even more daunting by the combined effects of climate change and variability and growing competition for land, water and energy.