Assessment of Spatial-temporal Distribution of Observed Salinity Based on Location and Water Depth in Can Gio Area, Southern Vietnam

The Can Gio mangrove forest in southern Vietnam hosts abundant ecological resources and plays an important role in protecting Ho Chi Minh City from storms in the East Sea. This area is currently facing environmental problems, including changes in water salinity that affect mangrove health, because of the complexity of the local river system. Freshwater from the Sai Gon - Dong Nai River system mixes with seawater from the East Sea, altering salinity at different locations along with the effects of the tidal regime. In this study, we surveyed the spatial temporal distribution of salinity in the Can Gio area with referenec to location and river depth using commercial data loggers to record salinity time series at two locations and salinity depth profiles at 24 locations along the two main rivers in the area. Our results showed that salinity steadily declined upstream from the sea and was strongly affected by the tide regime. Salinity also changed based on the water depth, the hydrodynamic effects of current and river channel width.