Water temperature plays a critical role in the health of pre-smolt salmon life stages, and changes in water temperature may be a strong driving factor on growth and survival of juvenile Chinook salmon. Climate is expected to warm substantially in the coming decades in western Alaska, potentially affecting juvenile salmon condition in freshwater habitats. This project investigated the feasibility of using existing data to assess the variability in size-at-age and annual growth for juvenile Chinook salmon across the western Alaska landscape and to estimate the relationship between juvenile Chinook size-at-age or annual growth and spatial or temporal stream temperature gradients. The project showed adequate data exists for undertaking these investigations and for assessing how expected water temperature changes in western Alaska will affect juvenile Chinook salmon habitat suitability and ultimately juvenile salmon condition.
