Abstract
The Tonle Sap is an invaluable resource for the people of Cambodia, and is a globally significant ecological site. Much of the literature published on the environmental health and management of the lake suggests that its sustainability is threatened by accelerated rates of infilling related to unfettered land-use in the catchment. However, the evidence for supposedly increased sedimentation rates is confused and contradictory, and there have been very few studies that have attempted to actually measure the rate at which sediment is accumulating on the bed of the lake. This research measures long-term sedimentation rates in the Tonle Sap in an attempt to provide an empirically derived ‘baseline’ against which more recent and allegedly accelerated sedimentation rates can be compared. Radiometric dating techniques (14C, 210Pb, 137Cs) reveal that sediment has been accumulating in the lake at an average long-term rate of less than 1 mm per year. There is a clear and consistent decline in the rate of sediment accumulation in the lake basin over time, with the highest rates recorded in the middle to early Holocene epoch. It is recommended that research be directed toward measuring changes in the morphology of the lake margin over time, rather than focus on changes in the bathymetry of the lake basins themselves, which are here shown to be effectively stable in terms of sediment accumulation.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
N. Bonheu B. Lane (2002) ArticleTitleNatural resources management for human security in Cambodia’s Tonle Sap Biosphere Reserve Environ. Sci. Policy 5 33–41
C. Bronk Ramsey (1995) ArticleTitleRadiocarbon calibration and analysis of stratigraphy: the OxCal Program Radiocarbon 37 425–430
C. Bronk Ramsey (2001) ArticleTitleDevelopment of the Radiocarbon Program OxCal Radiocarbon 43 355–363
S. Björck B. Wohlfarth (2001) 14C chronostratigraphic techniques in paleolimnology W.M. Last J.P. Smol (Eds) Tracking Environment Change Using Lake Sediments, Vol. 1: Basin Analysis, Coring and Chronological Techniques Kluwer Academic Publishers DordrechtThe Netherlands 205–245
Carbonnel J.P. 1972. Le Quaternaire Cambodgien: structure et stratigraphie, Paris, France. ORSTOM Memoire No. 60, 248 pp.
J.P. Carbonnel J. Guiscarfé (1965) Grand Lac du Cambodge: Sedimentologie et Hydrologie 1962–1963 Museum National d 9Histoire Naturelle de Paris Paris, France 403
J.A. Dearing (1994) Environmental Magnetic Susceptibility: Using the Bartington MS2 System Chi Publishing KenilworthUK 104
DPA 1999. A great lake is ailing. The Age 16 (June): 12.
S.J. Gale P.G. Hoare (2001) Quaternary Sediments: Petrographic Methods for the Study of Unlithified Rocks Belhaven Press London 323
A. Gartrell (1997) Resource Management in the Cambodian Mekong Basin Murdoch University Asia Research Centre 41
J.R. Glew J.P. Smol W.M. Last (2001) Sediment core collection and extrusion W.M. Last J.P. Smol (Eds) Tracking Environment Change Using Lake Sediments, Vol. 1: Basin Analysis, Coring and Chronological Techniques Kluwer Academic Publishers DordrechtThe Netherlands 73–105
D. Heywood (1994) ArticleTitleReversal of fortune (the seasonal flooding of Cambodia’s Tonle Sap, or Great Lake) Geogr. Mag. 66 26–28
M. Kaosa-ard S.S. Pednekar S.R. Christensen K. Aksornwong A.B. Rala (1995) Natural Resource Management in Mainland Southeast Asia. Natural Resources and Environment Program Thailand Development Research Institute Bangkok, Thailand 127
J. McManus (1995) Grain size determination and interpretation M. Tucker (Eds) Techniques in Sedimentology Blackwell Science Avon, UK 63–85
InstitutionalAuthorNameMinistry of Environment (1997a) Strategy and Action Plan for the Protection of the Tonle Sap Technical Co-ordination Unit for the Tonle Sap (TCU), Ministry of the Environment (Cambodia) Phnom Penh 31
InstitutionalAuthorNameMinistry of Environment (1997b) Report of the Tonle Sap forum on Provincial Level Planning, 17–18 July 1996 Technical Co-ordination Unit for the Tonle Sap (TCU), Ministry of Environment (Cambodia) Phnom Penh 25
MRCS/UNDP 1998. Natural Resources-based Development Strategy for the Tonle Sap Area, Cambodia. Phnom Penh, Cambodian National Mekong Committee, NEDCO, MIDAS, Report No. CMB/95/003, 64 pp.
InstitutionalAuthorNameMRCS/WUP-FIN (2003) Modeling Tonle Sap for Environmental Impact Assessment and Management Support: Water Utilization Program – Modeling of the Flow Regime and Water Quality of the Tonle Sap, Draft Final Report Finnish Environmental Institute HelsinkiFinland 110
Munsell (1994) Munsell Soil Colour Charts, revised edition Macbeth Division of Kollmorgan Instruments Corp New WindsorNY 10
ORSTOM/BCEOM 1993. Development Plan for the Tonle Sap and Chakdomuk, Phase I, Final Report. Prepared for the Mekong Secretariat by ORSTOM in association with BCEOM, 161 pp.
L. Puy L. Sovan S.T. Touch S.-O. Mao B. Chhouk (1999) ArticleTitleDiversity and spatial distribution of freshwater fish in Great Lake and Tonle Sap river (CambodiaSoutheast Asia) Aquat. Living Resour. 12 379–386
J. Regnell (1992) ArticleTitlePreparing pollen concentrates for AMS dating – a methodological study from a hard-water lake in southern Sweden Boreas 21 273–277
L. Sluiter (1993) The Mekong Currency: Lives and Times of a River International Books UtrechtThe Netherlands 167
M. Stuiver P.J. Reimer E. Bard J.W. Beck G.S. Burr K.A. Hughen B. Kromer F.G. McCormac J. v.d. Plicht M. Spurk (1998) ArticleTitleINTCAL98 Radiocarbon age calibration 24,000–0 cal BP Radiocarbon 40 1041–1083
Tsukawaki S. 1997. Lithological features of cored sediments from the northern part of lake Tonle Sap, Cambodia. In: The International Conference of Stratigraphy and Tectonic Evolution of Southeast Asia and the South Pacific. Bangkok, Thailand, pp. 232--239.
S. Tsukawaki M. Okawara K.-L. Lao M. Tada (1994) ArticleTitlePreliminary study of sedimentation in Lake Tonle Sap, Cambodia Chigaku Zasshi [J. Geogr.] 103 623–636
S. Tsukawaki M. Okuno T. Nakamura (1997) ArticleTitleSedimentation rates in the northern part of lake Tonle Sap, Cambodiaduring the last 6000 years Summaries of Researchers Using AMS at Nagoya University 8 125–133
H.E. Wright SuffixJr. (1990) ArticleTitleAn improved Hongve sampler for surface sediments J. Paleolimnol. 4 91–92
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Penny, D., Cook, G. & Im, S.S. Long-term rates of sediment accumulation in the Tonle Sap, Cambodia: a threat to ecosystem health?. J Paleolimnol 33, 95–103 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10933-004-1323-2
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10933-004-1323-2