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Richard L. Snyder

Publications and source records attributed to Richard L. Snyder.

4 recordsLinked to original sources
USGS2016

Variation of energy and carbon fluxes from a restored temperate freshwater wetland and implications for carbon market verification protocols

Temperate freshwater wetlands are among the most productive terrestrial ecosystems, stimulating interest in using restored wetlands as biological carbon sequestration projects for greenhouse gas reduction programs. In this study, we used the eddy covariance technique to measure surface energy carbon fluxes from a constructed, impounded freshwater wetland during two annual periods that were 8 years apart: 2002–2003 and 2010–2011. During 2010–2011, we measured methane (CH 4 ) fluxes to quantify the annual atmospheric carbon mass balance and its concomitant influence on global warming potential (GWP). Peak growing season fluxes of latent heat and carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) were greater in 2002–2003 compared to 2010–2011. In 2002, the daily net ecosystem exchange reached as low as −10.6 g C m −2  d −1 , which was greater than 3 times the magnitude observed in 2010 (−2.9 g C m −2  d −1 ). CH 4 fluxes during 2010–2011 were positive throughout the year and followed a strong seasonal pattern, ranging from 38.1 mg C m −2  d −1 in the winter to 375.9 mg C m −2  d −1 during the summer. The results of this study suggest that the wetland had reduced gross ecosystem productivity in 2010–2011, likely due to the increase in dead plant biomass (standing litter) that inhibited the generation of new vegetation growth. In 2010–2011, there was a net positive GWP (675.3 g C m −2  yr −1 ), and when these values are evaluated as a sustained flux, the wetland will not reach radiative balance even after 500 years.

California↗
USGS2010

Distribution and trends in reference evapotranspiration in the North China plain

The distribution and trends in reference evapotranspiration (ET(o)) are extremely important to water resources planning for agriculture, and it is widely believed that rates of ET(o) will increase with global warming. This is a big concern in China, where water deficits are common in the North China Plain (NCP). In this study, Penman-Monteith reference evapotranspiration at 26 meteorological stations during 1961-2006 in and around the NCP was calculated. The temporal variations and spatial distribution of ET(o) were analyzed and the causes for the variations were discussed. The results showed that: (1) the NCP was divided into two climatic regions based on aridity values: a semiarid region that accounts for 69% of the area and subhumid regions that made of the remaining area; (2) over the entire NCP, the highest annual ET(o) occurred in the central and western areas and the lowest total ET(o) was observed in the east. Comparing the mean monthly ET(o) and annual ET(o) distributions, the high ET(o) values from May through July mainly determined the annual ET(o) distribution; (3) for the whole NCP, annual ET(o) showed a statistically significant decrease of 11.92 mm/decade over the 46 years of data collection in the NCP or approximately a 5% total decrease compared to the ET(o) values in 1961; (4) to determine which variable has the greatest effect on the decrease in ET(o), decadal changes were observed for daily values of maximum air temperature (+0.16 degrees C), minimum air temperature (+0.35 degrees C), net radiation (-0.13 MJ m(-2)), and mean wind speed (-0.09 m s(-1)). These results indicate that the decreasing net radiation and wind speed had a bigger impact on ET(o) rates than the increases observed by the maximum and minimum temperatures.

North China Plain↗
USGS2007

Evapotranspiration rates and crop coefficients for a restored marsh in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, California, USA

The surface renewal method was used to estimate evapotranspiration (ET) for a restored marsh on Twitchell Island in the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta, California, USA. ET estimates for the marsh, together with reference ET measurements from a nearby climate station, were used to determine crop coefficients over a 3‐year period during the growing season. The mean ET rate for the study period was 6 mm day −1 , which is high compared with other marshes with similar vegetation. High ET rates at the marsh may be due to the windy, semi‐arid Mediterranean climate of the region, and the permanently flooded nature of the marsh, which results in very low surface resistance of the vegetation. Crop coefficient ( K c ) values for the marsh ranged from 0·73 to 1·18. The mean K c value over the entire study period was 0·95. The daily K c values for any given month varied from year to year, and the standard deviation of daily K c values varied between months. Although several climate variables were undoubtedly responsible for this variation, our analysis revealed that wind direction and the temperature of standing water in the wetland were of particular importance in determining ET rates and K c values.

Hydrological Processes↗