The Anthropocene of Southeast Asian Deltas

Dear Colleagues,

For the last two hundred years, humankind has caused such a negative footprint on the environment that some scientists describe it as the Anthropocene, a new geological epoch shaped by the profound human impacts on Earth. Especially since the second half of the 20th century, the degradation of the environment and the climate change caused by humans have increased at an unprecedented rate. With a specific focus on the Earth’s hydrosystems, irreversible changes in the water cycle, deteriorations of the pioneer ecosystems, and their services, or the ever-increasing intensity and frequency of hydrometeorological disasters are grave landmarks of the Anthropocene.

The Southeast Asian (SEA) region is home to several large river deltas, including some of the world’s most important, such as Mekong, Irrawaddy, or Chao Phraya. These major sources of water safeguard the lives of millions of inhabitants and two important international rice baskets in Thailand and Vietnam. The concentration of livelihoods and economic activities along these major water bodies have contributed significantly to the evolution of the Anthropocene footprints in the region. Consequently, the hydrosedimentology regimes of the large rivers have been drastically altered, causing several major environmental impacts. For instance, massive sand extraction from the Mekong, Tonle Sap, and Borneo to fuel the ever-increasing demands of civil construction and land reclamations in the region have not only permanently modified river hydraulics but are dramatically depleting sediment storages in the basins as well. Likewise, the construction of mega hydropower dams in the upstream of the Mekong has led to an unprecedented decrease in environmental flows, sediment fluxes, and riverine ecosystems in Indus, Mekong, Chao Phraya, and Red Rivers.

This Special Issue on “The Anthropocene of Southeast Asian Deltas” is dedicated to contributing to the fast-growing body of scientific literature in reporting the Anthropogenic footprints on SEA riverine ecosystems. The editors invite high-quality studies focusing on any human-induced environmental impacts concerned with SEA river deltas. We welcome different types of articles, including original research articles, case studies, or systematic literature reviews to our Special Issue under the conditions of high scientific quality, verified originality, and substantial relevance. Since the Anthropocene reflects the human–nature nexus, colleagues from both natural and social science disciplines are encouraged to submit. We are particularly interested in those studies that can cut across multiple disciplines, such as human vs. physical geography, or ecohydrology vs. anthropology. The topics of interest include but are not limited to human and physical geography of the riverine systems, hydrological ecosystem services, payment for ecosystem services, or integrated water resource management. Studies conducting field-based physical and social surveys, geospatial analyses, or numerical modeling are all encouraged.

Dr. Ho Huu Loc
Dr. Edward Park
Dr. Dung Duc Tran
Dr. Doan Van Binh
Guest Editors

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• Southeast Asian Rivers
• Water Dynamics
• Sociohydrology
• Livelihood Sustainability
• Agricultural Water Management
• Environmental Change
• Ecosystem Services
• Eco-geomorphology
• Delta survivability
• Salinity intrusion
• Geomorphology
• Remote Sensing