Source: UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, DAVIS submitted to
RICE CULTURE IN THE SACRAMENTO-SAN JOAQUIN DELTA TO MITIGATE PAST AGRICULTURAL IMPACTS, IMPROVE WATER QUALITY AND SEQUESTER CARBON
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
TERMINATED
Funding Source
AFRI COMPETITIVE GRANT
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
0224583
Grant No.
2011-67003-30371
Project No.
CA-D-LAW-2128-CG
Proposal No.
2015-02383
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Program Code
A3141
Project Start Date
May 1, 2011
Project End Date
Apr 30, 2018
Grant Year
2015
Project Director
Horwath, W. R.
Recipient Organization
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, DAVIS
410 MRAK HALL
DAVIS,CA 95616-8671
Performing Department
Land, Air and Water Resources
Non Technical Summary
This project will address key research questions associated with hydrology and water quality, soil C dynamics and soil carbon balance. These questions will be addressed at a variety of scales - agronomic plots, experimental 1-acre cells, fields of many acres, crop complex, and island-scale. We propose work that 1) will quantify the effect of rice improvement and cultivation on land-surface elevations, GHG emission and the soil carbon balance; 2) define best management practices for widespread rice cultivation in the Delta; and 3) quantify the logistical, environmental and economic opportunities and constraints to a regional water solution.
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
Research Effort Categories
Basic
50%
Applied
50%
Developmental
(N/A)
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
4050199107030%
4050199205030%
4050199202020%
4050199301020%
Knowledge Area
405 - Drainage and Irrigation Systems and Facilities;

Subject Of Investigation
0199 - Soil and land, general;

Field Of Science
2020 - Engineering; 3010 - Economics; 2050 - Hydrology; 1070 - Ecology;
Goals / Objectives
The primary long-term goal of this project is to demonstrate rice-based cropping systems as an agricultural solution in the Delta. Rice is expected to result in important environmental benefits: concurrently mitigating GHG emissions, soil loss, and subsidence while also reducing risks to the Delta, but the UC Rice Research Station at Biggs, CA has produced a limited set of commercial varieties for the Delta over the last decade. The first objective of this project is to supplement this rice variety testing with the development of appropriate agronomic practices for rice cultivation in the Delta and to quantify economics of these practices. A shift towards rice production in the Delta could, however, have negative environmental effects. For instance, fertilization may impact Hg methylation and GHG emission rates. Thus, the second objective of this project is to assess the environmental impacts of a Delta rice cropping system and associated agronomic practices. We will identify optimal management practices to enhance environmental benefits and avoid or minimize impacts. Given the topography and logistics of Delta islands, other crops will likely continue to be cultivated on individual Delta islanda. A third objective will be to quantify GHG emissions, soil carbon sequestration, and subsidence effects of rice cultivation in comparison to other crops to estimate island-scale effects. For rice to provide significant environmental benefits, it will require broad cultivation throughout the Delta, thus a fourth objective is to develop sustainable strategies for regionalizing Delta rice cropping such that significant environmental benefits are realized at regional and state scales. This project will assess the technical, logistical, economic and policy constraints and opportunities to expanding rice throughout the Delta, and examine regional and state-water project scale impacts.
Project Methods
We will address the following questions using a variety of activities at different scales: agronomic plots, fields, farms or crop complexes, island, regional, state water project. Agronomic plots (cells) will be established to test management practices effects on soil C sequestration, crop water use, drainage water quality and mitigation of GHG. We will compare fertilizer suite and rates, variety testing, seeding method (aerial v drill), flood duration and depth, etc. All environmental and management effects will be monitored and quantified at the field scale and include such practices as field preparation requirements, field size, field levelness, drain water management, water management on the fields, water depth, variety yield potential, etc. The environmental investigations include chamber, eddy covariance measurements and soil C dynamics to quantify GHG emissions; continuous and discrete water quality (e.g. DOC, EC, Hg, nutrients) and hydrologic measurements; measurements of subsidence; and economic evaluation. Farm scale work includes comparison of rice to corn, a predominant crop grown on the islands. This scale will allow assessment of farm- or crop complex management and cultural practices (e.g. water recycling, importing drainage water from other island crop types). The engineering scale considers the opportunities, constraints and logistics for integrating rice into the island framework. The focus of this scale will be to model agronomic and hydrologic farm scale results to the island scale. The eddy covariance and chamber results will be scaled to estimate GHG emissions. Soil C dynamics results will be scaled to address the mitigative outcome from potential soil C sequestration. These data as well as hydrologic data at smaller scales will be integrated into a comprehensive hydrologic model, which models subsurface hydrology. We will address the regional scale focuses through impacts on the broader water system and water quality, potential impact on protecting the water supply from reduced risks of levee failure, and impacts on regional and state GHG emissions, C sequestration, and fisheries and wildlife habitat. The engineering approach will be used to understand the feasibility of recommendations for rice cropping systems and the potential distribution of rice cropping across the Delta. Regional economic impact of extensive conversion to rice cultivation will be assessed along with the costs and benefits and distribution thereof, in the Delta system. All the environmental topic areas will be addressed at the regional scale through extrapolation of collected site-scale data through use of computer models, such as the DNDC model for GHG emissions and carbon sequestration. Ultimately, the main question is "Will rice effect California agriculture through GHG mitigation, C sequestration, subsidence reversal and water resource improvements" Potentially, successful rice cropping in the Delta will positively impact millions of irrigated crops throughout the state.

Progress 05/01/11 to 04/30/18

Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience for our work has been scientific community as well as the water-resources management community. Through publications and outreach, we have attempted to disseminate our information to these audiences: Agency personnel involved in policy, regulatory, and budget decisions, agency and academic scientists engaged in developing and interpreting scientific basis for policy decisions, and stakeholder groups (NGO's) actively participating in discussions on underpinning science and policy. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Professional Training.First year hydrology professional - valuation of water in California considering supply, demand and policy (Tt/Bachand & Associates - Bachand; Nathan Hatch); First year hydrology professional --Young professional training in the San Joaquin Sacramento Delta hydrologic model and C2VSIM model used throughout the CA water community (Tt - S. Roy; John Rath).Professional training on Surface Water Simulation Model (C2VSIM) and the Integrated Water Flow. Model (IWFM) provided by DWR (Bachand & Associates - Bachand: S. Bachand, Senior Staff and R. Hossner, First year hydrology professional). Please see previous reports on undergraduate and graduate student and post doctraining and mentoring completed during the project. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?All extension objectives have been completed. Members of this project team will continue to work with California Dept. Water Resourceswith regard to implications of Delta water management on water availability in the Central Valley and as related to CA's Sustainable Groundwater Management Act. Please see previous reports on on outreach and engagement activities that were completed during this project. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?The project has ended.The project team will continue to work on completing publications that are currently in prep or submitted and under review.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? The primary long-term goal of this project was to demonstrate rice-based cropping systems as an agricultural solution in the Delta. Rice is expected to result in important environmental benefits: concurrently mitigating GHG emissions, soil loss, and subsidence while also reducing risks to the Delta, but the UC Rice Research Station at Biggs, CA has produced a limited set of commercial varieties for the Delta over the last decade. The first objective of this project was to supplement this rice variety testing with the development of appropriate agronomic practices for rice cultivation in the Delta and to quantify economics of these practices. A shift towards rice production in the Delta could, however, have negative environmental effects. For instance, fertilization may impact Hg methylation and GHG emission rates. Thus, the second objective of this project was to assess the environmental impacts of a Delta rice cropping system and associated agronomic practices. This project has succeeded in meeting the outlinedgoals: ·Agronomic practices as related to N management of rice in the Delta has been completed. These practices and recommendations have been published and made available to growers thruogh regional outreach events and publications. ·GHG emissions from rice have been quantified, related to management rice management and related to other land uses in the Delta. Data for rice has been incorporated into the National Database on GHG emissions and is being utilized in land use planning for the Delta ·Rice has been shown to reverse subsidence in the Delta.Levee risks due to subsidence have been quantified and risk reductions from implementing rice have been quantified. Lands identified as key for protecting the water supply through the Delta has been identified and regional risk reduction is being quantified and priority islands are being identified. ·The economics of growing rice in the Delta have been identified.These economics have been developed in comparison to other land uses.A report is being developed for local and regional economics to inform the CA Dept of Water Resources. ·Mercury (Hg) from rice has been part of a more global assessment of land uses and their effects on Hg as well as island management considerations and includes terrestrial crops, rice and wetlands. Factors affecting Hg have been identified and published in peer reviewed journals. ·A learning lab based in the Delta was developed for local area school districts to train students in STEM in a field relevant to residents. The lab completed 4 year of various projects including growing rice, analyzing for GHG, conducting science fairs and special classes for STEM students with interest in Delta restoration using this project as an example. ·A Delta hydrologic model has been developed and is considering the effects of levee failure on flows and salinity in the Delta, both affecting California water supplies. This will become part of a tool set used by CA Dept. of Water Resources in managing and restoing Delta wetlands for assessing examine regional and state-water project scale impacts. Please see previous reports for a complete list of accomplishements that occured during the project.

Publications

  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Bachand, PAM, SM Bachand, D. Stern, S. Deverel, WR Horwath. 2018. Rice Drain Management to Reduce Seepage Exports in the Sacramento -San Joaquin Delta, CA. Journal of Environmental Quality. JEQ-2018-03-0089-TR.R1. Published on First-Look.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Submitted Year Published: 2018 Citation: Hatch, N., PAM Bachand. An Estimation of the Economic Value of Displaced Water as a Result of Levee Failure in the Sacramento  San Joaquin Delta
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Under Review Year Published: 2019 Citation: Bachand SM, Deverel S, Merrill A, Bachand PAM. Subsidence and levee failure in the California Delta: the potential for rice to reduce failure rates.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Submitted Year Published: 2019 Citation: Bachand, P.A.M., S.M. Bachand, S. Roy, J. Rath. Strategies to recycle island drain waters onto rice fields in the San Joaquin Delta and effects on island exports, pumping rates and energy use
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Deverel, S., Jacobs, P., Lucero, C., Dore, S., & Kelsey, T. (2017). Implications for Greenhouse Gas Emission Reductions and Economics of a Changing Agricultural Mosaic in the SacramentoSan Joaquin Delta. San Francisco Estuary and Watershed Science, 15(3). Retrieved from https://escholarship.org/uc/item/99z2z7hb
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Deverel, S. J, Leighton, D. A, Lucero, C., & Ingrum, T. (2017). Simulation of Subsidence Mitigation Effects on Island Drain Flow, Seepage, and Organic Carbon Loads on Subsided Islands SacramentoSan Joaquin Delta. San Francisco Estuary and Watershed Science, 15(4). Retrieved from https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4q340190
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Submitted Year Published: 2019 Citation: Roy, S, J. Rath, S. Bachand and PAM Bachand. Testing Rice Impacts in the Delta, Regional Hydrologic Model. San Francisco Estuary and Watershed Science
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Submitted Year Published: 2019 Citation: Merrill, Siegel, S Bachand, and P Bachand. Water supply reliability benefits from regional siting of rice and wetlands in the subsided California Delta (through-Delta conveyance). San Francisco Estuary and Watershed Science
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Submitted Year Published: 2019 Citation: Siegel, Roy, P Bachand, Merrill. X2 benefits from implementing rice in the Eight Western Islands of the California Delta. Target journal: Target: San Francisco Estuary and Watershed Science
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Submitted Year Published: 2019 Citation: Merrill, A.G., L. Silva, S. Deverel, S. Knox, P. Oikawa, S. Chamberlain, D. Baldocchi, W.R. Horwath. In Prep for 2019 Changes in greenhouse gas emissions associated with strategic distribution of rice and managed wetlands in the subsided California Delta. Water Resources Research.


