Stream temperature data will be compiled from federal and provincial government agencies, as well as other data holders in British Columbia which will be housed in an interagency database. Spatial statistical models for river networks like those used for NorWeST will be used with these data to develop a consistent set of high-resolution predictions for all streams and reaches within streams for a pilot area within the Cascadia ecotypic area of the GNLCC (i.e., middle Fraser River and Okanagan River basins). The pilot area work would entail development of technical protocols so that future efforts could be scaled broadly across BC and the northern half of the GNLCC to ultimately provide a consistent set of international stream temperature scenarios for planning and vulnerability assessments for aquatic species
FY2015and FY2016 Objectives:
The primary objective of this project is to provide an accurate assessment and description of historical stream temperatures and thermal habitat distributions for aquatic species in two pilot watersheds within British Columbia, Canada. The resulting information is expected to serve as a science-based decision support tool such that planning efforts, regulatory tools, and management actions around aquatic environments can be implemented more efficiently and with greater confidence. The objective is not to make recommendations regarding specific management actions in different locations, only to provide accurate information that is fundamental to informed discussions about prioritizing actions.
Specific tasks include: 1. compiling stream temperature data from various sources across the province; 2. developing the architecture for a comprehensive, interagency stream temperature database where these data can be housed in the future;3. piloting existing protocols developed elsewhere for application to the spatial layers and stream temperature data in two pilot watersheds in British Columbia;4. developing a stream temperature model that incorporates important climate drivers, riparian conditions, and geomorphic factors; and 5. using the model to predict historic patterns in stream temperatures for streams in the two pilot watersheds.
