The Past as a Prelude to the Future: Assessing Climate Effects on Native Trout in the U.S.

Start Date

2014-07-23

End Date

2015-07-23

Release Date

2014

Future climate change is expected to dramatically alter the structure and function of freshwater ecosystems that support salmonid species. The response of salmonids to climate change will vary through space and time and manifest in both known and currently unknown ways. A potentially rich source of understanding of how salmonids interact with climate lies in a unified retrospective analysis of observed climate and population data in diverse habitats across the United States. Through research and management partners, tens of thousands of sampling events have occurred and continue to occur across the ranges of native salmonid species. We propose to capitalize on existing fish population and climate data from the recent past (1950-current) to: 1) test species-climate hypotheses, 2) identify mechanisms linking species to climate drivers, 3) validate current forecasting models, and 4) improve monitoring programs, vulnerability assessments, and risk assessment tools. An inherent benefit of this approach is the use of empirical climate and species population data, thus minimizing the uncertainty associated with extrapolations and climate projections.

ScienceBase WMS

• National CASC
• National and Regional Climate Adaptation Science Centers