Changes in the spatial-temporal of the amount of sediment suspended in the Mekong Delta in Vietnam

Abstract

Sediment depletion in the Vietnamese Mekong Delta (VMD) has brought threats to riverbed and riverbank dynamics. The main objective of this research is to make a relationship between turbidity and suspended sediment concentration (SSCs) and to assess temporal-spatial variations of SSCs in the VMD. In this regard, the SSCs were measured and monitored along the Tien and Hau Rivers under the Japan-ASEAN Science, Technology, and Innovation Platform (JASTIP) project and Mekong River Commission (MRC). Particularly, we installed three monitoring stations in main rivers and conducted two field surveys to collect data for assessing SSC values in the VMD. The results show that the SSCs in the delta are changeable seasonally with high values in the high-flow season and low values in the low-flow season. The Tien and Hau Rivers can be divided into two reaches. The upper reach has high SSC, decreasing seaward, whereas the lower reach has lower SSC, increasing seaward.