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Overseas Field Training：Suspended Sediment Transport in Mekong River
WANG Jigemude
International Environmental and Agricultural Science (IEAS),
Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology
Destination and period: Can Tho University in Vietnam, 3rd-16th Sep, 2012
To understand the sediment transport in Mekong River in South Vietnam, I went Vietnam field training under FOLENS program. Our field training was conducted from September 3 to September 16, 2012. Though the study was constrained by the limitation of data, the results provided a quantitative portrait of the sediments patterns in the basin and the places where soil erosion is found to be maximal. Obtained data of Mekong River will be used to know whether erosion or deposition will occur, the magnitude of this erosion or deposition, and the time and distance over which it will occur. Sediment transport is applied to solve many environmental, geotechnical, and geological problems. Movement of sediment is important in providing habitat for fish and other organisms in rivers. Therefore, managers of highly regulated rivers, which are often sediment-starved due to dams, are often advised to stage short floods to refresh the bed material and rebuild bars. This is also important, for example, in Mekong River, to rebuild shoreline habitats also used as campsites. Also sediment discharge into a reservoir formed by a dam forms a reservoir delta. This delta will fill the basin, and eventually, either the reservoir will need to be dredged or the dam will need to be removed. Knowledge of sediment transport can be used to properly plan to extend the life of a dam.
Key words: Suspended sediment transport, Mekong River, Vietnam