Mapping the Spatial and Temporal Thermal Trends of the Kuskokwim and Aniak Rivers

In 2020-2021, this project collected site-based temperature logger data from mainstem Kuskokwim and Aniak river habitats, as well as floodplain habitats on the Aniak river. In concert with field data collection we downloaded and processed satellite imagery in order to model continuous temperature data at two different scales, with the aim of identifying thermal freshwater refugia and providing recommendations on standard thermal data collection protocols.

Understanding the relationship between environmental variability and biological response metrics is critical for sustaining salmon populations. For Chinook salmon, stream temperature and discharge are key factors influencing the timing of several key life history events, but comprehensive data on temperature are lacking for the Kuskokwim Basin. This project will provide a modeled temperature data set (and methods that can be used to expand data collection basinwide in the future) which can then be used to detect thermal refugia, address questions about key life history events, and detect changing temperatures with changing climate.