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Bringing people, data, and models together – addressing impacts of climate change on stream temperature

Project Leader:
Project Investigators:
Yi-Chen E. Yang (UMass - CEE)
Richard N Palmer (UMass - CEE)
Casey M. Brown (UMass - CEE)
Ben H. Letcher (USGS)
Keith H Nislow (USFS)
Jana Stewart (USGS)
Joanna B Whittier
Nathaniel P Hitt
+3 more
States:
Maine
New Hampshire
Vermont
Massachusetts
Rhode Island
Connecticut
New York
Pennsylvania
New Jersey
Delaware
Maryland
Virginia
West Virginia
Ohio
Kentucky
Indiana
Michigan
Wisconsin
Illinois
Minnesota
Iowa
Missouri
+19 more
Status:
Completed

Overview

This study set out to answer the question: “What data and modeling frameworks are needed to provide scientists reliable, climate-informed, water temperature estimates for freshwater ecosystems that can assist watershed management decision making?”  To accomplish this, the study gathered existing stream temperature data, identified data gaps, deployed stream temperature monitoring devices, and developed and tested a stream temperature model that could be regionalized across the Northeast Climate Science Center domain.

Polebitski and colleagues partnered with another NE CSC funded project team, NorEaST-Stream Temperature Web Portal Demonstration and Application, led by Jana Stewart (USGS Wisconsin Water Science Center), to collect data from over 10000 locations across 30 states and contributed by 40 different organizations. This collection effort aided in identifying data gaps where additional stream temperature would prove useful; through connections with State, Federal, Academic, and NGO partners, this project deployed over 300 additional stream temperature data loggers. Using the data compiled from the collection effort a statistical stream temperature model was developed, calibrated, and validated over portions of the NECSC region. This model is one alternative for estimating stream temperatures at locations that are not actively monitored and can be useful in estimating the impacts of climate change on individual streams. 

Presentations

North Atlantic Landscape Conservation Cooperative (NALCC) meeting - Integrating Stream Science Efforts across the North Atlantic and Appalachian LCC Regions, Austin Polebitski, "Bringing people, data, and models together – addressing impacts of climate change on stream temperature” March 14th, 2013.