Experiments on wave motion and suspended sediment concentration at Nang Hai, Can Gio mangrove forest, Southern Vietnam

Biogeochemical and trophodynamic processes as well as hydrodynamic factors play a major role in the structure and function of mangrove ecosystems. This study outlines field experiments on wave motion and suspended sediment concentration carried out at Nang Hai, Can Gio mangrove forest, Southern Vietnam. Pressure sensors were used to measure sea surface elevation, and Optical Backscatter Sensors (OBS) were applied to detect infrared (IR) radiation scattered from suspended particles in order to measure turbidity and suspended sediment concentrations. The experimental results indicate that most of the energy is dissipated inside the mangrove forest as a result of wave-trunk interactions and wave breaking. The suspended sediment concentration depends on wave intensity and tidal current velocity. Wave action is one of the main factors forcing sediment transport and coastal erosion at the study site; even the wave field at the study site is not so strong. The establishment of mangrove vegetation can encourage the deposition of sediment, or at least the retention of the flood-tide sediment influx.