WISDOM

© DLR

The Mekong Delta in Vietnam , one of the largest estuaries in the world, plays a major role in the economy of the country. It is one of the largest rice production areas in the world and its yields contribute largely to the gross national product of Vietnam . However, the Delta is also a sensible agro-ecosystem that faces a number of challenges. The main current environmental issues in the Delta are closely linked to water availability and usage, which is dominated by the annual rhythm of flooding and low flows, the associated hazards of flood damages and saline intrusions, but also anthropogenic pollution. National and regional authorities face a difficult challenge to ensure the sustainable availability of the rich resources of the Delta. To support the decision making process, information on the complex ecologic and hydrologic relationships, impacts of social and cultural circumstances and effects of regulative measures in upstream riparian countries are highly needed. To obtain this information, efficient collection, management, analysis and distribution of existing and newly generated data as well as the enhancement of the current information flow is of great importance and is the core idea of WISDOM .

Besides the informational tasks, WISDOM strives to find answers to a number of open scientific questions, both in the fields of natural as well social sciences. The section Engineering Hydrology of the GFZ is coordinating the Work Package 4000 encompassing all works related to Hydrology and Hydraulics in the project. It also leads two sub-projects within the Work Package. The main research topics are: