Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 4, 2026

Laboratory-determined Phosphorus Flux from Lake Sediments as a Measure of Internal Phosphorus Loading
Published on: March 6, 2014
Sediment: curse or blessing for Tonle Sap Lake?
Matti Kummu1, Dan Penny, Juha Sarkkula
1Water Resources Laboratory of Helsinki University of Technology, Finland. matti.kummu@iki.fi
Abstract:
It has been claimed that Tonle Sap Lake is rapidly filling with sediment as a result of increasing sediment yields from the catchment. Infilling of the lake basin would have serious implications for the magnitude of flooding in central Cambodia and the Mekong Delta region and threaten the lake's unique ecosystem. In this article, we synthesize the results of radiocarbon dating of sediment cores and hydrodynamic modeling results to provide an empirically based assessment of this issue. We find that current sedimentation rates within the lake basin proper are low and have been for several millennia. However, sedimentation at the lake margin and in its floodplain is relatively high, which presents a range of issues for riparian communities.
Related Concept Videos
Freshwater Microbial Ecology
Acid Mine Drainage
Water and Mineral Acquisition
Microbial Leaching
Design Example: Analyzing Capacity Contours for Flood Risk Assessment
Net Change Theorem

