The PLUME (Particle transport along river pLUmes and their iMpact on coastal ecosystems off viEtnam) coastal oceanographic campaign, supported by IRD and the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology-VAST (letter of intent of cooperation signed by the parties on 27 May), is due to take place over two months, starting in June 2021.
The French units involved are MIO, LEGOS (Toulouse), LOG (Wimereux), and LA (Toulouse). A Franco-Vietnamese working group will be set up in September 2019 to prepare the scientific dossiers for February 2020.
Those of you who are interested in this campaign, and would therefore like to help prepare the scientific files from September onwards, can contact Mar Benavides and Xavier Mari.
Summary of the statement of intent submitted to the call for expressions of interest (AMI) by Mar Benavides (MIO) and Sylvain Ouillon (LEGOS)
Particulate transport of plumes of natural (sediments) and anthropogenic particulate matter (which includes the two major classes of anthropogenic carbonaceous particles, microplastics and black carbon) from the Mekong and Red River deltas to the ocean, and impact on plankton productivity (PP and BP) and community structure. This last point includes nitrogen fixation. Particulate inputs will be studied in the fluvial / marine and atmospheric compartments. Arguments:
- River plumes as transition zones, influence on coastal ecosystems and transition to the open ocean;
- Atmospheric plumes as sources of particulate aerosols for the marine system, influence planktonic productivity in coastal areas;
- Fragile coastal ecosystems highly impacted by anthropogenic pressure (river sediment discharge altered by dam construction, black carbon riverine discharge and atmospheric deposition);
- Interest to understand the fate of river plumes into the sea at the physical and biogeochemical level, the transformation of suspended aggregates within the plume in a salinity gradient;
- Provide data series for calibration/validation of numerical models and comparison between surface currents from VHF radars and depth-profiles of surface currents measured by a towed ADCP;
- Cruise supported by several projects/networks (GDRI SOOT-SEA, JEAI microplastics, LMI LOTUS, projects...).
To date, the main objectives are: (1) to document the plume configuration and hydrodynamics, and the fate of transported material from the river mouth to the open ocean, (2) to document the plume of aerosols along the Vietnam coast.