HEAT, SALT AND WATER BUDGET OF LAKE NASSER

Abstract

There is an increasing awareness of the significant relationship between climate, continental water (lakes and rivers) and environment. The effects of climate hazards which regularly affect the River Nile are till now not understood. Egypt, which is highly sensitive to climatic fluctuations on the River Nile, can faced with survival problems if the low floods are continued for several years. With regards to the foreseeable population growth, the water resource element (Mainly lake Nasser in Egypt) seems to be fragile and its water quantity as well as its quality worsens.

For the above reasons, the present work was directed to study the water, Heat and salt budgets of lake Nasser in particular and High Dam in general, in order to flow up the hydrographic state of lake Nasser and its variability with time.

The study includes the illustration and discussion of the Meteorological, Hydrological and Hgdrographical factors controlling the mentioned budgets {Fluxes).

From the water budget point of view, the results can be summarized as follows:

The water level is a function of water content in the lake and can be used to represent the flood quantity. During 1992 (year of high flood), the water level of the lake was about 167.72 m above MSL, while it was 158.14 m above MSL in 1987 (year of low flood).