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vol-15THE HYDROLOGY OF LAKE QARUN, FAYOUK PROVINCE, EGYPT.
PART II: THE SUCCESSIVE INCREASE OF SALINITY IN THE
LAKE QARUM.
G.F. SOLIMAN
National Institute Of oceanography And Fisheries, Alexandria.
ABSTRACT
Lake Qarun is a closed basin that lies within fayoum
Province, Egypt. It was a fresh water re~ervoir used for
irregation purposes in the ancient times. Its salinity
(defined here as grammes of dissolved salts per liter) has
been increasing during the present centuary from about 11.0
gm/l in 1906 to more than 31.0Xo in 1982. Although the
salinity of the Lake ;s fluctuating around the value 30.0%0.
the total salt content in its water underg~es 8 progressive
increase with time. The best fit curve relating the total
salt content with time is a straight line with 8 slope of
0.101. The rate of increase of the total salt content is
expected to r~Rain constant during the period (1982-2050),
while the mean salinity of the lake may show a progressive
i~crease with time. which inturn must lead to 8 change in
the Lake bottom fauna and consequently its fisheries.
