SALMON ONCORHYNCHUS-NERKA
; SOCKEYE-SALMON
; FRASER-RIVER
; MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE
; STREAM TEMPERATURE
; AIR-TEMPERATURE
; SURVIVAL
; BASIN
; PRECIPITATION
; PREDICTION
WOS学科分类:
Multidisciplinary Sciences
WOS研究方向:
Science & Technology - Other Topics
英文摘要:
Quantification of climate change impacts on the thermal regimes of rivers in British Columbia (BC) is crucial given their importance to aquatic ecosystems. Using the Air2Stream model, we investigate the impact of both air temperature and streamflow changes on river water temperatures from 1950 to 2015 across BC's 234,000 km(2) Fraser River Basin (FRB). Model results show the FRB's summer water temperatures rose by nearly 1.0 degrees C during 1950-2015 with 0.47 degrees C spread across 17 river sites. For most of these sites, such increases in average summer water temperature have doubled the number of days exceeding 20 degrees C, the water temperature that, if exceeded, potentially increases the physiological stress of salmon during migration. Furthermore, river sites, especially those in the upper and middle FRB, show significant associations between Pacific Ocean teleconnections and regional water temperatures. A multivariate linear regression analysis reveals that air temperature primarily controls simulated water temperatures in the FRB by capturing similar to 80% of its explained variance with secondary impacts through river discharge. Given such increases in river water temperature, salmon returning to spawn in the Fraser River and its tributaries are facing continued and increasing physical challenges now and potentially into the future.
Univ Northern British Columbia, Environm Sci & Engn Program, Prince George, BC, Canada
Recommended Citation:
Islam, Siraj Ui,Hay, Rachel W.,Dery, Stephen J.,et al. Modelling the impacts of climate change on riverine thermal regimes in western Canada's largest Pacific watershed[J]. SCIENTIFIC REPORTS,2019-01-01,9