Long‐Term Landscape Changes in the Lake Tana Basin as Evidenced by Delta Development and Floodplain Aggradation in Ethiopia

Abstract

AbstractLandscape response to drivers of change is more visible and noticeable in deltas and floodplains than in upstream. Here, we address the changes of Lake Tana basin by investigating the delta development of Gumara River and sediment deposition in the Fogera floodplain over a 58‐year period when agricultural land expanded, agriculture intensified, and flooding of the alluvial plain became more frequent. Old maps show that delta formation before the 1950s was minimal, indicating that the sediment contributed by the rivers to the lake was small. However, during the last 58 years, the delta has expanded continuously. When considering the same lake level (2·68 m) from 1984 to 2014, the delta has expanded an average of 5 ha annually, and by considering different lake levels and corresponding delta areas, the delta increased in height an average of 3 cm annually. While the growth of the delta was approximately linear, the sediment concentration in the river doubled in the last 30 years, indicating more efficient sediment trapping in the floodplain as a result of higher lake levels, rising river beds, and farmers intervening with the course of the river near the shore. Unless effective river restoration and catchment‐based treatment measures are put in place, the capacity of the rivers will further reduce and aggravate the flooding of the floodplain, causing more sediment deposition in the river channel and on the floodplain. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.