Multiple Regression Stream Temperature Model | Water and Watersheds (W&W) Program - USDA Forest Service Science - RMRS

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Multiple Regression Stream Temperature Model

Multiple Regression Stream Temperature Model This simple Stream Temperature Modeling and Monitoring approach uses thermograph data and geomorphic predictor variables from GIS software and digital elevation models (DEM). Multiple regression models are used to predict stream temperature metrics throughout a stream network with moderate accuracy (R² ~ 0.65). The models can provide basic descriptions of spatial patterns in stream temperatures, suitable habitat distributions for aquatic species, or be used to assess temporal trends related to climate or management activities if multiple years of temperature data are available.
	Methods and Instructions - Includes procedures, relevant publications and links to the more detailed GIS instructions.		Maps - Includes various maps of the Secesh River Basin.		Data - Includes example data (Excel spreadsheet format).
Related Publications:
	A Watershed-Scale Monitoring Protocol for Bull Trout - Bull trout are a charr species native to streams of the Pacific Northwest that require extremely cold stream temperatures and relatively pristine habitat conditions to persist. Population declines during the 20th century prompted listing under the Endangered Species Act and several national forests have also designated bull trout as a Management Indicator Species. Such designations require monitoring the status and trends of populations across extensive tracts of US Forest Service lands, but limited budgets often make this a daunting task. Researchers at the Boise Aquatic Sciences Laboratory have developed a watershed-scale monitoring protocol for bull trout designed to address these needs. Rather than relying on intensive and costly monitoring of abundance at a few sites, the protocol focuses on temporal patterns of occurrence within suitable habitat patches, thereby requiring less intense sampling at individual sites and making it possible to sample larger areas more relevant to land managers. As initial data are collected, models of detection efficiency and species occurrence can be developed and used to refine future sampling efforts based on desired levels of statistical certainty and habitat conditions.
	Measuring Stream Temperature with Digital Data Loggers - Thermal regimes are a fundamental attribute of stream ecosystems and the ability to monitor and model these regimes are rapidly advancing. With a simple protocol that uses underwater epoxy to attach sensors, more than 500 new monitoring sites were established from 2010 to 2012 in rivers and streams across the Rocky Mountains. Dunham, Jason; Chandler, Gwynne; Rieman, Bruce; Martin, Don 2005. Measuring stream temperature with digital data loggers: a user's guide. Gen. Tech. Rep. RMRS-GTR-150WWW. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. 15 p.

Contacts for this Model:

Model/Data: Dan Isaak
GIS Data/Maps: Dona Horan

Home

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Stream Temperature

Monitoring

Multiple Regression Stream Temperature Model