African River Discharges and Lake Levels in the Twentieth Century

Instrumental records show that African lake levels and river discharges have varied considerably from one decade to another in this century. The sequences of events in Equatorial, South Tropical and North Tropical Africa have differed. Most striking was the increase in lake levels and river discharges in both the Equatorial and North Tropical regions in 1961–62, and the decrease in all three regions since 1980. A question arises as to whether there have been times in earlier centuries when Lake Victoria ceased to overflow?