Study on water cycle in the western Mekong Delta based on digital elevation models and field survey: 2nd report

Abstract

The left bank of the Cai Lon River, which flows through the western part of the Mekong Delta, one of Asia's mega-deltas, is located far from the Mekong River and at a low elevation within the delta, making it particularly vulnerable to sea level rise due to global warming and climate change and to local environmental issues caused by human activities. On the other hand, the principal land use in this area was rice paddies before the 1990s. Still, since the 2000s, it has shifted to a rotation system of rice cultivation and brackish water shrimp farming. This land use change may have significantly impacted the nature and quality of the water cycle in the area. This study aims to understand the relationship among microtopography, land use, and water circulation in the study area by integrating field surveys to understand the actual land and water use and water quality and analysis of digital data on topography and land use. This paper presents the results of the second report of the study, including the physicochemical properties of surface water measured in the field.