Modeling stream water temperature

Populations of fish, bacteria and algae along with water chemistry are directly related to the water temperature of a river and can affect fish habitat. Therefore, the prediction of temperature changes is needed to assess the impacts of potential watershed management decisions, especially during low-flow periods. Prediction of stream water temperature changes due to the variation in streamflow and location along the stream, as well as anthropogenic changes, is frequently needed to assess the impacts of potential management decisions on the river water temperature. Many of the dynamic, physically-based models are complex and require extensive data inputs and calibration. Most of this models were developed for large river systems to assess management alternatives such as reservoir release impacts. The purpose of this research was to develop a dynamic mathematical model (WTS) that can be easily applied to predict changes in water temperatures in small, free flowing rivers and compare the predictions with predictions by the Stream Segment Temperature model (SSTemp) for the same stream.