Impact of acid deposition on surface water quality in the Lower Chao Phraya River, Thailand | |
| Author | Akter, Ayesha |
| Call Number | AIT Thesis no.EV-23-04 |
| Subject(s) | Acid deposition Water quality--Thailand--Lower Chao Phraya River |
| Note | A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Engineering in Environmental Engineering and Management |
| Publisher | Asian Institute of Technology |
| Abstract | Atmospheric acid deposition emerged as an important environmental problem over the decades and can lead to acidification of surface waters. Acid deposition release Sulfates and Nitrates, transform, transport, and deposit in the form of wet and dry deposition into surface water directly through precipitation and indirectly from surface runoff. Surface water acidification has caused extensive damage to fish populations and other aquatic life. Burning fossil fuels is said to be the primary cause of atmospheric acid deposition. Thailand's economy has grown rapidly in recent years and simultaneously increased energy demand, coal burning, and environmental emissions. As a result, the Chao Phraya River, a principal river of Thailand, faces a serious problem of acid deposition. Hence, the study of acid deposition is a timely demand for information useful for integrated environmental management. This research aims to assess the impact of acid deposition on the surface water quality of Chao Phraya River. The numerical model SWMM (Storm Water Management Model) was used to evaluate the atmospheric acid deposition impacts on an urbanized study subcatchment using the simulation results of air modeling CTM (WRF-CAMx) in the base year 2018. This study reveals the surface run-off water quality and the contribution of Nitrate, Sulfate, and Ammonium affect the river's water quality in the sub-catchment. This study uncovers that in the dry season, the runoff water that collected in a rainfall event had higher concentrations of nitrate, sulphate, and ammonium than the wet season. Atmospheric deposition fluxes of nitrate, sulphate, and ammonium from the WRF-CAMx model output were used as the SWMM model's input. The SWMM simulation results for the study subcatchment of Chao Phraya River disclose that in the rainfall event approximately 79.51% of nitrate load, 95.15% of sulfate load, and 62.65% of ammonium load from atmospheric acid deposition became runoff from the subcatchment of total buildup loads. The contribution of pollutant concentration from atmospheric deposition was approximately 28% of the total measured nitrate concentration and about 16% of the total measured ammonium concentration. The research findings will be helpful in providing useful information for public policy and integrated environmental management of river basins. |
| Year | 2023 |
| Type | Thesis |
| School | School of Environment, Resources, and Development (SERD) |
| Department | Department of Energy and Climate Change (Former title: Department of Energy, Environment, and Climate Change (DEECC)) |
| Academic Program/FoS | Environmental Engineering and Management (EV) |
| Chairperson(s) | Xue, Wenchao;Nguyen Thi Kim Oanh (Co-Chairperson) |
| Examination Committee(s) | Ekbordin Winijkul;Ho Huu Loc |
| Scholarship Donor(s) | Local Government Engineering Department (LGED), Bangladesh |
| Degree | Thesis (M. Eng.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 2023 |