Climate change and estuarine ecosystems

project summary

The project will establish a base line for the ecological functioning of two typical Vietnamese estuaries. The base line will comprise a description of the estuarine ecology including primary production, nutrient dynamics, substance transport to and from the estuaries. An extended 12 months sampling programme will be carried out in the two estuaries comprising all relevant physical and biological parameters. A data base will be set up for a modelling of the governing physical and biological variables. The model will address questions as a change in water level, increased precipitation etc. in relation to foreseen climate changes. The project will also include an analysis of long-term available historical data as well as a recontruction of historical climate in relation to plankton diversity via sediment column analysis. These two modules would contribute to the uderstanding of estuarine ecosystem changes in long-term trends. The project comprises a capacity building with the graduation of 2 Vietnamese Masters students from Aarhus University and Danmark Technical University; 6 MSc and two Vietnamese PhD students with Vietnamese Academic degree using data and/or receive partly funding from the project; whilst 4 MSc Danish students defended their theses at Aarhus University by using the data source of project. Numbers of workshops and training courses are conducted in Vietnam and Denmark co-ordinated by the south and north partners. Results from the project will be published in international peer-reviewed scientific journals and popular science magazines. There will be about 12 manuscripts to be preparing for publishing in end of project. The establishment of a Viet Nam – Denmark Regional Co-operative Centre for Marine Sciences as a long term frame for bilateral and regional cooperation on research and education in marine and climate research to strengthen the role and contribution of Viet Nam in regional and international marine science has been proposing.