Dr. Edward Park Featured on the Mekong as a River of the Anthropocene

Dr. Edward Park of NTU-NIE was recently featured in Circle of Blue in the article “River of the Anthropocene: Could the Mekong River define SE Asia’s future?” (July 2025), where he highlighted the Mekong as a representative example of a “river of the Anthropocene.” The Mekong illustrates how cumulative pressures—upstream dams, intensive sand extraction, pollution, and altered hydrology—are reshaping one of the world’s great rivers and in turn threatening ecosystems, livelihoods, and food security across Southeast Asia.

Dr. Park leads the Tropical Rivers Group at the Earth Observatory of Singapore and NIE, where his research focuses on how tropical rivers respond to human activities and environmental change. His team combines satellite remote sensing, hydrological modeling, and field surveys to understand the impacts of sand mining, delta subsidence, and climate change on river systems. Much of this work centers on the Mekong Delta, positioning it as a global testbed for sustainable river management in the Anthropocene.

Read the whole article here.