Sediment Dynamics in Mangrove areas, Mekong River- and Ho Chi Minh - Dong Nai River Delta

• Applicant: Dr. Klaus Schwarzer
• Subject Area: Oceanography
• Term: from 2004 to 2018
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 5412383

Mangroves are widely recognised as playing a major role in coastal defence by trapping sediments in the coastal system (import), in wildlife conservation and as a key source of organic material and nutrients (export) vitally important for a wide range of marine communities. Despite this knowledge there are increasing threats to the survival of mangroves as a result of mans activities augmented by the threats of predicted sea level rise. Due to the needs of agriculture, aquaculture, buildings but mainly because of the loss of timber by the application of defoliants during the second Indochina war, Vietnam lost huge areas of mangrove forests. Today Vietnam has the biggest reforestation programs all over the world. Nevertheless there is a critical need to get a better understanding of mangrove structure and functioning. The aim of the studies is to investigate the up to now poorly known influence of natural and reforested mangroves to changes in coastal processes and coastline development. A better understanding of the interaction between mangrove species, hydrodynamics and morpho- and sediment-dynamics with regard to rehabilitated and natural mangroves stands is envisaged. The studies focus on short-term tim-scales like events, days, seasons and years. The final goal is to elaborate sediment budgets for selected key areas to get a better understanding of future coastal evolution.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• International Connection: Vietnam
• Participating Persons: Professor Dr. La Thi Cang; Dr. Klaus Ricklefs; Dr. Le Xan Thuyen