Climate change is having a significant impact on fish, especially inland fish that rely on colder water for living and breeding. Common causes of drought, such as decreased precipitation and snowmelt runoff, combined with warmer temperatures are creating warmer water which is stressing many fish. Fish most at risk right now include sockeye salmon, lake trout, and walleye. Some fish, such as the smallmouth bass, are actually expanding their range northward as the climate changes.
Consequences of Climate Change for Mountain Lakes and Native Cutthroat Trout
At the Fort Collins Science Center, scientists are researching the potential impacts of climate change on mountain lake systems and native cutthroat trout. They have developed a bayesian network model as a decision support system to manage cutthroat trout under a changing climate. These models draw on current habitat conditions and downscaled Global Climate Models to predict persistence and will aid in the allocation of conservation resources related to cutthroat trout.
Scientists at the USGS and University of Montana are using novel modeling techniques and empirical data to study how climate change may drive landscape scale impacts that affect freshwater habitats and populations of key salmonid species (bull trout, cutthroat trout, and steelhead) throughout the Pacific Northwest. They are developing new frameworks for assessing the vulnerability of multiple freshwater species to climate change and other stressors in complex stream networks, which will aid managers in pro-actively implementing conservation programs to increase resiliency and adaptive capacity of aquatic species.
Climate Change and Freshwater Fish
A collaborative team of scientists from USGS, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Michigan Department of Natural Resources, and the University of Wisconsin developed a thermodynamic model of water temperatures using downscaled climate data and lake-specific characteristics to estimate daily water temperature profiles for 2,148 lakes in Wisconsin under contemporary (1989–2014) and future (2040–2064 and 2065–2089) conditions. The results of their study have been highlighted in an interactive data visualization.
FishVis Mapper presents possible changes in fish species occurrence in response to global climate change. Global climate change effects on fish species occurrence in streams were evaluated by means of a number of linked general circulation, groundwater recharge, stream temperature, and streamflow exceedance models. FishVis was developed to help visualize, search, and download these potential climate-driven responses for 13 fish species in streams across the Great Lakes region.
- Overview
Climate change is having a significant impact on fish, especially inland fish that rely on colder water for living and breeding. Common causes of drought, such as decreased precipitation and snowmelt runoff, combined with warmer temperatures are creating warmer water which is stressing many fish. Fish most at risk right now include sockeye salmon, lake trout, and walleye. Some fish, such as the smallmouth bass, are actually expanding their range northward as the climate changes.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.USGS Research Ecologist Clint Muhlfeld holds a native westslope cutthroat trout in Glacier National Park. GNP is recognized as a range-wide stronghold for genetically pure westslope cutthroat trout. However, rainbow trout invasion and hybridization threatens these populations.Public domain Consequences of Climate Change for Mountain Lakes and Native Cutthroat Trout
At the Fort Collins Science Center, scientists are researching the potential impacts of climate change on mountain lake systems and native cutthroat trout. They have developed a bayesian network model as a decision support system to manage cutthroat trout under a changing climate. These models draw on current habitat conditions and downscaled Global Climate Models to predict persistence and will aid in the allocation of conservation resources related to cutthroat trout.
Scientists at the USGS and University of Montana are using novel modeling techniques and empirical data to study how climate change may drive landscape scale impacts that affect freshwater habitats and populations of key salmonid species (bull trout, cutthroat trout, and steelhead) throughout the Pacific Northwest. They are developing new frameworks for assessing the vulnerability of multiple freshwater species to climate change and other stressors in complex stream networks, which will aid managers in pro-actively implementing conservation programs to increase resiliency and adaptive capacity of aquatic species.
Climate Change and Freshwater Fish
A collaborative team of scientists from USGS, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Michigan Department of Natural Resources, and the University of Wisconsin developed a thermodynamic model of water temperatures using downscaled climate data and lake-specific characteristics to estimate daily water temperature profiles for 2,148 lakes in Wisconsin under contemporary (1989–2014) and future (2040–2064 and 2065–2089) conditions. The results of their study have been highlighted in an interactive data visualization.
FishVis Mapper presents possible changes in fish species occurrence in response to global climate change. Global climate change effects on fish species occurrence in streams were evaluated by means of a number of linked general circulation, groundwater recharge, stream temperature, and streamflow exceedance models. FishVis was developed to help visualize, search, and download these potential climate-driven responses for 13 fish species in streams across the Great Lakes region.
Screenshot of the FishVis fish visualization tool.
Largemouth bass. - Publications