Relationship between groundwater properties and soil salinity at the Lower Nam Kam River Basin in Thailand

The Lower Nam Kam River Basin lies in the vicinity of the Mekong River and is located in the eastern section of the Nakhon Panom Province in northeastern Thailand. Drought, particularly in the winter and summer seasons, is the main environmental challenge in this area. In addition, soil becomes saline and groundwater is brackish in some locations. This problem worsens the drought crisis in the area. Groundwater is known to closely relate to the soil salinity distribution. To successfully manage highly saline areas, saline groundwater and soil properties must be evaluated together. Therefore, the main objective was to study the shallow groundwater physical and chemical properties in conjunction with surface soil salinity. Soil samples were collected and measured for physical and chemical properties. Shallow groundwater was measured for depth from ground surface and sampled from the sites in the study area. The water samples were measured for pH, total dissolved solids, electrical conductivity, and salinity. Results were interpolated and displayed via a geographic information system and further analyzed by simple linear regressions between surface soil salinity and the other factors. The results show that the topsoil contaminated with salinity is typically situated in relatively low areas with shallow groundwater levels and low head gradient of groundwater. This is due to the characteristics of the soil profile and groundwater depth.