Kuiseb River
Bridge over the Kuiseb
The Kuiseb is one of the strongest Riviere in Namibia. It rises in the Khomas Hochland west of the capital Windhoek, is about 560 kilometers long and has a catchment area of 14,700 square kilometers, of which only 900 square kilometers contribute to runoff.
Geology
The dominant rocks in the Khomas Hochland are slate and quartzite. From its source in the highlands of the Kuiseb passes the Curt von François- resistant and runs in a south-westerly direction for two to four million years old, Kuiseb Canyon, which is part of the Hakos Mountains and is on average 20 meters wide and up to 200 meters deep. A few kilometers after leaving the canyon at the Kuiseb Pass the Kuiseb changes direction and runs west through the Namib Desert and takes you past the desert research station Gobabeb. Until his area between Walvis Bay and Sandwich Bay estuary in the South Atlantic the Kuiseb a sharp dividing line between the south orange dunes of the Namib and the beige sand and rock forms the north. Below Gobabeb the floodplain of the Kuiseb is up to 1000 meters wide.
Water Resources
During his disposal in rainy years it takes the wind-blown sand in his bed with the sea. From 1837 - 1977 he has only reached 14 times the Atlantic Ocean (including the 1892, 1903, 1908, 1916, 1922, 1930, 1933, 1941, 1953, 1962). There was an average every 10 years, so much rain that the Kuiseb flowed near Walvis Bay into the sea. The drain & events in Kuiseb are directly connected with the rainfall events in the catchment. Here especially the rainfall intensity and the position of the precipitation fields are crucial. The rainfall can trigger so-called surge outflows, in the case of Riviere referred as a disposal. The runoff events are formed mainly in the eastern part of the catchment area and contribute to the rejuvenation of groundwater reserves in. These groundwaters are extremely important, as the two major towns of Walvis Bay and Swakopmund are supplied with water for the coastal region in the middle of Namibia. In addition, the water supply of the Rössing mine, which denied the associated city Arandis and other settlements of the region in the area of the Kuiseb.
At 150 km between Harubes and Rooibank a dense forest vegetation is supported by the Kuiseb. These forests, which occur only along the lower Kuiseb, are clearly dependent on the flood events and the underground water flow in the alluvium. The dry valley of the Kuiseb is referred to as a linear oasis, or green belt, and is an important migration route for fauna and flora dar. Below Rooibank, the tree vegetation disappears almost completely out of the river valley. There are reports of a decline in vegetation in recent years, which is on the declining water table, due to the intensive use of groundwater in the Lower Kuiseb returned. Additionally, however, may have contributed to the decline in vegetation by goats and overgrazing.
The carp cliff
From Walvis Bay, the main road C14 via the Kuiseb Pass to Solitaire and on to Malta height. In the vicinity of the pass in the Kuiseb Canyon, there was one of the hiding places of Hermann Korn and Henno Martin during their flight in the Second World War, also known as Henno Martin Shelter or carp cliff.