Progress 05/01/16 to 04/30/17

Outputs
Target Audience: The target audience for our work has been scientific community as well as the water-resources management community. Through publications and outreach we have attempted to disseminate our information to these audiences. Agency personnel involved in policy, regulatory, and budget decisions, agency and academic scientists engaged in developing and interpreting scientific basis for policy decisions, and stakeholder groups (NGO's) actively participating in discussions on underpinning science and policy. Changes/Problems:The delays in contracting funding between the USDA and the University of California have forced the request for a 2nd no-cost extension. We anticipate completing all tasks in the final year. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Graduate student training is continuing in the areas ofGHG emissions relative to other land uses and its importance in a global assessment (UCB - Baldocchi, Oikawa, PY PhD); GHG emissions and carbon cycling as affected by land uses and their management (W Horwath, UCD; Nazanin Akrami, continuing PhD. student); Developing the economics of agricultural systems in the context of other environmental effects and at different scales of costs and benefits (Butler, UCD, Paul Jacobs and Andrea Brock are M.S. students). Post doc (Rongzhong YE and Lucas Silva ), and undergraduate student assistant (Carie Tyler and Feifan Yang) are being trainied in GHG emissions and carbon cycling as affected by land uses and management (W Horwath, UCD). In addition, students and post docs attend monthly project meetings regularly and are encourage to present their results at local and national meetings. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The delays in contracting final year funds have required a 7th year extension. All extension objectives have been completed. The final product that will be derived from the final report will be submitted to the California Department of Food and Aggriculture and Department of Water Resources. We have prsented this project and have ongoing discussions with these agencies. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?S. Siegal, PI Accomplishments planned for 2017 • Identify strategic placement of rice to maximize benefits for the Delta. • Collaborate with integration team to develop framework of assessing benefits and beneficiaries in the Delta associated with strategic placement of rice. • Related papers to be published from 2017 work: o Siegel,Roy,PBachand,Merrill.2017.X2benefitsfromimplementingriceinthe Eight Western Islands of the California Delta. Target journal: San Francisco Estuary and Watershed Science A. Merrill, PI Accomplishments planned for 2017 • Coordinated integration of GHG flux data to scale effects Delta wide. • Finalize levee risk assessment and identification of strategic placement of rice in the Delta to maximize benefits. • Continue to collaborate with integration team to develop framework of assessing benefits and beneficiaries in the Delta associated with strategic placement of rice • Finalize integration of GHG flux data and scale effects Delta wide for existing and potential future scenarios including rice placement. • Related manuscripts to be submitted for publications from 2017 are listed below. P. Bachand, PI Accomplishments planned for 2017 • Dr.Bachand (BA) and Dr. Roy (Tt) will complete regional assessment of 1) water quality impacts of rice, and 2) levee risk failure mitigation on Sacramento San Joaquin Delta. Develop and submit manuscript. Collaborate with CA Dept. Water Resources in effort. Results will be published in Roy et al (Upcoming papers, #4). • Dr. Bachand and S. Bachand (BA) will work with Dr. Merrill (Stillwater Science) and Dr. Siegel (Siegel Environmental) on regionalization effort. Three manuscripts are currently planned (#5 - #7( • Complete three papers in prep on local to island scale rice impactss (Upcoming papers, #1, 2, 3). • Work with Prof. Horwath and other Pis on synthesis paper of the AFRI project (Horwath/Bachand et al, upcoming papers, #7). L. Butler, PI Accomplishments planned for 2017 Consensus on relevant Delta Islands to include in analysis In order to come to a consensus on the relevant islands to include in our study, we prepared an extensive list of data pertaining to individual Delta islands. This exercise will aid in focusing our study on specific aspects of our project, and particularly those islands that are most likely to benefit from our base hypothesis: establishing rice-based cropping systems to slow, stop or reverse subsidence and result in increased levee stability and reduced risk of levee failure, subject to their importance in reducing disruption of conveyance of water through the Delta, maintaining or increasing water quality, and reducing GHG emissions in the Delta. Other relevant data for economic analysis The establishment of rice-based cropping systems in the Delta presents an opportunity to evaluate the impacts of levee failure, salinity concentrations, and the quality and quantity of water that flows through the Delta for the purposes of providing drinking water and irrigation water to the cities and farms to the south of the Delta. An important aspect of this project is that the broader economic (regional and state) impacts of establishing rice in the Delta need to be addressed. To date, we do not have detailed results.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? S. Segal, PI Overall objectives 1. Develop scenarios to highlight potential benefits and risks associated with rice placement. 2. Support development of model on changes in relative risk of future levee failure due to changes in static and seepage forces in Delta. 3. Support Stillwater Sciences in identifying spatial data and perform spatial analysis to support assessment of potential benefits associated with growing rice in the Delta. 4. Collaborate with project personnel to provide input 1) to economic modeling and 2) strategic planning. Accomplishments for Objectives in 2016 • Supported levee risk assessment for Delta associated with strategic placement of rice and with sea level rise. • Collaborated with integration team to develop framework of assessing benefits and beneficiaries in the Delta associated with strategic placement of rice. Amy Merrill, PI Overall objectives 5. Develop scenarios to high light potential benefits and risks associated with rice placement. 6. Support development of model on changes in relative risk of future levee failure due to changes in static and seepage forces in Delta. 7. Provide spatial data and perform spatial analysis to support assessment of potential benefits associated with growing rice in the Delta, including GHG flux. 8. Collaborate with project personnel to provide input 1) to economic modeling and 2) strategic planning. Accomplishments for Objectives in 2016 • Supported levee risk assessment for Delta associated with strategic placement of rice and with sea level rise. • Collaborated with integration team to develop framework of assessing benefits and beneficiaries in the Delta associated with strategic placement of rice. S. Deverel, PI Overall objectives 9. Improve understanding of groundwater hydrologic system on Delta islands through data collection on Twitchell Island. 10. Use this improved understanding to quantify the water quality and hydrologic effects owing to changing water- and land-management strategies to stop and reverse the effects of subsidence. 11. Quantify Delta subsidence and the benefits of rice cultivation and wetlands on Delta islands 12. Collaborate with project personnel to provide input 1) to economic modeling and 2) strategic planning. Accomplishments for Objectives 1 and 2 • Refined groundwater and solute transport model for Twitchell Island • Used model to simulate varying land- and water-management scenarios and assess effects on drain flow, seepage and drainage loads of dissolved organic carbon. • Wrote and submitted article describing simulation of varying land- and water- management scenarios and effects on drain flow, seepage and drainage loads of dissolved organic carbon (Deverel et al., 2016a). Objective 3 • Collected land-surface elevation change data using extensometers on Twicthell and Sherman islands. • Publication of article describing present-day oxidative subsidence of organic soils and mitigation (Deverel et al. 2016b) • Coauthor on article published describing use of remote sensing to estimate subsidence (Sharma et al. 2016) Objective 4 • Collaborated with project personnel and provided input for economic, water quality and levee stability • Submitted article describing GHG benefits and economic aspects of alternative land uses on Staten Island in the Delta (Deverel et al. 2016c). • Coauthor on article on effects of subsidence on levees (Bachand et al. 2016 P. Bachand, PI 13. Improve understanding of local and regional water quality impacts and their management from implementing rice in the Delta. 14. Improve understanding of opportunities for rice to address levee failure risks 15. Supporting and providing focus for regionalization effort being conducted by Dr. Stillwater and Merrill. 16. Supporting economic assessment of risks from levee failure and from water quality impacts. 17. Project Management Accomplishments • Dr. Bachand (BA) Worked with UCD SPO to secure contracts from UCD to private subawards (Objective 5) • Dr. Bachand (BA) Completed draft manuscript defining surface and subsurface hydrologic pathways when growing rice on Delta islands. (Objective 1) • S. Bachand (BA) Completed analyses regarding subsidence and levee failure risks, developed model based upon levee risks dependence upon hydrologic head and peat/mud depth, and submitted for publication (Objective 2) • S. Bachand (BA) was junior author of published paper describing processes and factors affecting levee vulnerability (Deverel et al. 2016) (Objective 2) • S.Bachand (BA) Provided input into economic model development with regard to levee risks (Objective 4) • Dr. Bachand (BA) provided guidance to regionalization efforts by Siegel Environmental and Stillwater Sciences (Objective 3) • Dr. Bachand (BA) and Dr. Roy (Tt) have initiated modeling efforts of and compilation of data for the Sacramento San Joaquin Delta to show water resources risks from 1) water quality impacts from rice, and 2) levee failure. developed plan with Dr. Roy at Tetra Tech for Sacramento San Joaquin Delta water. Efforts will include valuing of municipal and irrigation water such that risks can be monetized. L. Butler, PI 1. New Data on Levee failure Risk due to Subsidence Sandra Bachand shared the results of her study into levee failure due to subsidence. We used the new data in both DAP and in our economic models to observe the economic consequences of her estimates of risk due to subsidence. The results will be part of the final report. 2. New data from Delta Levee Investment Strategy (DLIS) The Delta Levee Investment Strategy (DLIS) report conveyed extensive and updated new data on risk of levee failure, costs of a levee failure, risks of water conveyance through the Delta due to levee failure, and a number of other data that are useful for our project. Much of this data will be used in finalizing our report on the economic feasibility of establishing rice in the Delta to slow, stop or reverse subsidence on Delta islands. W. Horwath and D. Baldocchi D. Baldocchi will continue to monitor GHG emission using micromet approaches. This represents the 9th year of monitoring GHG from rice in the restored agricultural wetlands. W. Horwath has completed all assigned objectives.

