{"id":19103,"date":"2026-09-04T12:22:59","date_gmt":"2026-09-04T05:22:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thesiamsociety.org\/?post_type=activity&p=19103"},"modified":"2026-11-11T12:24:18","modified_gmt":"2026-11-11T05:24:18","slug":"beyond-sand-re-thinking-the-drivers-of-change-in-the-mekong-delta","status":"publish","type":"activity","link":"https:\/\/thesiamsociety.org\/en\/activity\/beyond-sand-re-thinking-the-drivers-of-change-in-the-mekong-delta\/","title":{"rendered":"Beyond Sand: Re-thinking the Drivers of Change in the Mekong Delta"},"content":{"rendered":"

[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ fullwidth=”on” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ background_image=”https:\/\/thesiamsociety.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Jurney-to-Southern-cover-E.jpg” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_fullwidth_header _builder_version=”4.27.9″ background_color=”RGBA(255,255,255,0)” background_image=”https:\/\/thesiamsociety.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/pics-edit-for-lectures-3.png” background_size=”contain” background_repeat=”repeat” min_height=”350px” max_height=”500px” global_colors_info=”{}” background__hover_enabled=”on|desktop”][\/et_pb_fullwidth_header][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.16″ collapsed=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row column_structure=”3_5,2_5″ use_custom_gutter=”on” custom_padding_last_edited=”on|tablet” _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_margin=”|auto|28px|auto|false|false” custom_padding=”0px||15px|||” custom_padding_tablet=”0px||0px||false|false” custom_padding_phone=”0px||||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”3_5″ module_class=”second-on-mobile” _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding_tablet=”0px||||false|false” custom_padding_last_edited=”off|phone” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_blurb url=”\/lectures\/” use_icon=”on” font_icon=”H||divi||400″ icon_placement=”left” image_icon_width=”24px” _builder_version=”4.16″ body_font=”|700|||||||” link_option_url=”\/lectures\/” icon_font_size=”24px” global_colors_info=”{}” body_text_color__hover_enabled=”on|hover” body_text_color__hover=”rgba(29,39,49,0.7)”]Back to Lectures[\/et_pb_blurb][et_pb_text admin_label=”Pre-header message” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _dynamic_attributes=”content” module_alignment=”center” custom_margin=”||15px||false|false” custom_css_main_element=”text-align: left;” text_text_align=”center” global_colors_info=”{}”]@ET-DC@eyJkeW5hbWljIjp0cnVlLCJjb250ZW50IjoiY3VzdG9tX21ldGFfcHJlLWhlYWRlcl9tZXNzYWdlIiwic2V0dGluZ3MiOnsiYmVmb3JlIjoiIiwiYWZ0ZXIiOiIiLCJlbmFibGVfaHRtbCI6Im9uIn19@[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”Lecture Topic Heading” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _dynamic_attributes=”content” header_text_color=”#8e794c” max_width_tablet=”90%” max_width_phone=”100%” max_width_last_edited=”off|desktop” module_alignment=”center” custom_margin=”||62px|||” custom_padding=”||30px||false|false” module_alignment_last_edited=”off|tablet” custom_css_main_element=”text-align: left;” border_width_bottom=”1px” border_color_bottom=”#dbd3d8″ text_text_align=”center” global_colors_info=”{}”]@ET-DC@eyJkeW5hbWljIjp0cnVlLCJjb250ZW50IjoicG9zdF90aXRsZSIsInNldHRpbmdzIjp7ImJlZm9yZSI6IjxoMT4iLCJhZnRlciI6IjwvaDE+In19@[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.9″ text_font=”||||||||” header_font=”||||||||” width=”100%” custom_margin=”||40px||false|false” custom_padding=”0px||||false|false” custom_padding_tablet=”50px||||false|false” custom_padding_phone=”” custom_padding_last_edited=”on|phone” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n

River deltas are dynamic landforms sustained by a long\u2013term balance between sediment supply, river discharge, marine processes and relative sea\u2013level change. They host highly\u2013productive ecosystems, fertile agricultural land and dense human settlements, yet many deltas worldwide \u2013 including the Mekong \u2013 are now experiencing rapid degradation.<\/p>\n

