Director of Research Presents Paper at International Symposium

NGRREC Director of Research Dr. Richard Sparks was invited to present a paper at an international symposium, Wetlands in a Flood Pulsing Environment:  Effects on and Responses in Biodiversity, Ecosystem Functioning and Human Society.  The symposium was held 1-5 February in Maun, Botswana, on the edge of the vast Okavango Delta, the largest wetland of international importance designated by the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands (http://www.ramsar.org/).  The symposium drew over 200 wetland scientists from around the world, who were attracted not only by the venue and the theme, but also because one day of the symposium (2 February) was devoted to a commemoration of World Wetlands Day.  That special day included the launch of the Okavango Delta Management Plan; a special message from the Ramsar expert on Wetlands and Climate Change; best paper awards to university students; and songs and dances celebrating wetlands.

 Dr. Sparks’ presentation, A Spatially-Explicit Carbon Cycling Model to Test Flood Pulse Concepts in the Upper Mississippi River, had nine co-authors, including three students and one faculty member from the University of Illinois, three hydraulic modelers from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and two ecologists from the U.S. Geological Survey.  The Flood Pulse Concept (Junk, Bayley and Sparks 1989) was referenced in presentations throughout the symposium.  Based on questions and encouragement Dr. Sparks received at the symposium, the co-authors now plan to track carbon exchanges with the atmosphere in their model and to submit a revised version of their paper for publication within the next six months.  While at the symposium, Dr. Sparks learned that portions of the Upper Mississippi River floodplains will be approved as the 26th wetland of international importance in the U.S. by the Ramsar Secretariat at their June 2010 meeting in Gland, Switzerland.