Spatio-Temporal Patterns in Stream Temperatures Across the Pacific Northwest: Lessons from 10-Years of Thermal Infrared Remote Sensing

Airborne thermal infrared (TIR) remote sensing has proven an effective method for spatially-explicit mapping of the surface temperature patterns of rivers and streams.  First recognized in the mid-1990s as a means of quantifying stream temperature patterns at multiple spatial scales, TIR concepts have since been adopted for a variety of applications including mapping thermal refuge for fish species, identifying ground water discharge, and establishing baseline temperature conditions for water quality modeling.   In the Pacific Northwest alone, we have collected and processed TIR data on over 12,000 miles of rivers and streams. This 10-year rich database allows for valuable contrasts in the temperature patterns among streams in a region and to determine how these patterns vary between years.  Here we present these spatio-temporal patterns for the surface temperature of key study reaches in the Pacific NW, with some comparisons spanning as much as 10 years.    We will discuss the implications of these findings for fish conservation, restoration planning and flow management, along with how other high-resolution remote sensing data aid in our understanding of the temperature dynamics of river systems.