RICHARD B. SUSFALK

Associate Research Scientist

EDUCATION:

B.A. 1992, Chemistry, Occidental College, Los Angeles, CA
M.S. 1994, Chemistry, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA
Ph.D. 2000, Hydrology, University of Nevada, Reno, NV

ACADEMIC AFFILIATIONS:

Graduate Program of Hydrologic Sciences – University of Nevada Reno

PROFESSIONAL INTERESTS:

Dr. Susfalk’s interests are in surface water quality, watershed hydrology, water conservation, soil chemistry, and forest soils. He has worked extensively on soils and water quality issues of the semi-arid forests of the eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains for the past fourteen years. Many of Dr. Susfalk’s projects relate to understanding and estimating the transport of nutrients and suspended sediments in streams, rivers, and lakes. In the Lake Tahoe Basin, he is interested in the impact of on-shore pollutants on near shore water quality. Finally, he is also interested in the use of flocculanting agents, such as polyacrylamide (PAM), as a cost-effective method to reduce unwanted seepage from water delivery canals.

RESEARCH AREAS:

Near shore water quality and the linkage with on-shore pollutant sources, watershed hydrology, impact of fire on soil processes and water quality and quantity, hyporheic exchange and the use of temperature as tracer in determining surface and ground water relationships, water conservation, use of polyacrylamide (PAM) as a canal sealant to reduce unwanted seepage, suspended sediment and turbidity relationships, use of turbidity as a real-time surrogate for suspended sediment, forest soils, and biogeochemical cycling.

SELECTED CURRENT PROJECTS:

• Use of Linear, Anionic Polyacrylamide (PAM) to Reduce Seepage from Water Delivery Canals
• Nearshore Water Quality at Lake Tahoe
• Predicting and Managing Changes in Near-Shore Water Quality at Lake Tahoe
  
• Impact of the Lower and Middle Rosewood Creek Restoration Projects on the Delivery of Nutrients and Suspended Sediment to Lake Tahoe
• Use of Road Sweepers as a Best Management Practice at Reducing Fine Sediment Loading in Urban Runoff
  
• Potential Nutrient Emissions from Prescribed Fire in the Lake Tahoe Basin

PROCEEDINGS:

Susfalk, R.B. (ed). Proceedings of the Polyacrylamide (PAM) and PAM Alternatives Workshop. Albany, CA. February 26-27, 2008. Published by the Desert Research Institute February 2009.

REPORTS:

Susfalk, R.B.; Fitzgerald, B.; Knust, A.M.; 2008. Characterization of turbidity and total suspended solids in the Upper Carson River, Nevada. DRI Publication Number: 41242.

Richard Susfalk; Donald W. Sada; Chad Martin; Michael Young; Timothy Gates; Chris Rosamond; Todd Mihevc; Todd Arrowood; Margaret Shanafield; Brian Epstein; Alexandra Lutz; Jim Woodrow; Glenn Miller; Delbert Smith; 2008. Evaluation of Linear Anionic Polyacrylamide (LA-PAM) Application to Water Delivery Canals for Seepage Reduction. DRI Publication Number: 41245.

Cobourn, John; Saito, Laurel; Brock, James; Naranjo, Ramon; Susfalk, Rick; Chandra, Sudeep; 2008. Groundwater-Surface Water Interactions Along the Truckee and Carson Rivers .

Susfalk, R.B.; Young, M.H.; Smith, D.M.; 2007. Application Guidelines: Use of Granular, Linear Anionic Polyacrylamide (LA-PAM) in Water Delivery Canals for Seepage Control. DRI Publication Number: 41239.

Young, M.H.; Tappen, J.J.; Miller, G.C.; Carroll, S.; Susfalk, R.B.; 2007. Initial Risk Characterization: Using Linear Anionic Polyacrylamide (LA-PAM) to Reduce Water Seepage from Unlined Water Delivery Canal Systems. DRI Publication Number: 41226.

Young, Michael (editor); Jim Woodrow; Duane P. Moser; Jianting Zhu; Li Chen; Richard B. Susfalk; Glenn C. Miller; Stephanie K. Labahn; Ernesto A. Moran; Todd Arrowood; 2007. Results of Laboratory Experiments in Support of PAM-Related Research (with nine authors). DRI Publication Number: 41237.

JOURNAL ARTICLES

Johnson, Dale W ; Miller, Watkins W; Susfalk, Richard B; Dahlgren, Randy A ; Murphy, James D ; Glass, Dallas W ; , 2009 (accepted).

