Journal of Meteorology and Climate Science

Assessment of effluent discharge from fishing activities in Asejire Reservoiroyo State, Southwest Nigeria

2024-05-16T16:05:30+00:00

The effect of the fish farming activities on the downstream section of the Asejire reservoir were evaluated by studying the changes in the water quality parameters from the upstream fish farm to the downstream of the fish farm. The study was carried out over the course of the two seasons synonymous with the Nigerian climate (dry and wet).The reservoir was divided into three sampling points, the upstream station situated upstream from the fish farm and the downstream station situated downstream from the fish farm. 6 samples were taken from each sampling station and a total of 12 samples were collected throughout the period of the study. Anthropogenic activities in the reservoir tends to affect the water quality of the reservoir. From this study, results showed that Dissolved oxygen and pH values decreased downstream while other parameters such as ammonia, nitrate, nitrite, phosphate, Total Dissolved Solids (TDS), Electrical Conductivity (EC), Temperature, Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Total Colony Count (TCC), Coliform Organisms (CO) and Escheriachia Coli increased downstream most notably during the dry season. Dissolved Oxygen ranged from 6.93-6.46mg/L, Phosphate from 0.15- 0.16mg/L, TCC from 91.33- 08.66cfu/ml, CO from 35.66-67.33 and E.Coli from 13-24cfu/ml upstream and downstream respectively and fell outside the WHO guideline for drinking water. There is no significant variation in the values of the parameters upstream and downstream during the wet season but COD values of 250.66-242.66mg/L fell outside the WHO standard. From the results obtained, it was established that water from the Asejire reservoir is not fit for human consumption due to its high bacteriological loads.

Assessment of tyre burning impact on forest soil mineral nutrients in Arakanga Forest Reserve, Southwestern Nigeria

2024-05-16T16:17:23+00:00

Soil nutrients are needed for healthy forest growth. Forest soils were assessed at two different sites and depths (0-30cm and 30-60cm) within Arakanga Forest Reserve (AFR) to determine the effects of tyre burning on the mineral nutrient concentration of the soil. The two sites include the tyre burning part of the reserve (Site 1) and control site (Site 2). The AFR is a forest reserve in Ogun state, Nigeria that falls under the purview of a peri-urban forest. A 4x2 factorial experiment was laid out in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD). Soil samples were randomly collected in each site at different depths and taken to the laboratory for further analysis. The trend for macronutrients in Sites 1 and 2 was as follows K>Mg>Na>Ca. Site 1 had a higher Sodium and Calcium at 0-30cm depth though there was no significant difference (p≥0.05) in their concentration between depths and sites. Potassium and Magnesium at both depths and sites varied significantly (p≥0.05). The order of concentration of micro-nutrients in Sites 1 and 2 include; Fe>Zn>Mn>Cu and Zn>Fe>Cu>Mn respectively. Copper, Iron, Zinc and Manganese concentrations were higher at 0-30cm depth in Site 1. Soil properties such as Organic Carbon, Organic matter, Total Nitrogen and Available Phosphorus were higher at 0-30cm; Bulk density and porosity were higher at 30-60cm depth and also varied between sites. Proper protection of the forest reserve from scavengers who illegally burn tyres to extract tiny steel wires should be enforced to sustain healthy forest growth.

Rainfall variability assessment and its temporal implications for crop production and water management in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria

2024-05-16T16:28:33+00:00

Assessing rainfall variability over a given location provides useful information for sustainable water management and crop production. The study examined temporal rainfall variability and its trend in Eket and Oron (Coastal areas) and Uyo and Ikot (Ekpene), Akwa Ibom state, Nigeria. The study was conducted in four different locations – coastal areas (Eket and Oron) and upland areas (Uyo and Ikot Ekpene). Daily rainfall data were obtained from Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NiMet) for a period of 30 years (i.e. 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018). The standardized precipitation index (SPI) was used to evaluate drought index; and time series was also used to determine its trend. The results showed that coastal areas of Eket and Oron witnessed moderate spell condition in 1990 and 1993 respectively. Moreover, the upland areas of Uyo and Ikot Ekpene witnessed severe dry sell condition in 1990 and 1993. In addition, the upland areas of Uyo and Ikot Ekpene witnessed moderate dry spell condition in 1991 and 1995. The annual rainfall standardized anomaly index of both areas is characterized by moderate dry spell to extreme wet conditions, with increase in near normal, moderately wet, very wet and extreme wet conditions. In addition, the trend of SPI rainfall series for coastal areas shows that Eket, R² = 0.0239 and y = 0.056x - 0.9739; Oron, R² = 0.0306 ad y = 0.0637x - 1.0781; Uyo, R² = 0.0575 and y = 0.0735x - 1.143; and Ikot Ekpene, R² = 0.0568 and y = 0.082x – 1.4354. This shows that the areas witnessed very minimal occurrence of dry spell with the highest recorded in the upland areas compared to coastal areas. Therefore, Akwa Ibom state annual rainfall trend required effective monitoring to prevent flooding, erosion and economic losses.

