To assess the results of the research activities during the last two years, 2009-2011, as well as the preparation of research proposal for an extension phase, 2012-2014,  the project P2-08-Vie will organize a workshop on 16/2/2012 at the National Institute of Oceanography, Nha Trang, Viet Nam.

The workshop will including presentation of different aspects on ecology and oceanography of the Nha Phu – Binh Cang estuary and adjacent waters. The following activities will be finalizing the manuscripts for peer-reviewed scientific publication and further discussion on the focus of the project extension.

WS program could be downloaded at here.

Hanh and her supervisors (Dr. Lars Chresten Lund-Hansen and Dr. Erik Kristensen) at graduated reception

In September 2009, Vietnamese Giang Ngoc Tuong Nguyen travelled all the way to Denmark in order to begin her studies at the MSc program in Aquatic Science and Technology at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU). In July 2011, she defended her thesis, and became the first to graduate from the program.

Read full story at here

Director general Fritz Köster, DTU Aqua, congratulated Giang when she graduated on July 1 2011. She is the first graduate from the MSc program in Aquatic Science and Technology. Photo: Kristine Bohmann, DTUAssociate professor Marianne Ellegaard, University of Copenhagen, supervised Giang’s Master’s thesis. Photo: Kristine Bohmann, DTU

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 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

" 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

Sampling map, Nov. 2

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