Monitoring stream temperatures can help researchers quantify a stream’s relationship to terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. While many stream temperature monitoring protocols exist, most are written for aquatic specialists. In a new USGS report, USGS and National Park Service scientists provide precise and easy-to-understand stream temperature monitoring protocols for non-specialists. The protocols include instructions for using a specific brand of data loggers (Onset), including launching, checking factory calibration prior to field use, installing in streams for year-round monitoring, downloading and retrieving from the field, and inputting project data into databases.

Heck, M.P., Schultz, L.D., Hockman-Wert, D., Dinger, E.C., and Dunham, J.B., 2018, Monitoring stream temperatures—A guide for non-specialists: U.S. Geological Survey Techniques and Methods, book 3, chap. A25, 76 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/tm3A25.