This talk provides an integrated overview of how deltas function, outlining the geomorphological and sedimentary processes that govern delta growth, stability and collapse. It then examines the principal drivers of delta evolution, distinguishing natural controls \u2013 such as monsoon variability, sediment characteristics and sea\u2013level fluctuations \u2013 from human\u2013induced pressures including river regulation, land\u2013use change, groundwater extraction and coastal engineering. Within this framework, sand mining \u2013 the most visible of these pressures \u2013 is weighed against upstream dams, groundwater\u2013driven subsidence and the other drivers of delta instability. In the Mekong basin, large reservoirs retain substantial sediment loads, while intensive sand extraction removes material essential for maintaining channel morphology, floodplains and delta fronts. The resulting sediment deficit accelerates river incision, bank erosion, subsidence and coastal retreat, compounding the effects of sea\u2013level rise and reduced flooding. Drawing on examples from Cambodia and Vietnam, the lecture explains why sand mining has become so contested, and how it weighs against the other drivers. It argues that the future of the Mekong Delta depends not on curbing sand extraction alone, but on tackling its largest controllable drivers together, through coordinated, basin\u2013wide and transboundary management.<\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_blurb title=”About the speaker” icon_placement=”left” _builder_version=”4.27.9″ header_level=”h3″ header_font=”||||||||” custom_padding=”||10px||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n

Massimo Sarti<\/strong> is a sedimentologist whose research work has focused on past Earth climates by studying sediments and rocks on land and in the oceans. He began his academic career at the University of Ferrara (Italy), then Oxford and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography (USA). He has been a member of scientific expeditions on drill-ships across the world\u2019s oceans and Antarctica, to understand through proxies contained in rocks and sediments the unfolding of ancient Earth climates. His interest in historic climate variability relates to impacts on life and societies. For over two decades, Aj. Massimo was Full Professor at the Polytechnic University of Marche (Italy), lecturing on geological and climatic risk analysis and consulting for UNESCO and FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization) in Southeast Asia and Sub\u2013Saharan Africa.<\/p>\n

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[\/et_pb_blurb][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”2_5″ module_class=”first-on-mobile” _builder_version=”4.16″ background_color=”#4e4e4d” custom_padding=”40px|40px|40px|40px|true|true” custom_padding_tablet=”” custom_padding_phone=”|40px||40px|true|true” custom_padding_last_edited=”on|phone” custom_css_main_element=”margin-bottom: 50px;” border_width_top=”4px” border_color_top=”#8e794c” border_width_bottom=”2px” border_color_bottom=”#8e794c” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_blurb title=”When” icon_placement=”left” _builder_version=”4.27.9″ header_level=”h3″ header_font=”||||||||” background_layout=”dark” custom_padding=”||0px||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n

Thursday, 17 December 2026 at 19:00<\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_blurb][et_pb_blurb title=”Where” icon_placement=”left” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _dynamic_attributes=”content” header_level=”h3″ header_font=”||||||||” background_layout=”dark” custom_padding=”||10px||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”]@ET-DC@eyJkeW5hbWljIjp0cnVlLCJjb250ZW50IjoiY3VzdG9tX21ldGFfbGVjdHVyZV9sb2NhdGlvbiIsInNldHRpbmdzIjp7ImJlZm9yZSI6IiIsImFmdGVyIjoiIiwiZW5hYmxlX2h0bWwiOiJvbiJ9fQ==@[\/et_pb_blurb][et_pb_blurb title=”Admission” icon_placement=”left” _builder_version=”4.25.1″ _dynamic_attributes=”content” header_level=”h3″ header_font=”||||||||” background_layout=”dark” custom_padding=”||10px||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”]@ET-DC@eyJkeW5hbWljIjp0cnVlLCJjb250ZW50IjoiY3VzdG9tX21ldGFfYWRtaXNzaW9uIiwic2V0dGluZ3MiOnsiYmVmb3JlIjoiIiwiYWZ0ZXIiOiIiLCJlbmFibGVfaHRtbCI6Im9uIn19@[\/et_pb_blurb][et_pb_blurb title=”For more information, please contact” icon_placement=”left” module_class=”contact-on-dark” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ header_level=”h3″ header_font=”||||||||” background_layout=”dark” custom_padding=”||10px||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}” body_link_text_color__hover_enabled=”off” body_link_text_color__hover=”#81bbc3″]Tel: 02 661 6470-3 ext 201 or e-mail: lectures@thesiamsociety.org<\/a> [\/et_pb_blurb][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ admin_label=”Section” _builder_version=”4.25.1″ background_color=”#eff1f3″ custom_margin=”||-27px||false|false” custom_margin_tablet=”” custom_margin_phone=”” custom_margin_last_edited=”on|phone” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row use_custom_gutter=”on” gutter_width=”2″ disabled_on=”off|off|off” admin_label=”More Upcoming Trips” _builder_version=”4.25.1″ custom_padding=”23px||31px||false|” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.25.1″ text_font=”||||||||” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n

More upcoming lectures<\/h2>\n

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