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APCBEE Procedia 1 (2012) 252 – 257

ICESD 2012: 5-7 January 2012, Hong Kong

Study on Migration of Marine Organisms into Inland and

Changes of Biodiversity at Water Bodies in Mekong Delta for
Evaluation of Saline Intrusion of Sea Level Rise
Pham Anh Duca∗, Nguyen Thi Mai Linha, Pham Van Mienb
a
Ton Duc Thang University, Nguyen Huu Tho St., Tan Phong Ward, Dist. 7, HCMC, Vietnam
b
Institute of Environmental Science and Development, 179 Bach Dang St., Ward 2, Tan Binh Dist., HCMC, Vietnam

Abstract

The Mekong is a river in Mainland China and Indochina. It is the world's 10th-longest river. Its estimated length is
4,909 km, and it drains an area of 795,000 km2, discharging 475 km3 of water annually [14]. During recent decades,
the impacts of human activities on the degradation of natural resources and environment have grown the Mekong
River Basin and Mekong Delta as well, and the climate change has speeded up these processes.
This report considered theories and applications of the migration of marine organisms (aquatic flora and fauna) into
inland and the changes of biodiversity at water bodies in the Mekong Delta that will help the appropriate authorities
to evaluate the impacts of saline intrusion of sea level rise and to suggest the approaches for saline control.
© 2012 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. Open access under CC BY-NC-ND license.
© 2012 Published by Elsevier Ltd. Selection and/or peer-review under responsibility of ICESD 2012
Selection and/or peer review under responsibility of Asia-Pacific Chemical, Biological & Environmental Engineering Society
Keywords: migration; aquatic flora and fauna; biodiversity; saline intrusion; sea level rise.

1. Introduction

The Mekong Delta (Figure 1), as a region, lies immediately to the west of HCMC, roughly forming a
triangle stretching from My Tho in the east to Chau Doc and Ha Tien in the northwest, down to Ca Mau
and the South China Sea at the southernmost tip of Vietnam, and including the island of Phu Quoc [14].
The Mekong delta region encompasses a large portion of southeastern Vietnam of 39,000 km2 [15]. The
size of the area covered by water depends on the season. During recent decades, the impacts of human
activities on the degradation of natural resources and environment have grown this region, and the climate
change has speeded up these processes.

∗
Corresponding author.
E-mail address:phamanhduc@tdt.edu.vn

2212-6708 © 2012 The Authors Published . by Elsevier B V Open . access

. under CC BY-NC-ND license.
Selection and/or peer review under responsibility of Asia-Pacific Chemical, Biological & Environmental Engineering Society
doi:10.1016/j.apcbee.2012.03.041
 Pham Anh et al. / APCBEE Procedia 1 (2012) 252 – 257 253

The migration of marine organisms into inland canals is a common phenomenon in the hydrosphere.
This is a phenomenon that the aquatic fauna migrate into the inland waters both temporary and endless
times. The best migration organisms have usually hard shells or cover because these species can tolerate
the changes of water environment and regulate the osmotic pressure to adapt well with the high saline
fluctuation.
The migration of marine organisms into inland and the changes of biodiversity at water bodies in the
Mekong Delta were studied to evaluate the impacts of saline intrusion of sea level rise and to suggest the
approaches for saline control.

Fig. 1. Map of Mekong Delta

2. Methodology

2.1. Sampling and sample process

The 50 sampling sites at water bodies in the Mekong Delta were collected. The sampling frequencies
were taken 4 times (March, June, September and December) per year.
The sampling and sample techniques were based on the standardized methods [3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 11, 12].

