Possible impact of dam reservoirs and river diversions on material fluxes to the Gulf of Thailand

Thai people have always been agricultural-based, although rainwater is not enough to sustain year-round agricultural practice. The first earth-filled dam was built across a valley near Sukhothai over 700 years ago. Now, there are six major multipurposed dam reservoirs, among which the largest is the Sri Nakarind (SN) built across the Kwae Yai River, the main branch of the Mae Klong River in the western part of Thailand. The first multipurposed dam reservoir built on the Chao Phraya (largest) River System is the Bhumibhol Dam on the Ping River. In this paper, the two Mae Klong River Dam Reservoirs and their biology and chemistry are discussed. Also investigated are the historical records of material fluxes to the Gulf of Thailand in down-core sediment profiles and in 40-year bands of coral, Porites lutea, taken from the Upper Gulf of Thailand near Si Chang Island. Sediment cores studied did not show clear decreases in the biogenic silica concentration in the Upper Gulf area after the building of dams. Part of the reasons might be the higher rate of dissolution of silica in tropical waters bioturbation of surface layers or the constant disturbance of the bottom sediment by fishermen using bottom trawls. The record in the coral bands seems to be more promising in reflecting the material flux change due to dam construction. An attempt to detect changes in diatom population with time due to the expected decrease in siliceous material discharge was not possible because there was a change from the use of 70 μm mesh size to 20 μm mesh size resulting in the increase of species and biomass, although the diatom percentage remained above 80% in all estuarine samples.