Publications

  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Morris, J., R. Ye, L.C. R .Silva, W. R. Horwath. 2017. Nitrogen Fertilization Had No Effect on CH4 and N2O Emissions in Rice Planted in Rewetted Peatlands. Soil Science Society of America Journal. 81: 224-232.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Ye, R., M. Espe, B. Linquist, S. J. Parikh, T. A. Doane and W. R. Horwath. 2016. A soil carbon proxy to predict CH4 and N2O emissions from rewetted agricultural peatlands. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 220:64-75.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Ye, R., T. A. Doane and W. R Horwath. 2016. Comparison of isotope methods for partitioning methane production and soil C priming effects during anaerobic decomposition of rice residue in soil. Soil Biology and Biochemistry. 95: 51-59.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Ye, R. and W. R Horwath. 2016. Nitrous oxide uptake in rewetted wetlands with contrasting soil organic carbon contents. Soil Biology and Biochemistry. 100: 110-117.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Ye, R., M. B. Espe, B. Linquist, and W. R. Horwath 2016. A soil carbon proxy to predict CH4 and N2O emissions from rewetted agricultural peatlands. Agriculture and Ecosystems & Environment. 220: 64-75.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Oikawa, PY, Sturtevant, C, Knox, SH, Verfaillie, J, Huang, YW, Baldocchi, DD. 2016. Revisiting the partitioning of net ecosystem exchange of CO2 into photosynthesis and respiration with simultaneous flux measurements of (CO2)-C-13 and CO2, soil respiration and a biophysical model. AGRICULTURAL AND FOREST METEOROLOGY 234: 149-163.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Deverel SJ, Ingrum T, Leighton DA. 2016. Present-day oxidative subsidence of organic soils and mitigation in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, California, USA. Hydrogeology Journal 24(3):569. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/ s10040-016-1391-1
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Deverel, Steven, Paul Jacobs, Christina Lucero, Sabina Dore, T. Rodd Kelsey, 2016, Implications for greenhouse gas emission reductions and economics of a changing agricultural mosaic in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Submitted to San Francisco Estuary Watershed Science.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Deverel, Steven J.; Bachand, Sandra; Brandenberg, Scott J.; Jones, Cathleen E.; Stewart, Jonathan P.; & Zimmaro, Paolo. (2016d). Factors and Processes Affecting Delta Levee System Vulnerability. San Francisco Estuary and Watershed Science, 14(4). jmie_sfews_33460. http://escholarship.org/uc/item/36t9s0mp
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Oikawa, PY, Jenerette, GD, Knox, SH, Sturtevant, C, Verfaillie, J, Dronova, I , Poindexter, CM, Eichelmann, E, Baldocchi, DD. 2017. Evaluation of a hierarchy of models reveals importance of substrate limitation for predicting carbon dioxide and methane exchange in restored wetlands. JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-BIOGEOSCIENCES. 2: 145-167.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Steven J. Deverel, David A. Leighton, Christina Lucero, Timothy Ingrum, 2016, Subsidence mitigation, island drain flow, seepage, and organic carbon loads, SacramentoSan Joaquin Delta, submitted to San Francisco Watershed and Estuary Science


Progress 05/01/15 to 04/30/16

Outputs
Target Audience: The target audience for our work has been scientific community as well as the water-resources management community. Through publications and outreach we have attempted to disseminate our information to these audiences. Agency personnel involved in policy, regulatory, and budget decisions, agency and academic scientists engaged in developing and interpreting scientific basis for policy decisions, and stakeholder groups (NGO's) actively participating in discussions on underpinning science and policy. Previous efforts have targeted highschool students in STEM programs through participation in science fair projects, work with teachers to incorporate project results into STEM curricula, provide a living laboratory rice field for students to experience agronomic science, water quality studies, greenhouse studies and to interact with the PIs of the project. Changes/Problems:Despite the issues in the contracting of subcontracts that shutdown project activities in the fith year, we anticipate the completion of all stated project objective in the final no-cost extension during year 6. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Graduate student training is occurring in the following areas: agronomy (B. Linquist UCD; Mike Espe is completing his PhD. ), GHG emissions relative to other land uses and its importance in a global assessment (UCB - Baldocchi, J. Hatala and Sarah Knox PhDs completed); GHG emissions and carbon cycling as affected by land uses and their management (W Horwath, UCD; Nazanin Akrami, continuing PhD. student); Developing the economics of agricultural systems in the context of other environmental effects and at different scales of costs and benefits (Butler, UCD, Paul Jacobs and Andrea Brock are M.S. students). Tetra Tech has involved junior technical staff that is gaining expertise in understanding the relationship between environmental/agricultural science and real world application, management of applied science and engineering projects and how to disseminate that information out to agencies and stakeholders. This work has provided substantial opportunities for development for young HydroFocus professionals to improve their writing and analytical skills. Specific opportunities include groundwater and solute transport modeling, GHG emissions modeling and accounting and field measurement and analysis of subsidence and accretion rates (Deverel et al. 2016; Deverel et al. 2014). Junior staff have also have the opportunity to help with writing journal articles.? Post doc (Rongzhong YE and Lucas Silva ), technician (Tim Doane)and undergraduate student assistant (Carie Tyler and Feifan Yang) tare being trainiedin GHG emissions and carbon cycling as affected by land uses and management (W Horwath, UCD). In addition, students and post docs attend monthly project meetings regularly and are encourage to present their results at local and national meetings. In addition, students and post doc are working with local landowners and the Delta Science Center to promote outreach and engagement for the project.? How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Since more than half of the PIs on the project received no funding during the final 5th year of the project no progress was made in this area. The project was essentially shut down with no funding due to change in contracting requirements which took an entire year to resolve. As mentioned not all subcontractors have received final year funding which continues to hamper our progress in disseminating results. PIs continued to publish and attend national meetings (see products section for details) to extend results to the scientific community. Results have been published in a number of peer-reviewed on-line journals to inform technical professionals that work in Bay-Delta system on water and land-use related issues. In addition, many PIs present annually at the Bay-Delta Science Conference which is attended by these professionals. We have also provided presentations to policy makers and their staff on field trips and presentations. We expect that the dissemination of results for the project to be completed in the final no-cost year of the project. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?In the final year of the project we will combine and synthesize all results from PIs into a master report to inform the State of California of management scenariosthat use rice to restore the former Delta wetland ecosystem functions that have been degraded through over a century of intensive agriculture activities. Primary concerns are the reversal of soil subsidence caused by wetland drainage leading to the collapse of the soil resource. Secondly, we will demonstrate that the use of rice cropping can reverse soil subsidence through reintroducing wetland functions that sequester soil C. Reducing soil subsidence is also key to stabilizing levees, an important goal to protect water quality and arable farm land. Thirdly, we will describe how rice cropping systems can positively influence water quality. Water quality is an important issue since water in the Delta is exported for irrigation and drinking water to Southern California. Finally, we will provide a comprehensive set of guidelines to the State of California to inform future management and policy decisions to protect Delta Islands and State Water Project water quality. The following are a list of work by each PI to complete the stated project goals and objectives. Bruce Linquist (Agronomy) A couple of publications still need to be finished. In addition, we plan to work/collaborate with those in the project that are scaling up the modeling and policy development to the region for a final report to be submitted to the State of California. The results of the agronomic analysis will be incorporated into modeling efforts and to summarize guidelines to support rice cropping in the Delta. Dennis Baldocci (GHG and C exchange) Continue measuring greenhouse gas fluxes (CO2, H2O, CH4) on the rice field. 2. Conduct analyze of the effects of management (planting, water depth, straw management, plowing, discing, herbicide) and climate on the interannual variation of greenhouse gas fluxes from a rice paddy, with eddy covariance. 3. Collaborate with the Horwath Lab combining eddy covariance and chamber measurements to look at biogeochemical controls of greenhouse gas fluxes 4. Evaluate energy and water budget of a rice paddy and its interannual variation 5. Developing methods using information theory to extract information on the controls of biophysical factors on trace gas fluxes across a spectrum of time scales. The results of this research will be incorporated into modeling efforts and to summarize guidelines to support rice cropping in the Delta. Steve Deverel (Water quality and hydrology) During the next reporting period, we intend to submit 2 manuscripts for publication (listed as in preparation above) to San Francisco Estuary and Watershed Science. We will also present at the Bay-Delta Science Conference in November 2016. The results of this research will be incorporated into modeling efforts and to summarize guidelines to support rice cropping in the Delta. Phil Bachand (Levee stability and water quality) 1. Complete the above efforts on implementing rice to reduce levee failure risks; field scale effects of rice on water quality and surface/near surface hydrology; implementing rice at the island scale to decrease water quality impacts from Delta islands; and considering rice in regards to Delta water quality and water resources. These efforts are a joint effort of Bachand & Assocaites and Tetra Tech. 2. Summary manuscripts on AFRI Rice program 3. Outreach efforts with DWR and other State Agencies with regard to integrating AFRI findings into State efforts. The results of this research will be incorporated into modeling efforts and to summarize guidelines to support rice cropping in the Delta. Stuart Segal and Amy Merrill (Assessment Ecosystem Services) The 2016-2017 project period is the time during which we will carry out integration of research findings from the other project participants in the context of Delta land use planning, regionalizing the findings to identify a range of suitable geographies where the various benefits of rice crops can yield one or more of the benefits identified by the other project participants. We will also continue with our outreach at a range of external regional meetings and workshops The results of this research will be incorporated into modeling efforts and to summarize guidelines to support rice cropping in the Delta. Leslie Butler (Economic Analysis) Our main goal for 2016 is to incorporate all the information we have collected into a final report by the end of the year. This will include further economic analyses making use of alternative methods of estimating the probability of levee failure, and further analyses making use of the DAP model. 1. Incorporate biophysical responses (yields, fertilizer application, etc.) and ecosystem services (GHG emissions, water quality, etc.) into the DAP model calibration by working with other scientists on the AFRI project team. 2. Finalize DAP model calibration and implement the model for this project at the island, regional and state levels. 3. Complete regional and statewide analyses of policy choices. 4. Complete assessments of state level impacts of water conveyance, irrigation and water exports, and changes in cropping patterns in the Delta. 5.The results of this research will be incorporated into modeling efforts and to summarize guidelines to support rice cropping in the Delta. Jacob Fleck (Mercury Issues) Develop rice-based mercury cycling model (MCM) for Delta landscape scenarios. Data from the Twitchell field have been merged with other rice study data within the Delta and preliminary analyses have begun across the sites. Despite the relatively low total Hg concentrations in Twitchell Island soil, methylmercury concentrations were similar in magnitude to other rice fields in the area. Model development will continue towards a publication that includes an assessment of the effects of expanded rice production in the Delta with respect to methylmercury concerns. The results of this research will be incorporated into modeling efforts and to summarize guidelines to support rice cropping in the Delta. PI W. Horwath Quantify gross N2O production and consumption in peat soils during rice growing season in controlled lab studies. Evaluate substrate availability, soil C/N ratio, and soil organic carbon in the control of N2O consumption or reduction. Investigate plant-derived materials in the priming of soil organic matter contributing to extra emissions of CO2 and CH4, and losses of soil C in forms of dissolved organic matter. The results of this research will be incorporated into modeling efforts and to summarize guidelines to support rice cropping in the Delta.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? The project suffered from 5th funding issues where subcontractors received no funding during the 5th year of the project. This resulted in a request for a 6th year no-cost extension to complete the project. Most of the contracting issues were resolved after the end of the fifth year giving less than one year to complete the last year of the project. One subcontract is still not completed to date. The delay in funding has brought the project to a standstill during the 5thyear of the project. We are currently starting up all activities to complete the final year of the project goals and objectives. Though half of the PIs received no funding in the final year of the project due to contract issues related to a change in rules for subcontracting, some work was accomplished during year 5. The following details progress made during the 5th year. Bruce Linquist (Agronomy) Analyzed results and publisheda number of papers. These papers evaluated nitrogen dynamics in peat soils and lead to the development of fertilizer nitrogen management recommendations for rice on these soils. Further papers examined the climatic variables in California as a whole - but included the Delta region. These papers looked at yield potential and crop development rates. The Delta is unique due to its cool temperatures which influences yield potential and rates of crop development. Developed an extension pamphlet for growing rice in the Delta. This extension pamphlet is available on line (http://rice.ucanr.edu/files/210998.pdf). It discusses variety selection, nutrient management, weed control and special challenges to growing rice in this region. Dennis Baldocci (Net ecosystem water and carbon exchange) Baldocci's group continued to monitor the restoration effects of reversing soil subsidence using rice croppingon greenhouse gas (CO2 and CH4) fluxes in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. The results will represent an unprecedented 7 years of monitoring. See publications in the "Products" section. Steve Deverel (Hydrology and water quality monitoring and modeling) Towards meeting the goals of the project, HydroFocus' work has focused primarily on assessing the environmental impacts of rice growing; water quality and subsidence impacts on rice cultivation in the Delta. We have cooperated with UC Berkeley in the assessment of GHG emissions as they relate to subsidence (Hatala et al. 2012). We measured and modeled subsidence and documented the subsidence mitigation benefits of rice in the Delta (Deverel et al. 2016). We have cooperated with JPL in the measurement of subsidence using synthetic aperture radar (Sharma et al. 2016). We have documented the decreasing arability of the Delta due to ongoing subsidence (Deverel et al. 2015). We have cooperated with The Nature Conservancy and UC Davis to examine GHG and economic consequences of conversion to rice and wetlands (Deverel et al. in preparation).HydroFocus developed hydrologic and solute-transport models to assess the effects of changing land uses (including rice and wetlands) in the Delta. This work provides important information about how cultivating rice may affect dissolved organic carbon loads, seepage on islands and drain flows. Phil Bachand (levee stability) Completed levee stability analysis as related to subsidence and strategic placement of rice to mitigate risk.Levee stability analyses under subsidence and developing strategies for implementing rice to mitigate failure risks continued. The geotechnical analyses continued in collaboration with the economic team and with S. Deverel. Several products are in progress: The State of Bay Delta Science, Co-author of Chapter on Levee System Vulnerability. Prepared draft for and submitted to the Delta Stewardship Council, California. Draft manuscript being developed for submittal to San Francisco Estuary and Watershed Science, an open journal: Subsidence and levee failure in the California Delta: the potential for rice to reduce failure rates Presentation with Steve Deverel on subsidence effects on levee stability at The Delta Independent Science Board (Delta ISB), July 14-15, 2016. Focus on Delta levee hazards. Hydrologic and Surface water quality effects of rice on Delta Islands.Draft manuscripts have been developed for assessing the water quality and hydrology effects of rice on agricultural fields in the Delta. Island scale integration of rice to improve water resource utilization.No work accomplished due to subcontracting issues. Consideration of levee failure and their mitigation with regard to through Delta flows and water quality.No work accomplisheddue to subcontracting issues. Leslie Butler (Economic Analysis) The objectives in 2015 was to develop the DAP model to incorporate biophysical data and ecosystem services to analyze island, regional, and state level scenarios and policy choices. Unfortunately, not all of this was achieved due to subcontracting issues. However, work on our other models designed to complete the economic analyses of growing rice in the Delta to slow, stop or reverse subsidence in the Delta were completed. They are now ready to finalize economic analyses in 2016. Accomplishments: 1. Survey of agricultural producers in the Delta. An extensive survey of known rice producers, and other agricultural producers in the Delta completed. Aim of survey was to collect cost and revenue data on growing rice in the Delta, opinions of producers, and current and potential challenges to establishing and growing rice. 2. DAP model updates. The costs and revenues of growing rice in the Delta were incorporated in the DAP model. 3. Economic Models We now work with 3 economic models (not including DAP) which are coordinated to provide simulation data and analyses to assess the feasibility of establishing rice-based cropping systems in the Delta. These models evaluate policy alternatives. These models are fully functional and we are now in the process of finalizing the analyses. 4. Ecosystem Services associated with rice and wetland establishment/production in the Delta. Economists have little info on ecosystem services of either rice or wetlands. Ecosystem Services include GHG emission and C sequestration, nutrient reduction, water quality, recreation, mosquitoes, and methyl mercury. Our research indicates that ecosystem services have a generally positive impact on returns to investment. 5. Climate impacts. The unique climate and weather patterns in the Delta suggest that certain strategies need to be adopted to establish rice in the Delta. We completed a detailed analysis of weather patterns and impacts on growing rice in the Delta. Stuart Segal and Amy Merrill (Assessment Ecosystem Services) Minimal progress was made to to lack of contract in year 5. Ongoing gathering and review of new external documents pertaining to Delta land management, water quality, wetlands, carbon sequestration, water supply, ecosystem recovery. Attendance at external regional meetings relating to project. Jacob Fleck (Mercury Issues) No progress was made due to lack of contract in year 5 to complete any research, outreach or education. William R. Horwath (Greenhouse gases and soil carbon sequestration) The fieldwork on GHG emissions and soil C dynamics for the project was completed on schedule in year 4. During year 5, goals were to work with other PIs to translate results to calculate global warming potential and climate impacts to parameterize the DAP model but these were not completed due to lack of subcontracts not receiving 5 year funds. Work continued on lab studies to determine processes and management effects on GHG emissions resulting in a number of publications (see "products section").

