Tonle Sap
Garrett Cooper
Though we won’t be on the Tonle Sap River or lake for our proposed expedition, we will
see it during our stay in Cambodia. An interesting and rare phenomenon takes place here
during the wet season when the Mekong floods. The rainy season coincides with the snow
melt in the Himalaya, causing the water level of the Mekong rises so much it actually reverses
the flow of the Tonle Sap river. Instead of flowing into the Mekong, the Mekong flows into the
Tonle Sap Lake, dramatically flooding it every year. The Lake swells to nearly five times its
usual size and the depth from 3-6 feet to around 35 feet, covering about 7% of Cambodia’s total
area. After the rainy season in November, the rivers take their usual course with the Tonle Sap River
flowing into the Mekong. The yearly flooding of Cambodia’s waterways is vital to the ecosystem and
provides fertile land for agriculture (NG1), though this is in serious danger because of dam construction.
(NG1) see Tonle Sap in National Geographic Cambodia.
Garrett Cooper
Though we won’t be on the Tonle Sap River or lake for our proposed expedition, we will
see it during our stay in Cambodia. An interesting and rare phenomenon takes place here
during the wet season when the Mekong floods. The rainy season coincides with the snow
melt in the Himalaya, causing the water level of the Mekong rises so much it actually reverses
the flow of the Tonle Sap river. Instead of flowing into the Mekong, the Mekong flows into the
Tonle Sap Lake, dramatically flooding it every year. The Lake swells to nearly five times its
usual size and the depth from 3-6 feet to around 35 feet, covering about 7% of Cambodia’s total
area. After the rainy season in November, the rivers take their usual course with the Tonle Sap River
flowing into the Mekong. The yearly flooding of Cambodia’s waterways is vital to the ecosystem and
provides fertile land for agriculture (NG1), though this is in serious danger because of dam construction.
(NG1) see Tonle Sap in National Geographic Cambodia.