scholarly journals Thermal Characteristics of a Beaver Dam Analogues Equipped Spring-Fed Creek in the Canadian Rockies

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 990
Author(s):  
Tariq M. Munir ◽  
Cherie J. Westbrook
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Characteristics ◽  
Cutthroat Trout ◽  
Rocky Mountain ◽  
Optimal Growth ◽  
Stream Temperature ◽  
Mountain Stream ◽  
Suitable Habitat ◽  
Restoration Technique ◽  
Beaver Dam ◽  
In Series

Beaver dam analogues (BDAs) are becoming an increasingly popular stream restoration technique. One ecological function BDAs might help restore is suitable habitat conditions for fish in streams where loss of beaver dams and channel incision has led to their decline. A critical physical characteristic for fish is stream temperature. We examined the thermal regime of a spring-fed Canadian Rocky Mountain stream in relation to different numbers of BDAs installed in series over three study periods (April–October; 2017–2019). While all BDA configurations significantly influenced stream and pond temperatures, single- and double-configuration BDAs incrementally increased stream temperatures. Single and double configuration BDAs warmed the downstream waters of mean maxima of 9.9, 9.3 °C by respective mean maxima of 0.9 and 1.0 °C. Higher pond and stream temperatures occurred when ponding and discharge decreased, and vice versa. In 2019, variation in stream temperature below double-configuration BDAs was lower than the single-configuration BDA. The triple-configuration BDA, in contrast, cooled the stream, although the mean maximum stream temperature was the highest below these structures. Ponding upstream of BDAs increased discharge and resulted in cooling of the stream. Rainfall events sharply and transiently reduced stream temperatures, leading to a three-way interaction between BDA configuration, rainfall and stream discharge as factors co-influencing the stream temperature regime. Our results have implications for optimal growth of regionally important and threatened bull and cutthroat trout fish species.

scholarly journals Impacts of beaver dams on hydrologic and temperature regimes in a mountain stream

2015 ◽  
Vol 19 (8) ◽  
pp. 3541-3556 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Majerova ◽  
B. T. Neilson ◽  
N. M. Schmadel ◽  
J. M. Wheaton ◽  
C. J. Snow
Keyword(s):  
Overland Flow ◽  
Stream Temperature ◽  
Mountain Stream ◽  
Complex Flow ◽  
Temporal Scales ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Scales ◽  
Beaver Dam ◽  
Temperature Regimes ◽  
Continuous Stream ◽  
Beaver Dams

Abstract. Beaver dams affect hydrologic processes, channel complexity, and stream temperature in part by inundating riparian areas, influencing groundwater–surface water interactions, and changing fluvial processes within stream systems. We explored the impacts of beaver dams on hydrologic and temperature regimes at different spatial and temporal scales within a mountain stream in northern Utah over a 3-year period spanning pre- and post-beaver colonization. Using continuous stream discharge, stream temperature, synoptic tracer experiments, and groundwater elevation measurements, we documented pre-beaver conditions in the first year of the study. In the second year, we captured the initial effects of three beaver dams, while the third year included the effects of ten dams. After beaver colonization, reach-scale (~ 750 m in length) discharge observations showed a shift from slightly losing to gaining. However, at the smaller sub-reach scale (ranging from 56 to 185 m in length), the discharge gains and losses increased in variability due to more complex flow pathways with beaver dams forcing overland flow, increasing surface and subsurface storage, and increasing groundwater elevations. At the reach scale, temperatures were found to increase by 0.38 °C (3.8 %), which in part is explained by a 230 % increase in mean reach residence time. At the smallest, beaver dam scale (including upstream ponded area, beaver dam structure, and immediate downstream section), there were notable increases in the thermal heterogeneity where warmer and cooler niches were created. Through the quantification of hydrologic and thermal changes at different spatial and temporal scales, we document increased variability during post-beaver colonization and highlight the need to understand the impacts of beaver dams on stream ecosystems and their potential role in stream restoration.

scholarly journals Impacts of beaver dams on hydrologic and temperature regimes in a mountain stream

2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 839-878 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Majerova ◽  
B. T. Neilson ◽  
N. M. Schmadel ◽  
J. M. Wheaton ◽  
C. J. Snow
Keyword(s):  
Overland Flow ◽  
Stream Temperature ◽  
Mountain Stream ◽  
Complex Flow ◽  
Temporal Scales ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Scales ◽  
Beaver Dam ◽  
Temperature Regimes ◽  
Continuous Stream ◽  
Beaver Dams

Abstract. Beaver dams affect hydrologic processes, channel complexity, and stream temperature by increasing inundated areas and influencing groundwater-surface water interactions. We explored the impacts of beaver dams on hydrologic and temperature regimes at different spatial and temporal scales within a mountain stream in northern Utah over a three-year period spanning pre- and post-beaver colonization. Using continuous stream discharge, stream temperature, synoptic tracer experiments, and groundwater elevation measurements we documented pre-beaver conditions in the first year of the study. In the second year, we captured the initial effects of three beaver dams, while the third year included the effects of ten dams. After beaver colonization, reach scale discharge observations showed a shift from slightly losing to gaining. However, at the smaller sub-reach scale, the discharge gains and losses increased in variability due to more complex flow pathways with beaver dams forcing overland flow and increasing surface and subsurface storage. At the reach scale, temperatures were found to increase by 0.38 °C (3.8%), which in part is explained by a 230% increase in mean reach residence time. At the smallest, beaver dam scale, there were notable increases in the thermal heterogeneity where warmer and cooler niches were created. Through the quantification of hydrologic and thermal changes at different spatial and temporal scales, we document increased variability during post-beaver colonization and highlight the need to understand the impacts of beaver dams on stream ecosystems and their potential role in stream restoration.

