Supported Datasets for the Research Titled: "Impacts of Climate and Land Use Changes on Streamflow in the Mun-Chi River Basin, the Largest Tributary of the Mekong River"

Supported Datasets for the Research Titled: "Impacts of Climate and Land Use Changes on Streamflow in the Mun-Chi River Basin, the Largest Tributary of the Mekong River"

Abstract: 

The impact of climate change and human activities poses significant challenges in the tropical region of Southeast Asia, specifically within the Mun-Chi River Basin, the largest tributary of the Mekong River in Thailand. The bias-corrected MPI-ESM1-2-LR, the most appropriate Global Climate Model (GCM) under the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6) for projecting Mun-Chi River flow, represent future climate variations in this basin. The analysis reveals forthcoming transformations in future land use, with cropland areas transitioning into forests and urban areas. While the projected annual streamflow contributing to the Lower Mekong River is expected to slightly increase by up to 4%, with 67% attributed to climate change and 33% to land-use change, temporal variations in the future flow regime reveal a wetter wet season and a drier dry season in this catchment. During the wet season, streamflow is projected to rise by 5% to 18% in 2023-2035 and 10% to 24% in 2036-2050. In contrast, the dry season is expected to experience a decrease of -3% to -9% in 2023-2035 and -6% to -17% in 2036-2050. Projected streamflow fluctuations are more pronounced in mountainous areas and upstream tributaries. These seasonal contrasts highlight the potential impact of more severe drought during the dry season and more severe flooding during the wet season. These potential increases in extreme hydrological events present challenges for efficient water resource management in this watershed and downstream countries. Consequently, effective water regulation and land-use policies are deemed crucial for sustainable management in the Mun-Chi River Basin.