Assessment of farmers’ perceived impact of climate change on crop production and resilience toward food security in Benue State, Nigeria

2024-05-16T16:44:57+00:00

This study assessed farmers’ perceived impact of climate change on crop production and resilience toward food security in Benue State, Nigeria. The study assessed the farmers’ awareness and perception of climate change; evaluate the farmers’ perceived impacts of climate change; and identify the farmers’ resilience strategies toward food security. Rainfall and temperature data (1980 – 2020) were collected from the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet).The data were used to characterise the climate of the study area. A total of 382 farmers were purposively selected. Primary data were collected through structured questionnaire and Focused Group Discussion (FGD). The data were analysed using trendline equations, Likert-type rating scale and Relative Importance Index technique (RII). The results of the trendline equation showed increase in total annual rainfall and temperature. Further findings showed that 95% of the farmers are aware of climate change issues, 4% were not aware while 1% were undecided; 48% got information about climate change from personal observations, 27% by interacting with friends and 7% from the electronic media. The farmers’ perceived effects of climate change on the yield of crops include shortage of food (4.3_x̄); increase in crop infestation by pests and diseases (3.6_x̄), and increase in poverty rate, migration of farmers and conflicts with cattle herdsmen (3.9_x̄). The result of the RII showed that mixed cropping, use of early maturing crop varieties and use of crop varieties that are well acclimatized are the most effective resilient strategies.The study concluded that climate change is evident in the study area as shown in the late onset, early cessation of rainfall, increasing trends in rainfall and temperature. Climate change has negatively impacted on crop production. Findings showed that 95% of the farmers are aware of climate change issues; personal observation was the major source of information on climate change; mixed cropping and use of improved seed varieties were the main resilient strategies among others the farmers are using in the study area. Since improved seed varieties was a major resilience strategy, the Cereal Research Institutes should develop more drought resistant seeds and early maturing varieties in the study area.

Comparative analysis of water quality stored in concrete and steel tanks In Ijebu Ode, Ogun State, Nigeria

2024-05-16T17:20:37+00:00

Storage facilities are commonly used to ensure that, there is adequate water for the societal need. This study examined the effect of water quality stored in concrete and steel tanks in different location of Ijebu-Ode Water Corporation, Ogun State, Nigeria. The effect of storage from different tanks was assessed by comparing the water stored in steel tanks to concrete tanks, and the result is compared with World Health Organization (WHO, 2017) drinking water guidelines. The result showed that the water was polluted with lead and Zinc at concentrations that could result in deleterious health effect in human. Result also showed that, iron (Fe) and nikel (Ni) were higher than the permissible guideline with the result given as (0.41, 0.38) in concrete tank and (0.23, 0.48). The bacteriological analysis obtained revealed that there was high concentration of bacteria found in all the water samples. Bacterial isolates such as Escherichia coli, Bacillus specie and Aeromonas specie, Salmonella specie were present in the water samples. Therefore, there is a need for further treatment of the water, before it is distributed to the end users.

Analysis of energy consumption among rural households in Ibarapa Area Of Oyo State, Nigeria

2024-05-16T17:30:34+00:00

Factors that influenced households ‘choices of energy use in Ibarapa region of Oyo State were examined in this study. Data were collected through primary sources with the use of structured questionnaire.One hundred and fifty copies of the questionnaire were administered on respondents who were randomly selected from six randomly selected communities of two of the three Local Government Areas of the study area. Descriptive and inferential statistics were employed in the study. The multinomial logistic regression was used to determine the factors that influenced households’ choices of energy type. From the results, it was discovered that 38% of the respondents were male while female accounted 62%. From the result obtained for the multinomial logistic regression, it was discovered that household size, monthly income, age, educational status, marital status, as well as frequency of cooking per day, all significantly influenced respondents choice of energy at 5% level of significance. In addition, the respondents asserted that inadequate energy supply, high cost of energy, low quality of energy and inadequate access to energy source were constraints limiting their choices of energy for use. In view of this, it was suggested that governments at all levels should make efforts to ensure that energy sources like kerosene gas and electricity are readily made available to households at reduced and affordable prices. This will therefore reduce the use of fuel wood and charcoal as sources of energy and by extension, reduce the pressure on our forests by people who are collecting fuelwood or using forest woods to make charcoal as source of energy.