Tarangire River

Tarangire River in Tarangire National Park
Tarangire River in Tarangire National Park

The Tarangire River is a perennial river located in the eastern branch of the East African Rift Valley in northern Tanzania. The headwaters of the Tarangire River are in the highlands and escarpments of Babati and Kondoa Districts, primarily the Irangi Hills and Irangi escarpment in Kondoa District.[1] The river rises in the Wasi Highlands, falls down the eastern Kondoa Escarpment, flows east to Chubi where it tuns north to flow through Tarangire National Park, then turns west and south before terminating in Lake Burunge.[1] [2]

Much of the Irangi hills headwaters area is covered in miombo woodlands, including Salanka, Bereko, and Isabe forest reserves.[3] Deforestation for agriculture and degradation of forests in the Irangi Hills and along the Irangi Escarpment is contributing to reductions in Tarangire River watershed function.[3] The discharge in the Tarangire River is highly seasonal and varies annually. In the wet season, rainfall in the Irangi Hills and throughout the catchment causes a high rate of flow with rapid rises and falls in water level. Rainfall occurs almost exclusively in November–January and March–May, and is highly variable, with a mean total annual rainfall of 656 mm (coefficient of variation = 36.4%, range 313–1,322).[4] River flow in the dry season is slow (about 0.005 cubic meters per second) and steadily decreasing as water is released from sediments, until long stretches of the riverbed are dry.[1][2] The Tarangire River is the primary source of fresh water for wild animals in the Tarangire Ecosystem during the annual dry season. [1][2]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Lamprey, H. F. (1963). "The Tarangire Game Reserve". Tanganyika Notes and Records. 60: 10-22.
  2. 1 2 3 Gereta, Emmanuel; Meing’ataki, Godwell Elias Ole; Mduma, Simon; Wolanski, Eric. "The role of wetlands in wildlife migration in the Tarangire ecosystem, Tanzania". Wetlands Ecology and Management. 12 (4): 285–299. doi:10.1007/s11273-005-3499-2. ISSN 0923-4861.
  3. 1 2 Charnley, S. and Overton, R., 2006. United States Forest Service–African Wildlife Foundation Collaboration Technical Assistance for Forest Management Planning in the Tarangire River Headwaters, Kondoa District, Tanzania.
  4. ↑ Foley, Charles A. H.; Faust, Lisa J. (2010-04-01). "Rapid population growth in an elephant Loxodonta africana population recovering from poaching in Tarangire National Park, Tanzania". Oryx. 44 (2): 205–212. doi:10.1017/S0030605309990706. ISSN 1365-3008.

Coordinates: 3°50′S 36°00′E / 3.833°S 36.000°E / -3.833; 36.000

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