Publications

  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Knox, S. H., J. H. Matthes, C. Sturtevant, P. Y. Oikawa, J. Verfaillie, and D. Baldocchi. 2016. Biophysical controls on interannual variability in ecosystem-scale CO2 and CH4 exchange in a California rice paddy. Journal of Geophysical Research-Biogeosciences 121:978-1001. Doi: 10.1002/2015jg003247
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2106 Citation: Baldocchi, D., S. Knox, I. Dronova, J. Verfaillie, P. Oikawa, C. Sturtevant, J. H. Matthes, and M. Detto. 2016. The impact of expanding flooded land area on the annual evaporation of rice. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology 223:181-193.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2105 Citation: Petrescu, A. M. R., A. Lohila, J. P. Tuovinen, D. D. Baldocchi, A. R. Desai, N. T. Roulet, T. Vesala, A. J. Dolman, W. C. Oechel, B. Marcolla, T. Fribor, J. Rinne, J. H. Matthes, L. Merbold, A. Meijide, G. Kiely, M. Sottocornola, T. Sachs, D. Zona, A. Varlagin, D. Y. F. Lai, E. Veenendaal, F. J. W. Parmentier, U. Skiba, M. Lund, A. Hensen, J. Van Huissteden, L. B. Flanagan, N. J. Shurpali, T. Grunwald, E. R. Humphreys, M. Jackowicz-Korczynski, M. A. Aurela, T. Laurila, C. Gruning, C. A. R. Corradi, A. P. Schrier-Uijl, T. R. Christensen, M. P. Tamstorf, M. Mastepanov, P. J. Martikainen, S. B. Verma, C. Bernhofer, and A. Cescatti. 2015. The uncertain climate footprint of wetlands under human pressure. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 112:4594-4599.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2105 Citation: Pennypacker, S. and D. Baldocchi. 2015. Seeing the Fields and Forests: Application of Surface-Layer Theory and Flux-Tower Data to Calculating Vegetation Canopy Height. Boundary-Layer Meteorology:1-18.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2105 Citation: Knox, S. H., C. Sturtevant, J. H. Matthes, L. Koteen, J. Verfaillie, and D. Baldocchi. 2015. Agricultural peatland restoration: effects of land-use change on greenhouse gas (CO2 and CH4) fluxes in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Global Change Biology 21:750-765.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2105 Citation: Baldocchi, D. Greenhouse Gas Flux Measurements over the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Stockholm University, March, 2015
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Baldocchi, D. Knox, S, Verfaillie, J. Sturtevant, C., Oikawa, Multifaceted roles of management on Land Atmosphere Interactions. P.B34A-01 American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, 2015
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Ackerman, J.T. T.E.C. Kraus, J.A. Fleck, D.P. Krabbenhoft, W.R. Horwath, S.M. Bachand, M.P. Herzog, C. Alex Hartman, and P.A.M. Bachand. 2015. Experimental Dosing of Wetlands with Coagulants Removes Mercury from Surface Water and Decreases Mercury Bioaccumulation in Fish. Environ. Sci. Technol., DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.5b00655
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Fleck, JA. Mercury cycling in wetlands of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta: Science informing management. USGS California Water Science Center quarterly seminar. October 2015.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2106 Citation: Fleck, JA, L Windham-Myers, M Marvin-DiPasquale, CN Alpers, CA Eagles-Smith, JT Ackerman, PAM Bachand, W Heim, M Stephenson. 2016. Processes controlling methylmercury cycling in agricultural wetlands. Workshop: Re-visiting the Bay-Delta Mercury Strategy, January 27, 2016.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Deverel, Steven J.; Ingrum, Timothy and Leighton, D.A., 2016, Present-day oxidative subsidence of organic soils and mitigation in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, California, USA, Hydrogeology Journal, Available from: http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10040-016-1391-1 doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10040-016-1391-1.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Deverel, Steven J.; Lucero, Christina E.; & Bachand, Sandra. 2015. Evolution of Arability and Land Use, SacramentoSan Joaquin Delta, California. San Francisco Estuary and Watershed Science, 13(2). jmie_sfews_27914. Retrieved from: http://escholarship.org/uc/item/5nv2698k
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Sharma P, Jones C, Dudas J, Bawden GW, Deverel SJ. 2016. Monitoring of Subsidence with UAVSAR on Sherman Island in Californias Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Remote Sensing of Environment, 181, 218-236. Available from: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0034425716301535 doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2016.04.012.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Espe, M.B., E. Kirk, C. van Kessel, W.H. Horwath, and B.A. Linquist. (2015) Indigenous nitrogen supply of rice is predicted by soil organic carbon. Soil Science Society of America Journal. 79:569-576.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Submitted Year Published: 2016 Citation: Sharifi, H., R.J. Hijmans, J.E. Hill, B. Linquist. (submitted) Development stage-dependent temperature sensitivity in rice (Oryza sativa) phenology. Crop Science
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Espe, M. H. Yang, K.G. Cassman, N. Guilpart, H. Sharifi, and B.A. Linquist Estimating yield potential in temperate high-yielding, direct-seeded rice US rice production systems (2016) Field Crops Research 193:123-132.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Butler, L. J., D. McEwan and R. Hewitt. 2016. Estimating the Impact of New Crop Systems: The Integration of Economic & Biophysical Evidence. Contributed paper prepared for the 90th WEAI Annual Conference, Honolulu, Hawaii, June 28  July 2, 2015
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Leslie Butler, Jennifer Scheer, and Duncan McEwan. 2106. Benefit-Cost Analysis of Subsidence and Accretion in the Sacramento San Joaquin Delta. AARES 60th Annual Conference Canberra, ACT 1st  5th February 2016
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Leslie Butler and Duncan McEwan. 2106. Update on Economic Impacts of Subsidence and Accretion in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Paper presented at the 60th Annual Conference of the Australian Agricultural & Resource Economics, Canberra, Australia February 1-5, 2016
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Ye, R., M. B. Espe, B. Linquist, and W. R. Horwath 2016. A soil carbon proxy to predict CH4 and N2O emissions from rewetted agricultural peatlands. Agriculture and Ecosystems & Environment. 220: 64-75.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Submitted Year Published: 2016 Citation: Morris, J., L.C. R. Silva, R. Ye, and W.R. Horwath. (submitted). Fertilizer effects on CH4 fluxes and N2O emissions in rice grown on previously drained peat lands. SSSJA
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Ye., R. and W. R Horwath. 2016. Nitrous oxide uptake in rewetted wetlands with contrasting soil organic carbon contents. Soil Biology and Biochemistry. 100: 110-117.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Ye., R. T. A. Doane and W. R Horwath. 2016. Comparison of isotope methods for partitioning methane production and soil C priming effects during anaerobic decomposition of rice residue in soil. Soil Biology and Biochemistry. 95: 51-59.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Ye, R., Espe, M., Linquist, B., Parikh, S.J., Doane, T.A., Horwath, W.R. 2016. A soil carbon proxy to predict CH4 and N2O emissions from rewetted agricultural peatlands. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 220:64-75.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Ye., R. and W. R Horwath. 2015. Plant residue retention releases dissolve organic carbon from paddy soils priming CH4 production. Proceedings of the Soil Science Society Annual Meeting, Minneapolis, MN.


