• Linking landscape characteristics and stream temperature in the coastal temperate rainforest of southeast Alaska.
    • Michael Winfree
    • October 31, 2014
  • Image above: Hilda Creek, Douglas Island..

Ecosystems of southeast Alaska are projected to be substantially impacted by climate change. Resulting changes to thermal regimes of streams will have ecological implications, particularly for Pacific salmon. Though physical characteristics of watersheds have been found to be good predictors of seasonal stream temperature in southeast Alaska, these linkages have yet to be studied on a regional scale in the coastal temperate rainforest. This study aims to quantify landscape controls on stream temperature throughout southeast Alaska and increase the understanding of variability in thermal regimes among anadromous streams across the region. This will provide a framework for linking future climate change scenarios to thermal regimes of streams and will inform management decisions and monitoring protocols for aquatic resources in the face of ongoing climate change.

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