Author(s): Duc Hoang Nguyen; Thac Khac Tran; Keisuke Nakayama
Linked Author(s):
Keywords: Salt intrusion; Theoretical salt intrusion model; Predictive tool; Sea level rise; Red River Delta (RRD)
Abstract: In this study, implications of sea level rise for the increasing of salinity were examined for four estuaries in the Red River Delta (RRD) in North Vietnam using a theoretical salt intrusion model, based on salinity data measured in the dry seasons of 2006 and 2008. The model involves two calibration coefficients that can be determined on the basis of an extensive salinity intrusion survey. It also contains some semi-empirical formulas that allow the prediction of the salt intrusion for a wide range of estuaries. By establishing an empirical relation between the two calibrated parameters and predictive outputs encapsulated in the model as a function of directly measurable parameters such as geometry, freshwater discharge, and the tide, we can turn the model into a predictive tool. Predictions of salt intrusion were made for three different increasing sea levels: mean sea level (MSL) +30 cm, MSL+75 cm, and MSL+100 cm. It was found from the predicted results that the salt intrusion extends 31-52%in the RRD’s estuaries when the sea level is increased 100 cm. Most of the estuaries are highly vulnerable to the sea level rise.
Year: 2014