Integrating Stream Discharge and Temperature Monitoring for Tribal Partners in Southeast Alaska

Stream discharge and temperature patterns are being altered by climate change, but documenting these changes on the community level is challenging without community partners trained in suitable data collection techniques. The USGS Juneau Field Office is collaborating with the Yakutat Tlingit Tribe (YTT), the Southeast Alaska Tribal Ocean Research (SEATOR) network, and the Southeast Alaska Watershed Coalition (SAWC) to integrate stream discharge and stream temperature monitoring into ongoing Tribal-led climate adaptation, water quality, and species management projects.  

Stream discharge and temperature data is limited in Southeast Alaska and improving the spatial coverage of this data would be mutually beneficial to USGS and Tribal partners across the region. There are three primary actionable science goals for this project. The first is to enhance capacity for YTT staff and their continued partnership with USGS staff. The second goal consists of training in stream discharge and temperature monitoring protocols for at least 17 regional Tribal organizations through the SEATOR and SAWC networks. The final goal is to increase spatial coverage of stream discharge and temperature data in Southeast Alaska, and to support Tribal-led, USGS assisted, monitoring efforts to inform Tribal climate adaptation planning, water quality monitoring, and species management efforts.