Articles | Volume 28, issue 14
https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-3347-2024
https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-3347-2024
Research article
 | 
26 Jul 2024
Research article |  | 26 Jul 2024

Evolution of river regimes in the Mekong River basin over 8 decades and the role of dams in recent hydrological extremes

Huy Dang and Yadu Pokhrel

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Cited articles

Adamson, P. and Bird, J.: The mekong: A drought-prone tropical environment?, Int. J. Water Resour. D., 26, 579–594, https://doi.org/10.1080/07900627.2010.519632, 2010. 
Adamson, P. T., Rutherfurd, I. D., Peel, M. C., and Conlan, I. A.: The Hydrology of the Mekong River, in: The Mekong: Biophysical Environment of an International River Basin, edited by: Campbell, I. C., Elsevier, Academic Press, San Diego, 53–76, https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-374026-7.00004-8, 2009. 
Arias, M. E., Cochrane, T. A., Piman, T., Kummu, M., Caruso, B. S., and Killeen, T. J.: Quantifying changes in flooding and habitats in the Tonle Sap Lake (Cambodia) caused by water infrastructure development and climate change in the Mekong Basin, J. Environ. Manage., 112, 53–66, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2012.07.003, 2012. 
Arias, M. E., Cochrane, T. A., Norton, D., Killeen, T. J., and Khon, P.: The Flood Pulse as the Underlying Driver of Vegetation in the Largest Wetland and Fishery of the Mekong Basin, AMBIO, 42, 864–876, https://doi.org//10.1007/s13280-013-0424-4, 2013. 
Arias, M. E., Piman, T., Lauri, H., Cochrane, T. A., and Kummu, M.: Dams on Mekong tributaries as significant contributors of hydrological alterations to the Tonle Sap Floodplain in Cambodia, Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 18, 5303–5315, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-18-5303-2014, 2014a. 
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Short summary
By examining basin-wide simulations of a river regime over 83 years with and without dams, we present evidence that climate variation was a key driver of hydrologic variabilities in the Mekong River basin (MRB) over the long term; however, dams have largely altered the seasonality of the Mekong’s flow regime and annual flooding patterns in major downstream areas in recent years. These findings could help us rethink the planning of future dams and water resource management in the MRB.
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