Progress 05/01/14 to 04/30/15

Outputs
Target Audience: Outreach and Engagement ?The Delta Science Center (DSC) is working to help provide outreach for the USDA/Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) grant. In many instances, such as the AFRI project, the DSC takes the opportunity to bring together local schools to work with studies taking place within the Delta region. These projects generally work to help school age students to get a first hand look at issues and concerns of the environment and ecology around them. For this project the DSC's primary target audience were high school students from the East Contra Costa County area. The region from Antioch to Discovery Bay features five communities that are on the shoreline of the western Delta region right at the base where the Sacramento River meets with the San Joaquin River. In the first year of the program, during the 2012-13 school year, the DSC worked primarily with Freedom High School in Oakley. During the second year (2014) Liberty High School (LHS), in Brentwood, approached the DSC about working with the AFRI program. As the AFRI grant committee was interested in working with a high school that encouraged agriculture programs, the DSC took advantage of the LHS request. The DSC also continued to allow Freedom High School students participate with the program in 2014. Throughout the program more than four-dozen students from both Liberty and Freedom High School participated in the program. In 2012 the DSC built a 5,000 square-foot learning lab on Ironhouse Sanitary District owned Jersey Island. Jersey Island is a 3,600-acre Delta island that is located between Oakley and Bethel Island. The island is considered on of the "Eight Important Islands of the Delta". This process generated a lot of attention throughout the community. Throughout the process of growing the rice and sampling and testing the students decided to create a blog that would tell the public what was going on with their study. One of the students wrote the entries for the blog with help for the others in the group. The blog entries talked about the AFRI program and what the students learned while working throughout the summer growing season at the site. The student team left teasers and links on the Delta Science Center Facebook and Twitter sites whenever a blog entry was added. With problems with the learning lab green house in 2013, in 2014 the DSC worked with the AP Engineering Department at FHS and the students in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) group to help build a greenhouse. In January of 2014 Freedom High School developed a brochure that they place on the front page of the school website that talked about their partnership with the Delta Science Center and the AFRI project. Team Outputs See the "Outreach and Engagement section" for details on K-12 outreach, STEM involvement, class projects, blogs and videos. Also see the presentation listed in "Team outcomes/Impacts" given at the Bay Delta Science Conference. This conference is venue to relay information to California State resource agencies (Water, Agriculture, Air Board, EPA, etc.) where staff scientists and policy makers gain information on environmental issues in California. We also hold an annual "Rice meeting" through Cooperative Extension to relay information to local growers in the Delta on rice culture. Here for example, our results on N fertilizer management have been presented showing that N inputs should be gauged by the organic matter content of the soils (i.e., high and low organic matter soils will respond to N inputs). In the past year, the grower we have been working with to contract rice has decided to plant additional acreage after seeing the results of our project. We expect additional growers may adopt rice in the future. Changes/Problems: No changes or problems. We have completed the major of field work, but will continue monitoring CO2 exchange, CH4 emissions and island hydrology during the final year of the project. We have completed rice variety testing and agronomic practice assessment and the results will be extended to Coop. Ext. pubs and online resources such as http://apps.cdfa.ca.gov/frep/docs/Rice.html. We have identified the optimal Delta rice management practices to address our second objective to assess the environmental impacts, including air and water quality of rice production that will address environmental benefits needed to conform to state climate change requirements and water resource issues. Quantify GHG emissions, soil carbon sequestration, subsidence issues and water quality of rice cultivation addressed our third objective. These results and outcomes will be extended using DAP model in our final year to address regional levee issues, soil C loss reversal and impacts to the state water project, which will complete our efforts to address our fourth objective to develop sustainable strategies for regionalizing Delta rice. This total effort addresses the technical, logistical, economic and policy constraints and opportunities to restore the Delta soils and island integratity, and examine regional and state-water project and environmental impacts. Finally, our collaboration with the Delta Science Center has resulted in us reaching over 2,000 high school students. We have provided field and lab studies that are incorporated into their curriculum and extracuriculuar activities, in science fair projects and as part of their STEM program. Student have produced blogs and videos to extend the scientific and applied principles learned in this project. Our close connection to state resource agencies (i.e., Bay Delta Science Conference) allows us to translate are findings as tangible solutions to address air and water issues and policy development. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Graduate student training is occurring in the following areas: agronomy (B. Linquist UCD; Emily Kirk thesis completed; Mike Espe is completing his MS and will start a PhD), GHG emissions relative to other land uses and its importance in a global assessment (UCB - Baldocchi, J. Hatala and Sarah Knox PhDs completed); GHG emissions and carbon cycling as affected by land uses and their management (W Horwath, UCD; Jennifer Morris M. S. thesis completed); Developing the economics of agricultural systems in the context of other environmental effects and at different scales of costs and benefits (Butler, UCD, Paul Jacobs and Andrea Brock are M.S. students). Tetra Tech has involved junior technical staff that is gaining expertise in understanding the relationship between environmental/agricultural science and real world application, management of applied science and engineering projects and how to disseminate that information out to agencies and stakeholders. Post doc (Rongzhong YE and Lucas Silva ), technician (Tim Doane)and undergraduate student assistant (Emily Hudson, Angela Nyguin and training is occurring in the following area: GHG emissions and carbon cycling as affected by land uses and their management (W Horwath, UCD). In addition, Students and post docs attend monthly project meetings regularly and are encourage to present their results at local and national meetings. In addition, students and post doc are working with local landowners and the Delta Science Center to promote outreach and engagement for the project. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? The following presentation was given to the Delta Stewardship Council in Sacramento, CA on April 21, 2014 as part of the Delta Carbon Cycle Seminar Series 1. Bachand et al (project PIs). Agriculture and Food Research Initiative: Rice in the Delta - The Potential to Mitigate Subsidence and Enhance Sustainability The following presentations were given at the Annual Bay Delta Science Conference, October 28-30, 2014, Sacramento California: 1. Philip Bachand, Rice in the Delta--The Potential to Mitigate Subsidence and Enhance Sustainability., Tetra Tech 2. Matthew Espe and B. Linquist, The Influence of Soil Total Carbon on Yield and Nitrogen Uptake in Continuously Flooded Rice Paddy Soils Dominated by Peat ., UC Davis 3. Sara Knox and D. Baldocchi, Interannual Variation in CO2 and CH4 Fluxes from a Rice Paddy in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, California., UC Berkeley 4. Steven Deverel, Hydrologic and Water Quality Effects of Varying Land- and Water-Management Strategies, Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. HydroFocus, Inc. 5. Amy Merrill, Expanding Rice Farming in the Delta: Significance for GHG, Water Supply Reliability and Water Quality, Stillwater Sciences The following posters were given at the Annual Bay Delta Science Conference, October 28-30, 2014, Sacramento California: 1. R. Gehlke, Delta Science Center. N fertilizer treatments for Delta Rice 2. R. Ye. Effects of N fertilization and Soil Carbon on GHG emissions from Delta rice 3. N. Stern. Integrating Surface and Shallow Subsurface Hydrologic and WQ interactions in Delta Rice The following presentations were given at the SSSA Annual meeting in Long Beach California Nov 2-5: 1. Influence of Variable Soil Carbon on CH4 and N2O Emissions from Rice Fields. Rongzhong Ye, J. Morris, T. Doane, W. R. Horwath, University of California-Davis. The Effect of Ammonical N Fertilizer Concentration Soil O2 Consumption and N2O Production Pathways. Xia Zhu M. Burger, Hannah Waterhouse,; W. R. Horwath, University of California-Davis. SILVA L.C.R., HORWATH, W. (November 2014)Iron-driven biological stabilization of organic matter amplifies the benefits of ecosystem restoration explaining carbon accumulation in degraded soils. Invited oral presentation Soil Science Society of America - SSSA. Long Beach, California - US. The following presentations were given at the SSSA Conference on Ecosystem Services in Sacramento, March 6-9, 2014: 1. Morris J., Silva L.C.R., Ye, R., Horwath, W. (March 2014)Quantifying the contribution of rice to CH4and N2O emissions in agricultural wetlands. Soil Science Society of America - SSSA. Sacramento, California - US. Silva L.C.R., Correa R.S., Doane T., Horwath, W. (March 2014). Biotic and abiotic controls of carbon accumulation in soils undergoing restoration. Oral presentation. Soil Science Society of America - SSSA. Sacramento, California -US. Maxwell T., Silva L.C.R., Pedroso G., Mukome, F., Doane T., Horwath, W. (March 2014) Quantifying water balance-carbon storage relationships using oxygen isotope ratios of plant lipids. Soil Science Society of America - SSSA. Sacramento, California - US. Hartman, W., R. Ye, W.R. Horwath, S.G. Tringe (2014), Soil phosphorus stoichiometry drives carbon turnover along a soil C gradient spanning mineral and organic soils under rice cultivation, 99th ESA annual meeting, Sacramento, CA. The following presentations were given at the American Geophysical Union meeting in San Francisco, December 15-19, 2014: 1. Zhu, X. T. Doane, M. Burger and W. R. Horwath. The Impact of Iron on Soil N2O Production Depends on Oxygen Availability. 2. Hartman, W., R. Ye, W. Horwath and S. Tringe. Soil Phosphorus Stoichiometry Drives Carbon Turnover Along a Soil C Gradient Spanning Mineral and Organic Soils Under Rice Cultivation. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? 2015 Agronomic Plan of Work PI B. Linquist 1. Develop extension guidelines for producing rice in the Delta. These guidelines will be available to rice producers and those interested in producing rice in the Delta. 2. A graduate student will develop a crop development model to predict crop developmental stages, which will aid in making management decisions. Due to the cooler climate in the Delta rice matures slower than in other parts of the Valley where rice is grown and such tools will be beneficial for producers. 3. A graduate student (M. Espe) is conducting a Yield Gap Assessment of California rice systems. Rice yields are crucial to ensuring economic sustainability of these systems. Understanding the yield potential of a particular environment versus what producers are already achieving will help future researchers in narrowing the yield gap. 2015 Field and Lab Plan of Work PI D. Baldocchi 1. Continue measuring greenhouse gas fluxes (CO2, H2O, CH4) on the rice field. 2. Conduct analyze of the effects of management (planting, water depth, straw management, plowing, discing, herbicide) and climate on the interannual variation of greenhouse gas fluxes from a rice paddy, with eddy covariance. 3. Collaborate with the Horwath Lab combining eddy covariance and chamber measurements to look at biogeochemical controls of greenhouse gas fluxes 4. Evaluate energy and water budget of a rice paddy and its interannual variation 5. Developing methods using information theory to extract information on the controls of biophysical factors on trace gas fluxes across a spectrum of time scales. PI W. Horwath 6. Collaborate with Wyatt Hartman (Lawrence Berkeley Lab) to understand microbial responses to field management in the community structure and composition at molecular level. 7. Quantify gross N2O production and consumption in peat soils during rice growing season in controlled greenhouse study. 8. Evaluate substrate availability, soil C/N ratio, and soil organic carbon in the control of N2O consumption or reduction. 