Climate change influences on the streamflow and sediment supply to the Chao Phraya River basin, Thailand

Balamurugan Panneerselvam; Warit Charoenlerkthawin; Chaiwat Ekkawatpanit; Matharit Namsai; Butsawan Bidorn; Subbarayan Saravanan; Xi Xi Lu

doi:10.1016/j.envres.2024.118638

Climate change influences on the streamflow and sediment supply to the Chao Phraya River basin, Thailand

Environ Res. 2024 Mar 8;251(Pt 1):118638. doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2024.118638. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Balamurugan Panneerselvam¹, Warit Charoenlerkthawin², Chaiwat Ekkawatpanit³, Matharit Namsai⁴, Butsawan Bidorn⁵, Subbarayan Saravanan⁶, Xi Xi Lu⁷

Affiliations

¹ Center of Excellence in Interdisciplinary Research for Sustainable Development, Faculty of Engineering, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand.
² Center of Excellence in Interdisciplinary Research for Sustainable Development, Faculty of Engineering, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand; Department of Water Resources Engineering, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand.
³ Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi, Bangkok, 10140, Thailand.
⁴ Department of Water Resources Engineering, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand; The Royal Irrigation Department, Bangkok, 10300, Thailand.
⁵ Center of Excellence in Interdisciplinary Research for Sustainable Development, Faculty of Engineering, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand; Department of Water Resources Engineering, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand. Electronic address: butsawan.p@chula.ac.th.
⁶ Department of Civil Engineering, National institute of Technology, Tamil Nadu, India.
⁷ Department of Geography, National University of Singapore, 119260, Singapore.

PMID: 38462088
DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2024.118638

Abstract

This study investigates the effects of climate change on the sediment loads of the Ping and Wang River basins and their contribution to the sediment dynamics of the lower Chao Phraya River basin in Thailand. The various climate models under different Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs) scenarios are employed to project sediment loads in future. The findings indicate a significant increase in river flow approximately 20% in the Ping River (PR) and 35% in the Wang River (WR) by the mid-21st century and continuing into the distant future. Consequently, this is expected to result in sediment loads up to 0.33 × 10⁶ t/y in the PR and 0.28 × 10⁶ t/y in the WR. This escalation is particularly notable under the RCP 8.5 scenario, which assumes higher greenhouse gas emissions. Additionally, the research provides insights into the potential positive implications for the Chao Phraya Delta's coastal management. Without further damming in the Ping and Wang River basins, the anticipated rise in sediment supply could aid in mitigating the adverse effects of land subsidence and sea-level rise, which have historically caused extensive shoreline retreat in the delta region, particularly around Bangkok Metropolis. The paper concludes that proactive adaptation strategies are required to manage the expected changes in the hydrological and sediment regimes to protect vulnerable coastal zones and ensure the sustainable management of the Chao Phraya River Basin in the face of climate change.

Keywords: Climate adaptation measures; Hydro-sedimentological projections; Hydrological changes; RCP; River basin sustainability; Water resources adaptation.