Development of fine-scale temperature models in the Delaware River: Application to predictive temperature modeling, decision support tools, and ecosystem services
Temperature is a primary driver of biological and ecological processes, and in rivers and streams influences distribution, reproduction, and behavior of aquatic species. USGS Northern Appalachian Laboratory (NARL) researchers are working with resource managers in the Delaware River Basin and collaborators at USGS Fort Collins Science Center to predict and model riverine temperature, particularly focusing on how temperature is influenced by flow management and impacts on key aquatic species.
The goals of this project are to 1) test and compare available and cutting edge technology for collecting site-specific high-resolution temperature data within the basin; 2) develop predictive high-resolution temperature models; 3) determine thermal tolerances for key aquatic species (e.g. American eel, American shad, freshwater mussels); 4) determine relationships between temperature and the ecosystem services these organisms provide; and 5) incorporate these findings into a decision support tool for resource managers.
Temperature is a primary driver of biological and ecological processes, and in rivers and streams influences distribution, reproduction, and behavior of aquatic species. USGS Northern Appalachian Laboratory (NARL) researchers are working with resource managers in the Delaware River Basin and collaborators at USGS Fort Collins Science Center to predict and model riverine temperature, particularly focusing on how temperature is influenced by flow management and impacts on key aquatic species.
The goals of this project are to 1) test and compare available and cutting edge technology for collecting site-specific high-resolution temperature data within the basin; 2) develop predictive high-resolution temperature models; 3) determine thermal tolerances for key aquatic species (e.g. American eel, American shad, freshwater mussels); 4) determine relationships between temperature and the ecosystem services these organisms provide; and 5) incorporate these findings into a decision support tool for resource managers.