Understanding Cold-Water Refuges and Thermal Stratification in a Large Regulated River
Abstract
We recently initiated a new study to assess spatial and temporal patterns of cold-water refuges for native trout species and to examine potential drivers influencing longitudinal and vertical thermal heterogeneity in the Pend Oreille River in eastern Washington and northern Idaho. To describe these patterns, we used airborne thermal infrared (TIR) imagery, in situ thermographs, and modeled estimates of current velocity to identify areas in the longitudinal thermal profile where thermal stratification was most likely to occur. We found that tributaries, groundwater inputs, and water depth and velocity were the major sources of temperature variability. Our preliminary results demonstrated that these processes may influence spatial and thermal heterogeneity in large impounded rivers but that the complexity of thermal patterns in these systems will require new approaches to assessment and modeling in order to understand the implications of these patterns for cold-water fishes. These findings highlight the need to incorporate large, impounded rivers in our understanding of thermal riverscapes because these types of rivers have been underrepresented in the literature.
- Publication:
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AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2016
- Bibcode:
- 2016AGUFM.H32E..06T
- Keywords:
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- 1630 Impacts of global change;
- GLOBAL CHANGEDE: 1632 Land cover change;
- GLOBAL CHANGEDE: 1871 Surface water quality;
- HYDROLOGYDE: 1894 Instruments and techniques: modeling;
- HYDROLOGY