9. Investigate plant-derived materials in the priming of soil organic matter contributing to extra emissions of CO2 and CH4, and losses of soil C in forms of dissolved organic matter. PI J. Fleck 10. Develop rice-based mercury cycling model (MCM) for Delta landscape scenarios. Data from the Twitchell field have been merged with other rice study data within the Delta and preliminary analyses have begun across the sites. Despite the relatively low total Hg concentrations in Twitchell Island soil, methylmercury concentrations were similar in magnitude to other rice fields in the area. Model development will continue towards a publication that includes an assessment of the effects of expanded rice production in the Delta with respect to methylmercury concerns. 2015 Island Scale Plan of Work PI P. Bachand 1. Complete levee failure model, develop appropriate manuscript / product to be used in regionalizing water resource risk effects and providing a basis for related economic assessment (local, regional and state scale). 2. Complete surface water and shallow subsurface water quality and hydrologic assessments for rice on Twitchell Island and develop appropriate deliverable / product. Relate to goals for water quality discharge management during irrigation and winter seasons and opportunities to recycle and reuse with rice and wetlands. Include economic considerations. 3. Work with Island modeling team (Hydrofocus, PI S. Deverel) to integrate surface shallow subsurface and groundwater hydrology and water quality 4. Work with GHG teams (UCD, UCB), regionalization teams (Stillwater, Stuart Siegel) and Economic Team (UCD) to develop regionalization strategy and economic analyses of GHGs and their potential management considering local, state and regional effects. 5. Develop regionalization model with Stillwater and Stuart Siegel for water quality impacts from rice and their management under the framework of current Delta modeling tools 6. Lead integration of technical findings into high impact journal and into local outreach materials PI S. Deverel 1. Groundwater flow and solute transport model updates and refinement with recent hydrologic and water quality data. 2. Calibrate and validate groundwater flow and solute transport models 3. Use models to assess water quality and hydrologic effects of conversion to rice and wetlands throughout the Delta and Twitchell Island 4. Use the SUBCALC model in conjunction with the groundwater flow and solute transport models to predict future water quality and hydrologic effects for typical land uses and rice and wetlands. 5. Finalize and submit journal article describing groundwater flow and solute transport model and results 6. Recalibrate and verify the subsidence model SUBCLAC (Deverel and Leighton, 2010) for recent data collected throughout the Delta. This includes airborne synthetic aperture radar data collected by NASA since 2009 (e.g. Jones et al., 2011) and extensometer data collected on Twitchell and Sherman islands by HydroFocus personnel. 7. Utilize elevation data collected in the Twitchell Rice Experimental field and integrate other geochemical data to assess the subsidence benefit of rice. 8. Write and submit journal article that synthesizes and quantifies recent subsidence throughout the Delta and processes affecting subsidence. 9. Provide input to economic modeling. 10. Provide input into strategic planning and assessing Delta-wide impacts and sustainability and levee-stability improvements. 2015 Regional and State Scale Investigations and Economic Analysis Plan of Work PI. Bachand 1. Complete Year 5 version of technical integration plan that has been developed and refined annually during this project and used as framework for integrating to the regional and state scale. 2. Work with regionalization and economic teams in data integration into the regional and state scale framework consistent with scenarios addressing Delta management for GHG, water quality and water resources, soil subsidence and levee security. 3. Lead integration of big picture project findings into key high impact manuscripts. PIs A. Merill and S. Siegal 1. Finalize the operational descriptions of the three or four Delta-wide scenarios: Business as Usual Delta, Water Conveyance Delta, Optimize Commons Delta and agrarian Delta. 2. With the regionalization group, use existing information to estimate effects associated with variation in the extent and approximate spatial distribution of rice farming in the Delta under different management scenarios. Synthesize these findings from this research project and other work regarding how rice production in the Delta affects (1) net GHG emissions and C sequestration, (2) water quality and (3) methyl mercury production, (4) subsidence rates, and (5) levee stability and conveyance security under different scenarios. 3. With the regionalization group, utilize metrics we have developed to assess potential environmental benefits (ecosystem services) and risks associated with conversion to rice production under each of the scenarios; provide this information to economics team for economic (DAP) model implementation for rice in the Delta. 4. Work with regionalization and economics team to assess policy options and implications associated with farming rice in the Delta. PI L. Butler 1. Incorporate biophysical responses (yields, fertilizer application, etc.) and ecosystem services (GHG emissions, water quality, etc.) into the DAP model calibration by working with other scientists on the AFRI project team. 2. Finalize DAP model calibration and implement the model for this project at the island, regional and state levels. 3. Complete regional and statewide analyses of policy choices. 4. Complete assessments of state level impacts of water conveyance, irrigation and water exports, and changes in cropping patterns in the Delta.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? 2014 Agronomic Accomplishments PI B. Linquist The agronomic efforts to date have focused on aspects of growing rice in the Delta on peat soils. We have looked at establishment methods, fertility management, varietal selection and issues related to weed management. We have made good progress on all fronts. 2014 Biogeochemistry Field scale investigations PI W. Horwath 1. During 2014 we conducted a field study to investigate the importance of soil organic carbon (SOC) and nitrogen fertilization affects greenhouse gas (CH4 and N2O) emissions from rice fields. The experiment contained four field sites with contrasting SOC (6%, 11%, 18%, and 23%) and two fertilization rates (0 and 80 kg N ha-1). We measured the fluxes of CH4 and N2O weekly or every other day during the whole season. Porewater chemical variables and other environmental parameters were simultaneously analyzed. Our results suggested that the emission rates of CH4 and N2O were not influenced by the variations in porewater chemistry (i.e. dissolved organic carbon, NH4+, NO3-, Fe2+/Fe3+, and redox) and of other environmental factors (i.e. soil and air temperature and water table height). Nitrogen fertilization generally did not affect CH4 and N2O emission rates, except in the 6% carbon field during drainage events, where the application of nitrogen suppressed the emission of CH4. Moreover, our results showed that the total emissions of CH4 and N2O were highly negatively correlated with SOC content. PI D. Baldocchi 2. The micrometeorological monitoring of CO2 and CH4 will continue through the end of the project and likely beyond contianing annual sums of net and partitioned CO2 fluxes, CH4 fluxes, harvest, and total ecosystem carbon and greenhouse gas budgets. Graduate student Sarah Knox published the following paper using these and prior year results PI J. Fleck 1. The assessment of mercury cycling and fluxes in rice soils was continued during this period focusing on finalizing data, beginning the preparation of journal articles and participation in outreach efforts. All 2014 field and laboratory data were compiled and QA'd. Preliminary data analyses were started with some intriguing initial results. Initial results suggest that despite possessing very different soils (degraded peat) from other study areas, methylmercury production was related to similar, process-based explanatory variables inherent to rice production. Preliminary results from isotopic mesocosm studies also indicate overriding management-based processes that cause rice fields to differ markedly from other wetland systems. 2014 Lab scale investigations PI W. Horwath 1. Using the soils from the above described experiments, we observed N2O consumption in all the fields during the first drainage event, but the magnitude varied substantially among soil carbon treatments. The N2O reduction potential, gross nitrogen mineralization and immobilization rates, soil C/N ratio, and the availability of NH4+ and NO3- were measured. The results indicated that soils with higher nitrogen demands (i.e., higher C/N ratio) had higher potentials of nitrogen immobilization and N2O consumption. 2014 Island Scale Accomplishments PI P. Bachand 1. Completion of Final Technical Report Template, which identifies deliverables from different team members (PIs), and provides guidelines and identifies opportunities for collaboration and coordination to integrate field and lab studies to island scale. 2. Refined Delta management scenario testing to include Business-As-Usual and specific management scenarios for improving water quality, protecting water resources, maintaining levees, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions 3. Investigated levee static and seepage failure in the San Joaquin Sacramento Delta as a function of peat/bay mud thickness and elevation below sea level and have been developing regression model for that relationship to be used to spatially express levee failure risks in a GIS framework. 4. Quantified surface and shallow subsurface hydrologic and water quality constituents' contributions in rice fields to drain discharges and have two draft papers developing hydrologic and water quality budgets for rice fields in the Delta. 5. Completed database to assess quantify hydrologic budget for Twitchell Island. PI S. Deverel 1. Continue to collect hydrologic data on Twitchell Island. 2. Developed groundwater and solute transport model for Twitchell Island. 3. Used model to simulate varying land- and water-management scenarios and assess effects on drain flow, seepage and drainage loads of dissolved organic carbon and presented results at Bay-Delta Science Conference. 4. Submitted paper describing the hydrologic effects of subsidence and related processes on evolution of land use and arability of Delta islands: 5. Revisited and began recalibration of SUBCALC model (Deverel and Leighton, 2010) for estimating subsidence. 6. Used SUBCALC model to estimate future land-surface elevation changes for modeling and analysis. 7. Verified SUBCALC model for prediction of recent greenhouse gas fluxes on Twitchell and Staten islands. 8. Collaborated with project personnel and provided input for economic, water quality and levee stability analysis PIs A. Merill and S. Siegal 1. Compiled existing information on levee failure risk, spatial data on soils, surface elevations, projected changes in surface elevations, land use and water flows through the Delta to help develop approach and specific methods for assessing changes in levee failure risk with or without rice on subsided islands. Worked with the geotechnical team to develop an analytical approach that can make projections about potential benefits to levee stability and the consequent benefits to water supply reliability. 2. Refined our 3-scenario framework for summarizing and integrating the teams' myriad scientific findings in a way that can be effectively communicated at different levels of detail. We used these scenarios to communicate findings to-date at the Bay Delta Conference and other venues. These scenarios are also important for guiding the team in identifying information needs for delivering a complete assessment on the potential significance of rice framing in the Delta. 3. Worked with the S. Deverel, P. Bachand and S. Bachand to develop an analytical approach that can make projections about potential benefits to levee stability and the consequent benefits to water supply reliability. 4. Worked with the regionalization group to refine approaches to synthesizing and applying the site scale research findings of other research team members, including the development of assessment metrics. PI L. Butler 1. Developed and established a baseline DAP (Delta Agricultural Production) model that incorporates both rice and wetlands into the mix of cropping systems grown in the Delta. The major objective was to establish a Business-as-Usual (BAU) scenario. 2. Have projected using DAP model likely changes in crop acreage and net returns to land and management for 53 islands in the Delta over a period from 2007 through 2050 using various policy options in order to find an optimal policy that will optimize our objectives of slowing, stopping or reversing subsidence in the Delta and at the same time maximize returns to the state, to the regions, to the islands and to individual producers. 3. Have been evaluating net benefits of avoided levee failures and the ecosystem services associated with establishing both rice and wetlands in the Delta. We have had a paper accepted describing our efforts to date for the: 4. We have also submitted papers to the Western Economic Association International (WEAI) and the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association (AAEA) for presentation at conferences in mid-2015.

