Salmon River Water Temperature PDF Indicators of Climate Change in California (2022)

Indicators of Climate Change in California (2022) SALMON RIVER WATER TEMPERATURE Water temperatures in the Salmon River and its tributaries have been warming, coincident with warming air temperatures and decreasing snowpack. The Salmon River watershed’s relatively modest human influences make it an...

Indicators of Climate Change in California (2022) SALMON RIVER WATER TEMPERATURE Water temperatures in the Salmon River and its tributaries have been warming, coincident with warming air temperatures and decreasing snowpack. The Salmon River watershed’s relatively modest human influences make it an excellent location for tracking the effect of climate change. Figure 1. Salmon River Water Temperatures* (1992-2020) 28 81 +0.33 °C/decade (+0.60 °F/decade) 76 24 +1.18 °C per decade (+2.13 °F per decade) 22 71 20 + 0.24 °C per decade (+ 0.43 °F per decade) 66 Water temperature, degrees F Water temperature, degrees C 26 18 Salmon River near USGS gage 11522500 South Fork Salmon upstream of Black Bear Creek Wooley Creek near mouth 16 1990 61 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020 Source: Karuk Tribe, SRCC, and USFS 2021 *The value for each year is the annual maximum temperature -- i.e., the highest instantaneous maximum temperature--during the summer. Solid line denotes statistically significant trend (p