Buada lagoon
Buada lagoon | ||
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Geographical location | Buada | |
Tributaries | no | |
Drain | no | |
Location close to the shore | Arenibek , Buada Chapel | |
Data | ||
Coordinates | 0 ° 32 ′ 7 ″ S , 166 ° 55 ′ 21 ″ O | |
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Altitude above sea level | 4 m | |
surface | 5.2 ha | |
length | 350 m | |
width | 190 m | |
scope | 900 m | |
Maximum depth | approx. 5 m | |
Middle deep | approx. 1–2 m | |
particularities |
Largest inland waterway in Nauru |
The Buada lagoon is the lagoon of the atoll island of Nauru . It is located in the central southwest of the island, in the Buada district , about 1.3 km from the coast and 5 meters above sea level . Compared to other lagoons of atolls in the Pacific Ocean , the Buada lagoon is quite small with around 5 hectares. Because of its small size and atypical character, it is often referred to as a lake .
In addition to the Moqua Well and a few other small ponds, the Buada Lagoon is the only freshwater reservoir in Nauru, although it is more brackish water with a salt content of 0.2 percent . The pH value is 8. The water has a slightly greenish color. The lagoon is fed by surface water runoff mainly during the monsoons from November to February. The average annual rainfall in the tropical climate is 2000 mm.
The lagoon is surrounded by dense palm forest and swamp and is hardly affected by the pollution caused by the former phosphate mines . Therefore it is also an attractive nesting place for the Nauru warbler , the only Naurus songbird.
The lagoon was formerly used for milk fish farming . In 1961, Mozambique cichlids ( Oreochromis mossambicus , former genus name Tilapia ) were released in the Buada lagoon in order to curb the spread of mosquito larvae and to provide an additional food source for the inhabitants of Naurus. Because the local population spurned the cichlids as food, they could spread unhindered. Due to the resulting food competition in connection with the lack of natural feed, the growth of the milk fish slowed down to such an extent that breeding became unprofitable and largely collapsed.
Environmental problems result from the use of the poison Rotenone in 1979 and 1980 during an ultimately unsuccessful FAO program to eradicate Oreochromis mossambicus . In addition, the lagoon has been used repeatedly to deposit rubbish.
In the marshland surrounding the lagoon, screw trees , breadfruit trees , bananas and various types of vegetables are grown on a small scale.
Web links
- Protected Areas and World Heritage Program - Wetlands ( Memento of August 4, 2007 in the Internet Archive )
- RR Thaman, FR Fosberg, EL Manner: The Flora of Nauru. Atoll Research Bulletin No. 392, February 1994 (PDF; 9.5 MB)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Non-indigenous freshwater fishes on tropical Pacific Islands (PDF, English), p. 100, accessed on July 16, 2015.
- ^ SPC Aquaculture Portal , accessed on July 16, 2015