The 2011 flood event in the Mekong Delta: preparedness,response, damage and recovery of private households and small businesses

Floods frequently cause substantial economic and human losses, particularly in developing countries. For the development of sound flood risk management schemes that reduce flood consequences, detailed insights into the different components of the flood risk management cycle, such as preparedness, response, flood impact analyses and recovery, are needed. However, such detailed insights are often lacking: commonly, only (aggregated) data on direct flood damage are available. Other damage categories such as losses owing to the disruption of production processes are usually not considered, resulting in incomplete risk assessments and possibly inappropriate recommendations for risk management. In this paper, data from 858 face‐to‐face interviews among flood‐prone households and small businesses in Can Tho city in the Vietnamese Mekong Delta are presented to gain better insights into the damage caused by the 2011 flood event and its management by households and businesses.     

金华市义乌江沉积物磁性特征与重金属污染

对浙江省金华市义乌江采集的边滩沉积物柱样,进行了系统的环境磁学、粒度、地球化学分析,以探讨环境磁学方法诊断河流沉积物重金属污染的可行性.结果表明,柱样磁性特征由亚铁磁性矿物主导,其垂向变化受到粒度和早期成岩作用的一定影响.柱样中重金属Cr、Ni、Cu、Zn、Cd、Pb含量及其富集因子除底部外,自下而上呈增加趋势,指示了柱样上部存在人为来源的重金属污染.柱样沉积物磁性特征与重金属含量及其富集因子的垂向变化存在相似性,其中磁化率(χ)、频率磁化率(χfd%)和硬剩磁(HIRM)与Cr、Cu、Zn、Cd、Pb的含量具有显著的正相关关系,反映了磁性矿物与重金属具有相同的来源,或者细颗粒磁性矿物对重金属的吸附作用.上述结果表明,磁学方法可用于指示义乌江的重金属污染.但由于义乌江属于开放性的河流环境系统,磁性特征变化受多重因素影响,增加了利用磁学手段定量诊断重金属污染的复杂性.     

The status and distribution of PCBs along the coast of Vietnam

Environmental Geochemistry and Health - Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), well-known as an important scientific achievement, are now considered as one of the most persistent organic pollutants...     

Factors affecting urban electricity consumption: a case study in the Bangkok Metropolitan Area using an integrated approach of earth observation data and data analysis

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Urbanization induces shifts in surface environmental factors, including impervious surface expansion, green space loss, and temperature increase in...     

Photochemical smog modeling for assessment of potential impacts of different management strategies on air quality of the Bangkok Metropolitan Region, Thailand

A photochemical smog model system, the Variable-Grid Urban Airshed Model/Systems Applications International Mesoscale Model (UAM-V/SAIMM), was used to investigate photochemical pollution in the Bangkok Metropolitan Region (BMR). The model system was first applied to simulate a historical photochemical smog episode of two days (January 13-14, 1997) using the 1997 anthropogenic emission database available at the Pollution Control Department and an estimated biogenic emission. The output 1-hr ozone (O3) for BMR, however, did not meet the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency suggested performance criteria. The simulated minimum and maximum O3 values in the domain were much higher than the observations. Multiple model runs with different precursor emission reduction scenarios showed that the best model performance with the simulated 1-hr O3 meeting all the criteria was obtained when the volatile organic compound (VOC) and oxides of nitrogen (NOx) emission from mobile source reduced by 50% and carbon monoxide by 20% from the original database. Various combinations of anthropogenic and biogenic emissions in Bangkok and surrounding provinces were simulated to assess the contribution of different sources to O3 pollution in the city. O3 formation in Bangkok was found to be more VOC-sensitive than NOx-sensitive. To attain the Thailand ambient air quality standard for 1-hr O3 of 100 ppb, VOC emission in BMR should be reduced by 50-60%. Management strategies considered in the scenario study consist of Stage I, Stage II vapor control, replacement of two-stroke by four-stroke motorcycles, 100% compressed natural gas bus, 100% natural gas-fired power plants, and replacement of methyltertiarybutylether by ethanol as an additive for gasoline.     

Characteristics and Bioactivities of Carrageenan/Chitosan Microparticles Loading α-Mangostin

Journal of Polymers and the Environment - This study attempted to develop carrageenan/chitosan based microparticles loading α-mangostin which was extracted from Vietnamese mangosteen skin. The...     

Atmospheric heavy metal deposition in Northern Vietnam: Hanoi and Thainguyen case study using the moss biomonitoring technique,INAA and AAS

Background, aim, and scope  

The moss technique is widely used to monitor atmospheric deposition of heavy metals in many countries in Europe, whereas this technique is scarcely used in Asia. To implement this international reliable and cheap methodology in the Asian countries, it is necessary to find proper moss types typical for the Asian environment and suitable for the biomonitoring purposes. Such a case study was undertaken in Vietnam for assessing the environmental situation in strongly contaminated areas using local species of moss Barbula indica.     

Particulate matter in the cultivation area may contaminate leafy vegetables with heavy metals above safe levels in Korea

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Among air pollutants, particulate matter (PM) has been identified as a major cause of environmental pollutants due to the advancement of industrial...     

Sustainable livelihoods development by utilization of geomorphological resources in the Bai Tu Long Bay,Quang Ninh Province,Vietnam

Located in the humid tropical zone and endowed with carbonate sedimentary formations, Vietnam has unique karst landscapes where caves, limestone, and dolines are common. If well managed, these are valuable geomorphological resources for a sustainable socio-economic development. Although publications on sustainable livelihoods associated with conserving biodiversity and local culture are plentiful, there is still a lack of studies linking livelihood quality with the conservation of geomorphological resources, in particular in karst areas. This study assesses the geomorphological resources in Vietnam’s Bai Tu Long Bay and studies the relationship between livelihood and these resources. The current research area Bai Tu Long Bay is adjacent to the natural World Heritage site of Ha Long Bay in the Vietnamese part of the Gulf of Tonkin. Bai Tu Long is characterized by a karst landscape, which is at the same time similar but also different from Ha Long Bay. A field survey and interviews with 153 households allowed assessing people’s perception of the value of the geomorphological resources and their importance for local income. The results show that Bai Tu Long Bay has abundant, diverse, and unique geomorphological resources, which are valuable for tourism development. However, the local people are unaware of these values likely because they have no direct benefit from them. Further a sustainable development strategy for Bai Tu Long Bay is recommended. The outcome is a proposal for tourism initiatives aiming at realizing more sustainability in the area.     

Study of aerosol optical properties at two urban areas in the north of Vietnam with the implication for biomass burning impacts

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The spatiotemporal distribution and characterization of aerosol optical properties in the north of Vietnam were investigated extensively using the...