Articles | Volume 30, issue 21
https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-30-6821-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-30-6821-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
05 Nov 2026
Research article |
| 05 Nov 2026
| 05 Nov 2026
Dam-regulated flow fragmentation and sand-mining-driven threshold shifts shorten the Mekong–Tonle Sap reverse-flow season
Khosro Morovati
Department of Hydraulic Engineering & State Key Laboratory of Hydro-science and Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
Hongling Zhao
College of Hydraulic Science & Engineering, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, 150030, China
Department of Hydraulic Engineering & State Key Laboratory of Hydro-science and Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
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Liying Guo, Jing Wei, Keer Zhang, Jiale Wang, and Fuqiang Tian
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Yi Nan, Zhihua He, Fuqiang Tian, Zhongwang Wei, and Lide Tian
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 25, 6151–6172, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-6151-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-6151-2021, 2021
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Kunbiao Li, Fuqiang Tian, Mohd Yawar Ali Khan, Ran Xu, Zhihua He, Long Yang, Hui Lu, and Yingzhao Ma
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Short summary
Each wet season, the Mekong River flows into Cambodia's Tonle Sap Lake, supporting fisheries and farming. We used river records and simulations to study changes linked to dams, climate variability and sand mining. Altered river flows and a lowered riverbed now require stronger flows to bring water into the lake. Together, these changes have shortened the inflow season by about 28 days compared with earlier decades. Protecting the lake depends on when water arrives, not just how much.
Each wet season, the Mekong River flows into Cambodia's Tonle Sap Lake, supporting fisheries and...
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