Biogeochemical Cycling in Forest Soils of the Eastern Sierra. Forest Ecology and Management.

Chen, L.; Zhu, J.; Young, M.H.; Susfalk, R.B.; , 2009.

An integrated approach to modeling solute transport in streams and canals with applications. Journal of Hydrology. v.378. n.1-2. pp.128-136. 10.1016/j.jhydrol.2009.09.012.

Young, M.H.; Tappen, J.J.; Susfalk, R.B.; Miller, G.C., 2007 (submitted).

Characterizing the risk of using linear anionic polyacrylamide (LA-PAM) to reduce seepage from unlined water delivery canals. J. Soc. Risk Assessment.

Dana, G.L.; Panorska, A.K.; Susfalk, R.B., 2006.

Suspended sediment loading in the middle reach of the Truckee River, California, 2002-03. Journal of the Nevada Water Resources Association. v.3. pp.65-80.

Johnson, D.W.; Murphy, J.F.; Susfalk, R.B.; Caldwell, T.G.; Miller, W.W.; Walker, R.F.; Powers, R.F., 2005.

The effects of wildfire, salvage logging, and post-fire N-fixation on the nutrient budgets of a Sierran forest. Forest Ecology and Management. v.220. pp.155-165.

Shanafield, M.; Johnson, J.; Sawyer, F.; Green, J.; Assam, J.; Becket, H.; Brown, S.; Carlos, W.; Fosbury, D.; Meadows, D.G.; Mienert, M.; Rasmussen, B.; Royce, G.; Stein, C.; Unger, K.; Wright, M.; Hunkup, D.; Wolf, D.; Susfalk, R.B.; Tyler, S., 2005.

Analysis of Hungry Valley groundwater pumping and management, Washoe County, Nevada. Journal of the Nevada Water Resources Association. v.2. n.2. pp.1-12.

Cheng, W.; Fu, S.; Susfalk, R.B.; Mitchell, R.J., 2005.

Measuring tree root respiration using 13C natural abundance: rooting medium matters. New Phytologist. v.167. pp.297-307.

Johnson, D.W.; Susfalk, R.B.; Caldwell, T.G.; Murphy, J.D.; Walker, R.; Miller, W.W., 2004.

Fire Effects on carbon and nitrogen budgets in forests. Water, Air, and Soil Pollution. pp.263-275.

Susfalk, R.B.; Johnson, D.W.; , 2002.

Ion exchange resin based soil solution lysimeters and snowmelt collectors. Communications in Soil Science and Plant Analysis. v.33. n.7&8. pp.1261-1275.

Fu, S.; Cheng, W. ; Susfalk, R.; , 2002.

Rhizosphere respiration varies with plant species and phenology: A greenhouse pot experiment. Plant and Soil. v.239. pp.133-140.

Susfalk, R.B; W. Cheng; D.W. Johnson; R.F. Walker; P. Verburg; S. Fu. ; , 2002.

Lateral diffusion and atmospheric CO2 mixing compromise estimates of rhizosphere respiration in a forest soil. Canadian Journal of Forest Research. v.32. pp.1005-1015.

Johnson, D.; Susfalk, R. ; Dahlgren, R.; Caldwell, T.; Miller, W. ; , 2001.

Nutrient fluxes in a snow-dominated, semi-arid forest: Spatial and temporal patterns. Biogeochemistryt. v.55. pp.219-245.

Johnson, D.W.; Susfalk, R.B.; Gholz, H.L.; Hanson, P.J.; , 2001.

Simulated effects of temperature and precipitation change in several forest ecosystems. Journal of Hydrology. v.235. pp.183-204.

Johnson, D.W. ; Susfalk, R.B. ; Brewer, P.F.; , 1999.

Simulated effects of reduced sulfur, nitrogen, and base cation deposition on soils and solutions in southern Appalachian forests. Environ. Qual. v.28. pp.1336-1346.

Johnson, D.W.; Susfalk, R.B.; Dahlgren, R.A. ; Klopatek, J.M.; , 1998.

Fire is more important than water for nitrogen fluxes in semi-arid forests. Environmental Science and Policy. v.1. pp.79-86.

Johnson, D.W.; Susfalk, R.B.; Dahlgren, R.A.; , 1997.

Nutrient fluxes in forests of the eastern Sierra Nevada mountains, United States of America. Global Biogeochemical Cycles. v.11. pp.673-681.

Johnson D.W.; Susfalk, R.B.; Brewer, P.F. ; , 1996.