2.2. Data analysis

For all sites sampled 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010, the following metrics were calculated (which
was 1 m2): (i) taxonomic richness (i.e. number of taxa); (ii) abundance (i.e. numbers of individuals per
sites); (iii) specific species; (iv) dominant species; (v) indicator species; (vi) cluster; and (vii) ordination.
The migration of marine organisms into inland canals in the Mekong Delta depends on the rate and
magnitude of changes in two critical environmental variables: (1) slope of along rivers, and (2) amplitude
of tides. These factors regulate the migration of these species, both directly and indirectly [10]. Based on
the analyses of available data (from 1986) combined with the monitoring of aquatic flora and fauna in the
Mekong Delta from 2006 to 2010, the primary evaluation of saline intrusion of sea level rise was
suggested.
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3. Results and Discussion

3.1. Migration of marine organisms into inland canals in Mekong Delta

Based on the freshwater adaptability of marine organisms, Dang Ngoc Thanh (1974) classified these
species by 4 groups: (1) the species migrated temporary into inland waters for reproduction, growth and
return such as sardines, hilsa herrings, sea crabs, shrimps of Penaeidae,…; (2) the marine species adapted
well with brackish water like polychaetes and crustaceans; (3) the marine species adapted well with
freshwater as Nephthydidae, Nereidae, Mytilidae, Gammaridae, Corophiidae,…; and (4) the relictus
species separated from sea water for very longtime such as Caobangia billeti (Polychaeta). [2]
The migration of marine organisms into inland had been studied in the North Vietnam [1]. In the South
Vietnam, these issues had been implemented in various researches [3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13].
These studies showed that the migration of marine organisms into inland in the Mekong Delta was
stronger too much than this in the Red River Delta. The migration was expressed through the abundance
of species richness and densities, and the distance of inland migration. For example, the marine origin
species of many polychaetes and crustaceans have appeared in the Mekong River and tributaries at
Phnom Penh – Cambodia. Additionally, the species of Nephthydidae, Nereidae, Sabellidae (Polychaeta);
Amphipoda, Isopoda, Tanaidacea (Crustacea) were dominant both taxa richness and densities in the
freshwater canals (S < 1‰) these located inside the lands of the South China Sea and the Thailand Bay
also [8, 10, 12].
The saline intrusion in the Mekong Delta made the transition ecosystems between freshwater and
marine. These ecological conditions have changed following tide cycles and seasons. Of which, the
species of zooplankton these migrated into inland deeply included Acartiella sinensis (Acartidae);
Schmackeria bulbosa, Pseudodiaptomus beieri (Pseudodiaptomidae); Limnoithona sinensis (Oithonidae);
Eodiaptomus draconisgnivomi, Neodiaptomus malaindosinensis (Diaptomidae); Thermocyclops hyalinus,
Mesocyclops leuckarti (Cyclopidae)… The species of benthic macroinvertebrate included Nephthys
polybranchia (Nephthydidae); Namalycastis abiuma (Nereidae); Polydora sp. (Spionidae); Bispira
polymorpha (Sabellidae); Melita sp. (Gammaridae); Grandidiella lignorum, Kamaka sp., Corophium sp.
(Corophiidae); Tachaea sp. (Corallanidae), Cyathura truncata (Anthuridae); Apseudes vietnamensis
(Apseudidae)… [3, 4, 5, 6, 10, 11, 12].
Pham Van Mien (2002) also provided the basic characteristics of aquatic flora and fauna in the
Mekong Delta [10]. For zoogeography, the aquatic flora and fauna in the Mekong Delta (including
Mekong Delta both Vietnam and Cambodia) belonged to the China-India Region, the India-Malaysia
Subregion and the Zoogeography Province of Mekong (including three regions of Lao PRD, East Truong
Son, Cambodia-South Vietnam) [10]. The Mekong Delta in Vietnam had the close relation of the aquatic
flora and fauna to the Mekong Delta in Cambodia. The marine origin organisms have distributed the
whole of Mekong Delta.
The studied results showed that there were two critical environmental variables of (1) slope of along
rivers, and (2) amplitude of tides, which have regulated the migration of marine organisms, both directly
and indirectly. The Mekong Delta in Vietnam have the characteristics of flat terrain and low slope
(altitude: 0.5 – 2.0 m), it tends to decrease 1 cm height for 1 km length to downstream [10]. And, the tides
of South China Sea in the coastal areas and estuaries fluctuate from 3.0 – 4.2 m [10]. That why the tides
in the Mekong River can come up to Kratie – Cambodia. The migration of marine organisms into inland
have brought the various distribution of freshwater and marine flora and fauna these increased the
biodiversity of inland waters in the Mekong Delta, as followed: the high taxa richness, the high quality
fisheries resources (sea crabs, shrimp of Penaeidae,…), and the natural food for fisheries resources.
Each marine species that migrates into inland can adapt well the different saline concentrations. These
 Pham Anh et al. / APCBEE Procedia 1 (2012) 252 – 257 255

