Recent water temperature trends in the Lower Klamath River, California
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Abstract
Elevated water temperatures have been implicated as a factor limiting the recovery of anadromous salmonids in the Klamath River basin. This article reviews evidence of a multidecade trend of increasing temperatures in the lower main-stem Klamath River above the ocean and, based on model simulations, finds a high probability that water temperature has been increasing by approximately 0.5°C/decade (95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.42–0.60°C/decade) since the early 1960s. The season of high temperatures that are potentially stressful to salmonids has lengthened by about 1 month over the period studied, and the average length of main-stem river with cool summer temperatures has declined by about 8.2 km/decade. Water temperature trends seem unrelated to any change in main-stem water availability but are consistent with measured basinwide air temperature increases. Main-stem warming may be related to the cyclic Pacific Decadal Oscillation, but if this trend continues it might jeopardize the recovery of anadromous salmonids in the Klamath River basin.
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | Recent water temperature trends in the Lower Klamath River, California |
| Series title | North American Journal of Fisheries Management |
| DOI | 10.1577/M04-007.1 |
| Volume | 25 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Year Published | 2005 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Taylor & Francis |
| Contributing office(s) | Fort Collins Science Center |
| Description | 11 p. |
| First page | 152 |
| Last page | 162 |
| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| Other Geospatial | Klamath River |
| Google Analytic Metrics | Metrics page |