Publications

  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Awaiting Publication Year Published: 2015 Citation: Espe, M.B., E. Kirk, C. van Kessel, W.H. Horwath, and B.A. Linquist. (In Press). Indigenous nitrogen supply of rice is predicted by soil organic carbon. Soil Science Society of America Journal
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Awaiting Publication Year Published: 2105 Citation: Kirk, E.R., C. van Kessel, W.R. Horwath, B.A. Linquist (in press) Estimating annual subsidence in agricultural peat land soils using a nitrogen budget approach. PLoS One
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Submitted Year Published: 2015 Citation: Morris, J., L.C. R. Silva, R. Ye, and W.R. Horwath. (submitted). Fertilizer effects on CH4 fluxes and N2O emissions in rice grown on previously drained peat lands. Biogeosciences
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Knox, S. H., C. Sturtevant, J. H. Matthes, L. Koteen, J. Verfaillie, and D. Baldocchi. 2014. Agricultural peat land restoration: effects of land-use change on greenhouse gas (CO2 and CH4) fluxes in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Global Change Biology:doi: 10.1111/gcb.12745
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Baldocchi, D. 2014. Measuring fluxes of trace gases and energy between ecosystems and the atmosphere  the state and future of the eddy covariance method. Global Change Biology 20:3600-3609.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: 1. Ye, R., J. Morris, T. A. Doane, and W.R. Horwath (2015), The effects of plant residues on priming of soil organic matter and methane production in peat soils, Soil Biol. Biochem., 81, 98-107
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Deverel, Steven J.; Ingrum, Timothy; Lucero, Christina; & Drexler, Judith Z.(2014). Impounded Marshes on Subsided Islands: Simulated Vertical Accretion, Processes, and Effects, Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, CA USA. San Francisco Estuary and Watershed Science, 12(2). jmie_sfews_12893.: Viewed online at: https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0qm0w92cCollected land-surface elevation change data using extensometers on Twitchell and Sherman islands.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Submitted Year Published: 2015 Citation: Deverel, Steven J. Lucero, Christina; & Bachand, Sandra. (Submitted). Evolution of arability and land use, Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, California, submitted to San Francisco Estuary and Watershed Science.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2015 Citation: Butler, L. J. and D. MacEwan. 2015. Economic Impacts of Subsidence and Accretion in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. 59th AARES Annual Conference, Rotorua, New Zealand.


Progress 05/01/13 to 04/30/14

Outputs
Target Audience: During the third year of the project we concentrated on outreach to high school students and held one farmer meeting in February 2013. The farmer meeting is held annually with the goal of introducing growers to rice cropping in the Delta region. The meeting lasts an afternoon with presentations from UC Extension advisors on a range of topics including agronomomy, pests, economics, soils etc. The intent is to provide information to Delta growers who normally plant corn, alfalfa and other crops that lead to soil subsidence. In addition, to the annual field day meeting, we work with existing rice farmers in the Delta to optimize their rice cropping systems. During the third year the Delta Science Center (DSC) started a high school oriented program to show the benefits of rice and environmental monitoring. Specifically, the DSC is working to help provide outreach for the USDA/Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) grant—a study of whether rice can be used as a crop in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta region to mitigate past agricultural impacts, improve water quality and sequester carbon. Target audience. For the AFRI study the DSC’s primary target audience was high school students from the East Contra Costa County area and the region from Antioch to Discovery Bay on the shoreline of the western Delta. The DSC approached Liberty High School in Brentwood, with its larger agriculture and environmental studies program, where there was a lot of interest from teachers. The existing DSC/AFRI program at Freedom High was incorporated at Liberty High. DSC staff spoke about the program at several of the science and agriculture classrooms at both schools. Antioch HS approached the DSC about involving their students in the program, so the DSC met with the students and 43 of them toured the Learning Lab. In late spring, 23 students from the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Club (STEM) at Freedom HS came to the Learning Lab to sample and learn about the program. In September, 53 Freedom HS AP Environmental Studies students also sampled at the Learning Lab and learned about the program. The DSC has been publishing a quarterly newsletter “The Delta Monitor,” which targets the entire region. Each issue had provided a story on the project and what the students are learning. The DSC attends 15 fairs and festivals throughout the region each year. At these events the DSC displays a poster about the project, hands out brochures about the AFRI project and directs people to the DSC blog and website. An AFRI Science Fair was held February 20-21, 2013 for 2,500 science students (grade 9-12) at Freedom HS. Members from the AFRI Team from University of California, Davis and Berkeley attended the two-day event at Freedom HS. A team of 74 students was established to conduct testing and sampling for the AFRI project. The local edition of the Contra Costa Times, the East County Times, and the Oakley Press wrote stories about the project and the greenhouse construction by AFRI students and UC Davis team members. The students created a blog to inform the public about rice farming, sampling and what they learned from testing the soil, water and greenhouse gasses. During the summer of 2013 the student team continued a weekly testing regiment. Their findings were documented and shared with their classes. Several of the students prepared school reports for extra credit in classrooms on growing rice and the effects on the soil and water. In January 2014, Freedom HS developed a brochure for the front page of the school website about their partnership with the Delta Science Center and the AFRI project. To handle the logistics of offering a summer testing project while school was out of session and coordinating with three separate schools, the DSC started an AFRI-DSC Summer Science Club. The Club started in early June to conduct sampling and testing and to learn about rice, peat soil, soil and water testing, and levees. Students are creating a poster on the AFRI project testing for the Bay Delta Conference Poster Session in October. The students are also working on an informative levee diorama for the school to display. Next reporting period. All three schools will hold field trips at the Learning Lab and the DSC will bring samples of rice field soil and water to the Freedom HS AP Environmental Studies class for the students to study. Weekly water and greenhouse gas sampling will occur by September. Results will continue to be shared with the students through the DSC blog, website and Club email list. The DSC has a growing fan base on Facebook and the DSC has made nearly 100 posts referring to the AFRI project. In the 2014 school year the DSC, students and an outside video group will create three to five short promotional videos on the AFRI project. Changes/Problems: The project is progressing as expected with no deviation from the original proposed tasks. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Graduate student training is occurring in the following areas: agronomy (B. Linquist UCD; Emily Kirk thesis completed), GHG emissions relative to other land uses and its importance in a global assessment (UCB – Baldocchi, J. Hatala thesis completed); GHG emissions and carbon cycling as affected by land uses and their management (W Horwath, UCD; Jennifer Morris theis completed); Developing the economics of agricultural systems in the context of other environmental effects and at different scales of costs and benefits (e.g. local, regional, state; Butler, UCD). Tetra Tech has involved junior staff who are gaining expertise in understanding the relationship between env/ag science and real world application, management of applied science and engineering projects and how to disseminate that information out to agencies and stakeholders. Post doc trianing is occuring in the following area: GHG emissions and carbon cycling as affected by land uses and their management (W Horwath, UCD). Rongzhong YE and Lucas Silva worked as post docs during the third reporting period. Both are actively involved in project management and basic and applied reseach. Students and post docs attend monthly project meetings regularly. All are encourage to present their results at local and national meetings. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Delta Science Center has provided a learning lab to local Delta high schools and have the participation of classes interested in agriculture and environmental science Have secured a session at the annual Bay Delta Science Conference for a Special Session on the project to reach out to local, regional and state stakeholders (Dept Water resources, Local Water Boards, Rice commission, Delta Protection Commission, etc…). These institutions are intimately involved in deveolping policy for California water issues. Presented to the Delta Stewardship Council series on GHG emissions and carbon sequestration. Held annual farmer meeting with theme to grow rice in the Delta. Presented results of the project to the new State Delta Science Center. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? The fourth year of the project will wrap up field monitoring and begin to transition to model development and validation. Lab studies will continue to determine factors and processes affecting greenhouse gas emissions.The following are specifc tasks in year 4: ·Continue to use eddy current monitoring of methane emissions from experimental fields. ·Continue lab studies to understand processes and mechanisms affecting methane and nitrous oxide emissions. ·Continue to develop and optimize the WEAP model to predict the economic consequences of rice culture in the Bay Delta. ·Use WEAP model output to understand the effects of rice culture in the Bay Delta on water use and quality and how it affects the State Water Project water supplies. ·Continue developing a ModFlow based groundwater model for Delta Islands, calibrating to data from Twitchell Island ·Continue assessment on the fate and transport of MeHg in rice systems to help shed light on its management ·The agricultural production model for the Delta continues to be developed and strategies to assess the economics using the production model and other economic tools have been developed. ·Strategies to scale up the three classifications of issues (e.g. GHG, water quality, water supply and risks reduction) thru the Delta and the strategy to overlay scenarios have been determined and will be used to constrain economic model development. ·A final technical report template has been developed providing a list of publications and technical memorandums from the project, identifying lead writers for each publication, and identifying how the publication will fit into the final technical report. This is an ongoing task. ·The Delta Science Center will continue to hold field trips at the Learning Lab for all three high schools and bring samples of rice field soil and water to the Freedom HS AP Environmental Studies class for the students to study. ·Weekly water and greenhouse gas sampling will occur by September at the Delta Science Center (DSC) Learning Lab by carried out by high school students. Results will continue to be shared with the students through the DSC blog, website and Club email list. ·In the 2014 school year the Delta Science Center, students and an outside video group will create three to five short promotional videos on the AFRI project.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? We have completed the following efforts this year as related to our primary long-term goal to demonstrate rice-based systems as an agricultural solution in the Delta: · Completed GHG studies comparing methane and nitrous oxide emissions under different organic C and fertilization levels · Completed fertilizer studies on rice and their effect on yields as related to organic carbon content ·Continued our 3rd year of GHG emission determination for rice vs other crops in the Delta (e.g. corn, wetlands, pasture)\ ·Developed water and constituent budgets relating water quality effects from rice at both the field scale and the farm scale · Completed a water and energy budget for Twitchell Island to demonstrate opportunities for rice to be used for recycling island discharges and reduce loading of constituents of concern into the Delta ·Continued developing a ModFlow based groundwater model for Delta Islands, calibrating to data from Twitchell Island ·Continued assessment on the fate and transport of MeHg in rice systems to help shed light on its management ·Have developed an approach to assess changes in levee risks failure by strategically targeting subsidence in the Delta with rice and are developing a model for its assessment. ·The agricultural production model for the Delta continues to be developed and strategies to assess the economics using the production model and other economic tools have been developed. ·Strategies to scale up the three classifications of issues (e.g. GHG, water quality, water supply and risks reduction) thru the Delta and the strategy to overlay scenarios have been determined. ·A final technical report template has been developed providing a list of publications and technical memorandums from the project, identifying lead writers for each publication, and indentifying how the publication will fit into the final technical report.