Influence of water temperature and biotic interactions on the distribution of Westslope Cutthroat Trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii lewisi) in a population stronghold under climate change

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kadie B. Heinle ◽  
Lisa A. Eby ◽  
Clint C. Muhlfeld ◽  
Amber C. Steed ◽  
Leslie A. Jones ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Climate Adaptation ◽  
Cutthroat Trout ◽  
Stream Temperature ◽  
High Elevation ◽  
Suitable Habitat ◽  
Bull Trout ◽  
Westslope Cutthroat Trout ◽  
Oncorhynchus Clarkii ◽  
Species Response

Climate warming is expected to have substantial impacts on native trout across the Rocky Mountains, but there is little understanding of how these changes affect future distributions of co-occurring native fishes within population strongholds. We used mixed-effects logistic regression to investigate the role of abiotic (e.g., temperature) and biotic factors (Bull Trout presence, Salvelinus confluentus) on distributions of Westslope Cutthroat Trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii lewisi; WCT) in the North Fork Flathead River, USA and Canada. The probability of WCT presence increased with stream temperature and decreased with channel gradient and Bull Trout presence, yet the effect of Bull Trout was reduced with increasing pool densities. Combining this model with spatially-explicit stream temperature projections, we predict a 29% increase in suitable habitat under high emissions through 2075, with gains at mid-elevation sites predicted to exceed Bull Trout thermal tolerances and high-elevation sites expected to become more thermally suitable for WCT. Our study illustrates the importance of considering abiotic and biotic drivers to assess species response to climate change, helping to guide local scale climate adaptation and management.

scholarly journals Technical note: Fourier approach for estimating the thermal attributes of streams

2016 ◽  
Vol 20 (8) ◽  
pp. 3411-3418 ◽  
Author(s):  
Masahiro Ryo ◽  
Marie Leys ◽  
Christopher T. Robinson
Keyword(s):  
Fourier Analysis ◽  
Thermal Characteristics ◽  
Stream Temperature ◽  
Technical Note ◽  
Swiss Alps ◽  
Diel Periodicity ◽  
Seasonal Periodicity ◽  
Average Temperature ◽  
Poor Site ◽  
Periodic Components

Abstract. Temperature models that directly predict ecologically important thermal attributes across spatiotemporal scales are still poorly developed. This study developed an analytical method based on Fourier analysis to estimate seasonal and diel periodicities, as well as irregularities in stream temperature, at data-poor sites. The method extrapolates thermal attributes from highly resolved temperature data at a reference site to the data-poor sites on the assumption of spatial autocorrelation. We first quantified the thermal attributes of a glacier-fed stream in the Swiss Alps using 2 years of hourly recorded temperature. Our approach decomposed stream temperature into its average temperature of 3.8 °C, a diel periodicity of 4.9 °C, seasonal periodicity spanning 7.5 °C, and the remaining irregularity (variance) with an average of 0.0 °C but spanning 9.7 °C. These attributes were used to estimate thermal characteristics at upstream sites where temperatures were measured monthly, and we found that a diel periodicity and the variance strongly contributed to the variability at the sites. We evaluated the performance of our predictive mechanism and found that our approach can reasonably estimate periodic components and extremes. We could also estimate the variability in irregularity, which cannot be represented by other techniques that assume a linear relationship in temperature variabilities between sites. The results confirm that spatially extrapolating thermal attributes based on Fourier analysis can predict thermal characteristics at a data-poor site. The R scripts used in this study are available in the Supplement.

The interactive effects of stream temperature, stream size, and non-native species on Yellowstone cutthroat trout

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Al-Chokhachy ◽  
Mike Lien ◽  
Bradley B. Shepard ◽  
Brett High
Keyword(s):  
Native Species ◽  
Cutthroat Trout ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Stream Temperature ◽  
Interactive Effects ◽  
Oncorhynchus Clarkii ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout ◽  
Stream Size ◽  
Native Salmonids

Climate change and non-native species are considered two of the biggest threats to native salmonids in North America. We evaluated how non-native salmonids and stream temperature and discharge were associated with Yellowstone cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii bouvieri) distribution, abundance, and body size, to gain a more complete understanding of the existing threats to native populations. Allopatric Yellowstone cutthroat trout were distributed across a wide range of average August temperatures (3.2 to 17.7ºC), but occurrence significantly declined at colder temperatures (<10 ºC) with increasing numbers of non-natives. At warmer temperatures occurrence remained high, despite sympatry with non-natives. Yellowstone cutthroat trout relative abundance was significantly reduced with increasing abundance of non-natives, with the greatest impacts at colder temperatures. Body sizes of large Yellowstone cutthroat trout (90th percentile) significantly increased with warming temperatures and larger stream size, highlighting the importance of access to these more productive stream segments. Considering multiple population-level attributes demonstrates the complexities of how native salmonids (such as Yellowstone cutthroat trout) are likely to be affected by shifting climates.

pH dependence of iron photoreduction in a rocky mountain stream affected by acid mine drainage

2001 ◽  
Vol 15 (10) ◽  
pp. 1979-1992 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diane M. McKnight ◽  
Briant A. Kimball ◽  
Robert L. Runkel
Keyword(s):  
Acid Mine Drainage ◽  
Mine Drainage ◽  
Ph Dependence ◽  
Rocky Mountain ◽  
Mountain Stream ◽  
Acid Mine

Macroinvertebrate drift in a Rocky Mountain stream

Hydrobiologia ◽  
1987 ◽  
Vol 144 (3) ◽  
pp. 261-268 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. David Allan
Keyword(s):  
Rocky Mountain ◽  
Mountain Stream ◽  
Macroinvertebrate Drift
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