The pilot research cooperation programme between Vietnam and Denmark, which has been running since 2008, held its first annual meeting on 4 March. Vietnamese researchers, the Danish delegation, and representatives from MOST agreed that results so far are promising.

With an overall thematic focus on climate change, the research collaboration programme (2008-2011) is piloting a new approach by letting Vietnamese researchers define the themes of the joint projects and select the Danish researchers they want to work with. Four projects are running so far, while a new call for proposals is expected to result in another two projects being approved during 2010.

   The annual meeting was used to take stock of the preliminary experience, and Chairman of the Danish Consultative Research Committee for Development Research, Professor Henrik Secher Marcussen summarised this as follows:

“We are at the turn of a new trend in international research cooperation where research is increasingly driven by national policies, strategies and priorities in partner countries. The programme in Vietnam is pioneering the trends that we want to promote, and I am pleased to see that it has evolved positively and has strong ownership from researchers and authorities in Vietnam. Three years are too short to produce solid and useful results and it is important to continue the programme for another three years to consolidate some of the on-going projects and initiate a number of new projects”.

It was agreed that the pilot research cooperation programme should be continued for a further three year period (2012-2014).

Read the full article here: Ministry of foreign affairs: Embassy of Denmark, Hanoi

The hot topic of global warming caused by increased CO2 emissions into the atmosphere takes up a lot of space in the media. However, Increased CO2 levels can also impact the coastal zones around the world, possibly at a faster pace.

"... the problem begins when atmospheric CO₂ dissolves in seawater and creates carbonic acid that is then rapidly transformed into carbonate and bicarbonate ions in the water. Increased acidity tips the balance toward bicarbonate formation and away from carbonate. Less carbonate in the water means that shellfish have fewer building blocks to generate their shells. If the water is acidic enough, shells can even begin to dissolve."

P. viridis from Nha Phu Bay, Vietnam

"Estuarine and coastal ecosystems may be especially vulnerable to changes in water chemistry caused by elevated CO₂ because their relative shallowness, reduced salinity and lower alkalinity makes them inherently less buffered to changes in pH than in the open ocean," said Miller. For many calcifying organisms, CO₂-induced acidification poses a serious challenge because these organisms may experience reduced rates of growth and calcification that when combined with other environmental stresses, could spell disaster." 

Read the article at Sciencedaily.com

 Journal refference: Miller et al. Shellfish Face Uncertain Future in High CO2 World: Influence of Acidification on Oyster Larvae     Calcification and Growth in Estuaries. PLoS ONE, 2009; 4 (5): e5661 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0005661

As the tropical storm Mirinae closes in on central Vietnam, people in the most vulnerable parts are
evacuated.

" Tropical Storm Mirinae slammed Vietnam's central coast Monday, unleashing heavy rains and winds and forcing more than 80,000 people to evacuate. The storm packed winds of 63 mph (102 kph) as it made landfall in Phu Yen province Monday afternoon. Mirinae hit the Philippines with typhoon strength over the weekend. It killed 20 people before losing strength as it moved across the South China Sea toward Vietnam. Heavy rains lashed Binh Dinh and Phu Yen provinces as the storm made landfall in Vietnam, but no deaths were reported."

Read the full article here

Photo: www.thanhniennews.com

Update on Wednesday, November 4, 2009 at 12:16PM by Anders

UPDATE

" HA NOI — Despite downgrading into a tropical low, Typhoon Mirinae hit the central region of Viet Nam yesterday, leaving at least 31 dead, 21 missing and 45 injured. According to the Central Committee for Flood and Storm Prevention and Control, the storm also destroyed 154 houses, damaged nearly 2,500 others and inundated about 1,000ha of rice and more than 800ha of subsidiary crops. "

Full article: Article in Viet Nam News

Sampling map, Nov. 2From the 21st till the 27th of November 2009, the CLIMEEViet project will conduct an ambitious cruise in the Nha Phu sampling site. The cruise will consist of rigorous sampling in order to collect much needed data from the rainy season in the region.
Biological and physical sampling will be collected during a full 24 hour period, with sampling intervals of 30 minutes and 2 hours. This will occur twice to capture the effects of both neap and spring tide.
An ADCP (Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler) will be used to map the tidal currents in the bay, in order to evaluate hydrodynamics during changing tides.

Sediment samples as well as inland nutrient sampling is planned as well.

Short summary of decisions that was made on the meeting:

Details about the sampling cruise in November were set. The cruise will include a 24 hour anchor station conducting measurements every 2 hours, ADCP measurements in the estuary along with significant biological sampling.

Marianne Ellegaard giving a presentation to CLIMEEViet delegatesA cruise for sediment sampling was also planned along with a trip to investigate nutrient levels in shrimp pond sludge.

New features of the website was discussed and an outline for a new Vietnamese section was agreed upon.

Finally a discussion was started about the possibility of setting up a VN & DK Co-operation Centre in Marine Science at the Institute of Oceanography, Nha Trang. Nothing definite was decided but the involved workgroups will have a contribution ready for a meeting to be held mid-2010.

More details about the meeting can be found here (.pdf)

Participants: Nguyen Ngoc Lam, Doan Nhu Hai, Nguyen Kim Hanh, Lars Chresten Lund-Hansen, Kurt Thomas Jensen, Anders Isak Jørgensen, Rocio Castaño Primo, Erik Kristensen, Jesper Lund, Marianne Ellegaard, Morten Holtegaard Nielsen & Henrik Enevoldsen