Ngurdoto Crater

Ngurdoto Crater
Kasoko la Ngurdoto (Swahili)
Ngurdoto Crater from southern rim
Highest point
Elevation	3,250 m (10,660 ft)
Parent peak	Mount Meru
Coordinates	3°17′20″S 36°55′36″E
Dimensions
Length	3.6 km (2.2 mi) north-south
Geography
Country	Tanzania
Region	Arusha Region
District	Meru District
Geology
Mountain type	Volcanic
Volcanic region	Great Rift Valley

Mount Meru volcano and Ngurdoto Crater (image top) from space (East is at the top)

Ngurdoto Crater is a volcanic crater in Meru District, Arusha Region, Tanzania. The crater is 3.6 km (2.2 mi) in diameter at its widest and 100 metres (110 yd) deep. Ngurdoto Crater is surrounded by forest whilst the crater floor is a swamp. It is located in Arusha National Park.

Environment

Climate Change Impact

Between 1981 and 2016 there are marked areas of drying in parts of northeast and much of southern Tanzania. A clear warming trend is apparent in annual temperature. By the 2090s projected warming is in the range of 1.6 to 5.0 °C, also evenly distributed across the country. For rainfall there is strong agreement for decreases in the mean number of rain days and increases in the amount of rainfall on each rainy day (the ‘rainfall intensity’). Taken together these changes suggest more variable rainfall, with both higher likelihood of dry spells (such as droughts) and a higher likelihood of intense rainfall events (often associated with flooding). Climate change impacts of severe droughts, floods, livestock deaths, crop failures and outbreak of disease (such as cholera and malaria) are likely to be regularly observed.

Ngurdoto Crater at Arusha National Park in Tanzania, East Africa