Hiram Li (USGS Oregon Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit),

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1 Coldwater fishes and thermal refuges in hot water Christian Torgersen US Geological Survey, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Cascadia Field Station, College of Forest Resources, University of Washington, Seattle, USA Joe Ebersole US Environmental Protection Agency, Western Ecology Division, Corvallis, Oregon, USA Dru Keenan US Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Water and Watershed, Seattle, Washington, USA

2 Acknowledgements Hiram Li (USGS Oregon Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit), Bruce McIntosh (Oregon Department of Fish and Widlife), Russ Faux (Watershed Sciences, Corvallis, Oregon), Colden Baxter (Idaho State University), Doug Bateman (Oregon State University), Dave Hockman- Wert (USGS Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center), Bob Gresswell (USGS Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center), and Michelle McSwain (BLM Prineville District Office, Oregon) and the field crews who risked life and limb to collect these data in rugged and remote locations.

3 Coldwater refuges in high desert streams Cool tributary 26 C Thalweg 27 C Subsurface inputs 25 C

4 Rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) Water temperature 25 C

5 Microhabitat coldwater refuge Adult chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha)

6 Understanding Coldwater Refuges What role do they play in salmonid ecology? How can they be identified multiple spatial scales? Can their distribution be predicted based on hydrologic and geomorphic associations? How can they be protected and restored in degraded rivers?

7 Thermal refuges at multiple spatial scales (Fausch et al. 2002)

8 STUDY AREAS JOHN DAY BASIN GRANDE RONDE BASIN OREGON Snake R. Ronde R. Grande Extensive fish survey Columbia R. John Day R. N Km

9 Micro- and Channel-Unit Scales

10 Coldwater Refuge Types Lateral Seep (Ebersole et al. 2003)

11 (Ebersole et al. 2003) Cold Springbrook

12 Cold Alcove (Ebersole et al. 2003)

13 Network and Basin Scales Continuously recording temperature data loggers 20 km HOT COLD

14 Multi-agency spatial databases 20 km August: Mean 7- day running average water temperature ( ) Water temperature C < > 22 Volk et al. In prep. NOAA- Fisheries, Seattle, WA, USA

15 Reach and Section Scales

16 Airborne Thermal Remote Sensing erature ( C C) Temp Main channel Tributary confluence Ground-truth Middle Fork John Day River 5 August :25-13:54 22 Springs (Torgersen et al. 2001) Distance upstream (km)

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20 Longitudinal patterns and land use (Torgersen et al. 1999)

21 Fish assemblages and thermal heterogeneity U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey

22 Lower Crooked River, Oregon 16 km in length Lake Billy Chinook Culver Hwy. 97 Rugged, steep-walled basalt canyon Private (8 km), BLM, National Grasslands, and ODFW Limited access with development on cliff sides Terrebonne

23 A riverscape approach Airborne thermal IR remote sensing (Watershed Sciences, Inc.) Reconnaissance with inflatable kayaks (May 2004) Snorkeling (aquatic habitat and fishes) Electrofishing Angling

24 Fish Survey 2004 July 29 August 3

25 Snorkeling July 29 August 3, 2004

26 Electrofishing and angling g July 29 August 3, 2004

27 Stream temperature and water quality July 29 August 3, 2004 ph, turbidity, and conductivity

28 Airborne thermal IR remote sensing Watershed Sciences, Inc. (August 27, 2002)

29 Water quality Conductivity, ph, temperature, and turbidity Conduc ctivity (mhos/in) Temperature (F F) Pink 75 7DADM FLIR Horny Hollow Lone Pine Hollywood Grassland Conductivity ph Elliot ph 8 tance (ft) Secchi dist Secchi Distance Turbidity Turbidity (NTU) Distance upstream (mi)

30 Pink Horny Hollow Lone Pine Hollywood Grassland Elliot Glide Total length (%) Aquatic Habitat Habitat type Rapid Riffle Pool Distance upstream (mi) Total length (%) Total length ( (%) Tot tal length (%)

31 Fish assemblage Relative abundance Abundance (fis sh/mi) dance (fish/mi) 2000 Pink Horny Hollow Lone Pine Hollywood Grassland Rainbow trout 2500 Rainbow trout * Mt. Mountain whitefish Elliot Abundance (fish h/mi) Abun Abunda ance (fish/mi) * * * Distance upstream (mi) * Northern N. pikeminnow Unidentified Cyprinids cyprinids

32 Pink Horny Lone Hollow Pine Hollywood Grassland Elliot Length (in) Weight (oz) Fish size Mean length and weight Rainbow trout Length Weight Northern pikeminnow Length (in) Weight (oz) Distance upstream (mi)

33 Thermal homogeneity Elliot (warm, upstream)

34 Thermal heterogeneity e ty Lone Pine (cool, downstream)

35 More questions Behavior and movement patterns (refuge use by large and small individuals) id Physiological consequences: thermal tolerances and growth Genetic differences Genetic differences in thermal tolerances: redband vs. rainbow trout

36 Fish Behavior and Distribution Species interactions and habitat use cm (Ebersole et al. 2001)

37 Patchiness in fish distribution

38 Spatial variability in physical habitat and fish distribution Re elative abunda ance MFJD juvenile chinook Middle Fork John Day River WARM Max. de pth (m) Gradient (%) Distance upstream (km)

39 Habitat segregation at the channel- unit scale Middle Fork John Day River WARM Axis score MFJD Axis 1 Axis Distance upstream (km)

40 Fish assemblage structure structure in a COOL stream North Fork John Day River 1.0 NFJD Axis score Axis 1 Axis Distance upstream (km)

41 Potential tradeoffs Predation risk Isolation distance

42 Riparian canopy density Within-cold patch temperature range Cyprinid abundance within cold patch Channel width:depth Coldwater patch frequency Refuge effectiveness for salmonids during thermal stress Predation risk Coldwater patch depth Coldwater patch isolation distance Channel sinuosiy Large wood frequency Negative association Positive association

43 Conclusions Temperature alone can seldom explain fish distribution Habitat structure Microhabitat, t channel unit, reach, network and basin scales Biotic factors (predation and foraging) Human impacts A refuge is not a home

44 Future directions What is a thermal refuge anyway? Provide scientific guidance for policy definitions Temperature alone does not a refugium make. Differentiate between thermal anomalies and refugia. Shifting mosaic of thermal landscapes Dynamics and floodplain complexity in conservation and restoration. Predicting in time and space Refine, test, and unify predictive models based geomorphology/hydrology at multiple scales.

45 New challenges Experimentation and manipulation at riverscape scales Bridging g the technology gap between the Haves and Have nots Applying appropriate technology trough extension and technology transfer. Space Invaders : Exotic species and climate change in thermal refuges.