Publications

  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2013 Citation: Hatala, J. A., Detto, M., Baldocchi, D. D. 2013. Gross ecosystem photosynthesis causes a diurnal pattern in methane emission from rice. GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS, 39 Article Number: L06409
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2013 Citation: Hatala, J. A., Detto, M., Sonnentag, O., Baldocchi, D. D. 2013. Greenhouse gas (CO2, CH4, H2O) fluxes from drained and flooded agricultural peatlands in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. AGRICULTURE ECOSYSTEMS & ENVIRONMENT, 150: 1-18
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Submitted Year Published: 2014 Citation: Ye, R., Doane, T. A. Horwath, W. R. 2014. Priming and microbial community changes across soil C gradients in a peat wetland. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, submitted
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Submitted Year Published: 2014 Citation: Ye, R., Doane, T. A. Horwath, W. R. 2014. New isotopic approach to determine methane production pathways in soil. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, submitted
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Submitted Year Published: 2014 Citation: Kirk, E., Horwath, W. R., van Kessel, C., Linquist, B. 2014. Estimating annual subsidence in peatland soils using a nitrogen budget approach. PLOS ONE, submitted
  • Type: Theses/Dissertations Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Kirk, Emily. 2014. Estimating annual subsidence in peatland soils using a nitrogen budget approach.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Submitted Year Published: 2014 Citation: Morris, J. Silva, L., Doane, T. A., Horwath, W. R. 2014. Quantifying the contribution of plants and soils to CH4 fluxes and net seasonal N2O emissions in an agricultural wetland. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, submitted
  • Type: Theses/Dissertations Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Morris, Jennifer. 2014. Quantifying the contribution of plants and soils to CH4 fluxes and net seasonal N2O emissions in an agricultural wetland.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2013 Citation: Zhu, X., Martin B., Doane, T. A., Horwath, W. R. 2013. Ammonia oxidation pathways and nitrifier denitrification are significant sources of N2O and NO under low oxygen availability. PNAS 110: 6328-6333.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2013 Citation: ZHU X., SILVA L.C.R., DOANE T.A., HORWATH W.R. The forgotten driver of N2O emissions from soils.PLoS ONE 8(3): e60146.


Progress 05/01/12 to 04/30/13

Outputs
OUTPUTS: The primary long-term goal of this project is to demonstrate rice based cropping systems as an agricultural solution in the Delta. We hypothesized that rice cultivation in the delta will stop subsidence. However, increasing rice acreage in the delta raises water-quality concerns due to the potential for increased dissolved organic carbon, pesticides and methyl mercury. Higher greenhouse gas emissions (methane and nitrous oxides) relative to current land uses may be problematic. The following are key conclusions from our first year effort: 1. Drain flow from the rice system were highest during the fall and winter. Outflow from the rice fields also increased during the irrigation season, although water recycling resulted in relatively low rice system outflow. 2. Maximum flows for rice and from the island occur during the winter. 3. DOC concentrations in all rice drain samples were elevated relative to the San Joaquin River and the Twitchell Main Drain (TMD). Per acre MeHg loads from rice drains were two to three times greater than the corn/oats drains in 2009 and the island averages for both periods. 4. Most drain water from rice was recycled back onto the rice fields during the irrigation season. 5. For mosquito fish sampled during 2009 - 2011 data, total mercury concentrations were highest in rice drainage ditches TRD 10-1 and TRD 1-2. Concentrations at all sites which included sites in the main drain the rice field, exceeded the 0.03 mircograms/gram (wet weight) designated by the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board mercury TMDL for protection of wildlife health. 6. Eddy covariance measurements for rice on Twitchell and pasture on Sherman demonstrated that rice uses more than twice the amount of water during the day relative to pasture. Based on ET measurements, rice water consumption is about 3.4 feet during the growing season, greater than the 2 feet required by corn. 7. Results using eddy covariance measurements indicate that rice growing on organic soils in the Delta is a significant sink for carbon dioxide and a weak source of methane. 8. Carbon dioxide flux data and corn extensometer data indicate that rice will greatly limit subsidence. The corn extensometer measured about 1.2 cm/year of subsidence whereas estimates of rice subsidence were about 0.1 cm/year. 9. Overall, rice yields were low relative to the Sacramento Valley and delta rice growing areas but increased during 2009 - 2010. 10. Yields in the rice variety trials were generally consistent with typical yields for the delta and Sacramento Valley suggesting that there is good potential to grow rice in the area. 11. Results of the trials among commercial medium grain varieties demonstrated that Calmochi-101 consistently ranked at the top followed by S-102, M-104 and M-206. 12. Nitrogen trial results showed no significant yield response for any level of nitrogen fertilization from 0 to 160 kilograms per acre. PARTICIPANTS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period. TARGET AUDIENCES: We conducted two outreach events during the second year of the projects. One event was a grower meeting to address concerns of current and future rice growers. The main intent was to attract new rice growers to the region. Growing rice in the Bay Delta is challenging due to colder climate, non-optimal rice varieties, unique management challenges associated with organic peat soils, a lackof appropriate knowledge base for cooperative extension efforts and challenges with weed and pest management. We intend to hold one grower requirement meeting per year of the project. Our second event was a Science Fair at Freedom High School, Oakley CA near the Bay Delta. We presented to about 300 students interested in agriculture and environmental sciences. We demonstrated the instrumentation and methods we use in our project. This included presentations on how to measure greenhouse gases, new eddy current approaches for ecosystem level water balance and carbon exchange, soil assays for inorganic nitrogen and other demonstrations. The high school students showed great interest. We will follow up with a field visit for our next student outreach event. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.

Impacts
The results reported are for year 2 of a five-year project. Most of the second year effort was aimed at monitoring existing experimental plots and fields. The rationale of this research is to restore the land and increase island stability. The primary crop in this region today is corn, forage and smaller holdings of vegetable crops, which has resulted in soil subsidence, decreased water quality from island drainage and destabilization of the Delta island levee system. The culture of rice on a larger scale in the Bay Delta could bolster the existing agriculture community by providing an alternative crop to slow or reverse subsidence and to sustain long-term agriculture of the area. Rice may also mitigate GHG emission through soil C sequestration, reversal of soil subsidence and introduce security and resiliency of the water supply to the California State Water Project. The current agriculture, mainly field corn and vegetables are not sustainable and it is predicted that in about a decade these tradictional crops would cause subsidence to reach critical levels affecting water security and quality of the entire Bay Delta. Our first year results both confirm and reject some of the these (outlined goals of the project). Supporting evidence that rice can slow and reverse subsidence in comparison to field corn has been shown for two years of field study. Large nitrous oxide emissions from rice were unexpected. The rice nitrous oxide emission is relatd to the high nitrogen availability in the peat soils. Reducing nitrous oxide emission can be accomplished through a demonstrated reduction in fertilizer nitrogen requirement in peat soils. Additional development of management practices is required to reduce nitrous oxide emission following rice field draining for harvest and planting activities. We continue to address the need to develop practices to reduce nitrous oxide emission during the drain period. in years two to four of this project. Providing solutions to farmers to promote soil C sequestration and improve water resources and quality addresses the NIFA AFRI program priority "Develop or improve management options for climate change adaptation or mitigation"; "Sustainable joint use of nitrogen and water that optimizes yield and quality while reducing greenhouse gas emissions; and "Integration of coupled climate-agriculture models and technologies into decision support tools for climate friendly agriculture and natural resource management in large, medium or small scale production systems. Slowing and reversing subsidence are key outcomes that can be addressed through rice cropping and provide for a sustainable agriculture in the Delta and secure regional water supply needed tto support the most productive agricultural area in the US located in the San Joaquin Valley.

Publications

  • Hatalaa, AJ, M Dettoa, O Sonnentaga, S J Deverel, J Verfailliea, D D Baldocchi. 2012. Greenhouse gas (CO2, CH4, H2O) fluxes from drained and flooded agricultural peatlands in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 150, 1-18


Progress 05/01/11 to 04/30/12

Outputs
OUTPUTS: The primary long-term goal of this project is to demonstrate rice based cropping systems as an agricultural solution in the Delta. The first objective is to further the development of appropriate agronomic practices for rice and to quantify their economics. The second objective of this proposed project will be to assess the environmental impacts of the agronomic practices. The following are key conclusions from our first year effort: 1. Per acre drainage volumes from the rice fields are about 5 - 10 times higher than for the entire island. Net rice system per acre drainage volumes in the summer are about 2 times higher than drainage volumes for the entire island due to the drain-water recycling and use of island drainage water for irrigation. Maximum flows for rice and from the island occur during the winter. 2. DOC concentrations in all rice drain samples were elevated relative to the San Joaquin River and the Twitchell Main Drain (TMD). Consistent with previous studies, rice-field high drain-water DOC concentrations result from flushing of DOC generated during oxidation in shallow soils during drained periods. 3. Concentrations of MeHg in unfiltered drain water samples ranged from 0.1 to 13 nanograms per liter (ng/L) and were elevated in all rice drains relative to the nearby San Joaquin River water. Drain water in fields under the typical crop management in the Delta (corn/oats) had significantly lower in MeHg concentrations than the fields than were converted to rice production. 4. Eddy covariance measurements for rice on Twitchell and pasture on Sherman demonstrated that rice uses more than twice the amount of water during the day relative to pasture. ET measurements on Twitchell, showed rice water consumption is about 3.4 feet during the growing season, 2 feet greater than corn. 5. Results using eddy covariance measurements indicate that rice growing on organic soils in the Delta is a significant sink for carbon dioxide. 6. Carbon dioxide flux data and corn extensometer data indicate that rice will greatly limit subsidence. 7. Chamber flux measurements results showed that nitrous oxide fluxes in both corn and rice fields occurred mainly during the spring after the fields were flooded and during the winter (the corn field was flooded due to elevated ground water levels). Annual nitrous oxide emissions for corn were generally similar to rice. 8. Methane emission from the rice field may have been affected by the placement of rice residue, water level and length of flooding period. The placement of the rice residue in summer 2011 25-30cm below soil surface due to the moldboard plowing reduced the amount of CH4 emitted during the summer of 2011 vs. 2010. 9. In 2010, the average yield was about 43.5 hundred weight per acre. Typical yields for the Delta and Sacramento Valley range from 70 to 100 hundred-weight per acre. In 2011, the average yield was about 52 hundred-weight per acre. 10. Results of the trials among commercial medium grain varieties demonstrated that Calmochi-101 consistently ranked at the top followed by S-102, M-104 and M-206. The other two commercial varieties, M-202 and L-206 were the lowest of all varieties tested. PARTICIPANTS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period. TARGET AUDIENCES: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.

Impacts
The results reported are for the first year of a five-year project. Most of the first year effort was aimed at setting up sites and infrastructure for completing experiments in year two to four. The introduction of rice cropping on a larger scale in the Delta may have the potential to bolster the existing agriculture community, mitigate GHG emission through soil C sequestration, reverse soil subsidence and introduce security and resiliency of the water supply to the California State Water Project.. These goals/outcomes are what are being tested in this proposal. Our first year results both confirm and reject these assumptions (outlined goals). Since there is likely a transition period to a new equilibrium from switching from corn to rice, our first year results are likely not conclusive. Additional monitoring is required to establish trends for GHG emissions and changes in water quality. This will be accomplished in years two to four of this project. The rationale of this research is to restore the land and increase island stability. The primary crop in this region today is corn, forage and smaller holdings of vegetable crops, which has resulted in soil subsidence, decreased water quality from island drainage and destabilization of the Delta island levee system. Providing solutions to farmers that promote soil C sequestration and improve water resources directly addresses the program priority "Develop or improve management options for climate change adaptation or mitigation"; "Sustainable joint use of nitrogen and water that optimizes yield and quality while reducing greenhouse gas emissions; and "Integration of coupled climate-agriculture models and technologies into decision support tools for climate friendly agriculture and natural resource management in large, medium or small scale production systems. Reversing subsidence through rice cropping can address all these issues and provide for a sustainable agriculture in the Delta and secure regional water supply needed to support the most productive agricultural area in the US located in the San Joaquin Valley.

Publications

  • Hatalaa, AJ, M Dettoa, O Sonnentaga, S J Deverel, J Verfailliea, D D Baldocchia. 2012. Greenhouse gas (CO2, CH4, H2O) fluxes from drained and flooded agricultural peatlands in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 150: 1-18.