Simulated responses of red spruce forest soils to reduced sulfur and nitrogen deposition. Environ. Qual. v.25. n.6. pp.1300-1309.

CONFERENCE ABSTRACTS

Shanafield, Margaret; Pohll, Greg; Susfalk, Richard; ; , 2008.

Comparison of Numerical Models to Predict Vertical Water Flux. AGU. San Francisco.

Naranjo, R.; Brock, J.; Susfalk, R.; Mckay, A.; Stone, M.; Saito, L.; Tyler, S., 2008.

Nutrient and Hyporheic flow Dynamics Through a Riffle-Pool Sequence, Truckee River at Fleish, CA. Nevada Water Resources Association 2008 Annual Conference. Nevada Water Resources Association.

Susfalk, R.B.; Martin, C.; Sada, D.; Young, M.H.; Gates, T.; Shanafield, M.; Fitzgerald, B.; Smith, D., 2008.

Benefits and Risks of Using Linear Anionic Polyacrylamide (LA-PAM) for Seepage Reduction in Unlined Water Delivery Canals. AGU. San Francisco.

Chen,L.-W. Antony; Ozgen Senem,; Shackelford, April; Verburg, Paul; Susfalk, Richard; Chow, Judith C. ; Watson, John G. , 2008.

Nitrogen Emission From Forest Prescribed Burning. AAAR 27th Annual Conference. American Association for Aerosol Research. Orlando, FL.

Susfalk, R.B., 2006.

Impact Of The Rosewood Creek Restoration Project On Suspended Sediment Loading To Lake Tahoe: Pre-Monitoring And Year 1. 2006 Joint Federal Interagency Sedimentation Conference. Reno, NV.

Susfalk, R.B.; Epstein, B.; Goreham, J.O.; Young, M.H.; Moran, E.; Martain, C.; Gates, T.; Swihart, J.; Smith, D.; Fitzgerald, B.C., 2006.

Use of Polyacrylamide to Reduce Seepage from Unlined Water Delivery Canals. Fall 2006 AGU Meeting. San Francisco, CA.

Susfalk, R.B.; Young, M.H.; Goreham, J.O.; Epstein, B.; Smith, D.; Schmidt, M.; Swihart, J., 2006.

Use of Polyacrylamide to Reduce Seepage From Unlined Irrigation Canals. 18th World Congress of Soil Science. Philadelphia, PA.

Susfalk, R.B.; Young, M.H.; Goreham, J.O.; Epstein, B.; Schmidt, M.; Smith, D.; Swihard, J., 2006.

Use of Polyacrylamide to Reduce Seepage From Unlined Irrigation Canals. 2006 Soil and Water Conservation Society Meeting. Keystone, CO.

Susfalk, R.B.; Epstein, B.J.; Schmidt, M.; Goreham, J.O.; Fitzgerald, B.C.; Young, M.H.; Martin, C.; Swihart, J.; Smith, D., 2006.

Seepage Reduction from Unlined Irrigation Canals: Water Quality and Seepage Reduction Effectiveness. AGU. San Francisco, CA.

Chen, L.; Zhu, J.; Young, M.H.; Susfalk, R.B., 2006.

Modeling Polyacrylamide Transport in Water Delivery Canals. ASA-CSSA-SSSA. Indianapolis, IN.

Susfalk, R.B.; Young, M.H.; Schmidt, M.; Epstein, B.J.; Goreham, J.O.; Swhihart, J.; Smith, D., 2005.

Use of polyacrylamide to reduce seepage from unlined irrigation canals: initial results from small scale test troughs. AGU. San Francisco, CA.

Shanafield, M.; Johnson, J.; Sawyer, F.; Green, J.; Assam, J.; Becket , H.; Brown, S.; Carlos, W.; Fosbury, D.; Meadows, D.G.; Mienert, M.; Rasmussen, B.; Royce, G.; Stein, C.; Unger, K.; Wright, M.; Hunkup, D.; Wolf, D.; Susfalk, R.B.; Tyler, S., 2005.

Analysis of Hungry Valley groundwater pumping and management, Washoe County, Nevada. Nevada.

Dana, G.L.; Panorska, A.; Susfalk, R.B., 2005.

Sediment loading in the Middle Truckee River. Nevada.

Cheng, W.; Fu, S.; Susfalk, R.B.; Mitchell, R., 2004.

Assessing tree rhizosphere carbon dioxide efflux using a natural 13C tracer method. ESA. Portland, OR.