species seem to be the bio-indicators for the saline intrusion and the sea level rise in the Mekong Delta.
There were about 30% marine species of total invertebrates in the Mekong Delta. The species included
Acartiidae, Pseudodiaptomidae, Oithonidae (Zooplankton); Nephthydidae, Nereidae, Spionidae,
Maldanidae, Sabellidae, Gammaridae, Corophiidae, Corollanidae, Anthuridae, Apseudidae, Alpheidae
(Benthic Macroinverbrate) (Figure 2). Based on the analyses of species composition, density, dominant
species, specific species, bio-indices for aquatic flora and fauna,… the assessment of negative and
positive effects on the socio-economic activities (including both saline intrusion and sea level rise) were
considered.

(a) Namalycastis abiuma (Nereidae) (b) Grandidierella lignorum (Corophiidae)

Fig. 2. Some species used for the assessment of saline intrusion and inland migration

3.2. Changes of biodiversity of aquatic flora and fauna in Mekong Delta

In recent 30 years, there have been many great changes of the biodiversity of inland waters in the
Mekong Delta because of various reasons such as deforestation for irrigation, aquaculture, dikes and
dams, constructions of saline control, constructions of flood control and residential development, exotic
species or introduced species (Ctenopharyngodon idella, Hypophthalmichthys nobilis,
Hypophthalmichthys harmandi, Hypostomus sp., Colossoma brachypomum, Litopenaeus vannamei,
Trachemys scripta elegans, Salvinia molesta, Pomacea canaliculata,…)… (Figure 3)

(a) Construction of saline control in Hau Giang Province (b) Introduced species (Litopenaeus vannamei)
256 Pham Anh et al. / APCBEE Procedia 1 (2012) 252 – 257

Fig. 3. Impacts of human activities on biodiversity of inland waters in Mekong Delta

This report identified the exotic species or introduced species and the marine organisms these changed
the biodiversity of aquatic ecosystems in the Mekong Delta, as bellows:
• In many areas, the distribution of marine origin organisms and exotic species or introduced species
have been expanded, and the freshwater species have been narrowed.
• While these phenomenon happened in opposite conditions at some areas. However, it was very
difficult for the freshwater species these could expand to estuaries directions. The data analyses in
many years showed that although there were the low salinities (S: 1 – 2‰) in the main rainy season
but only few species of zooplankton and non species of benthic macroinvertebrate could distributed in
estuaries of the Mekong Delta.
For future, there are two key reasons these have a great change for the biodiversity of aquatic flora and
fauna at water bodies in the Mekong Delta continuously (taxa richness and densities of marine species
tend to increase in community structure), as follows:
• The impacts of sea level rise on the aquatic ecosystems have been increased.
• The effects of aquaculture expansion (species of salt water) into inland have been developed.

4. Conclusion

The theories and the applications of the migration of marine organisms into inland and the changes of
biodiversity at the water bodies in the Mekong Delta for the evaluation of saline intrusion of sea level rise
were considered. These results will help appropriate authorities whose can suggest the approaches for
saline control of sea level rise.

Acknowledgements

The authors thank the Rector of Ton Duc Thang University, Dr. Le Vinh Danh, for them support
encouragement. The project was supported by the Institute of Environmental Science and Development.

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