SFS Annual Meeting

5/24/2018  |   11:00 - 11:15   |  310 B

ESTIMATING CHANGES TO GROUNDWATER DISCHARGE TEMPERATURE UNDER ALTERED CLIMATE CONDITIONS New easy-to-use tools allow evaluation of the key physical processes that control thermal responses of groundwater-fed ecosystems to climate change, in particular (1) groundwater recharge rate and temperature and (2) land-surface temperature that is conducted to the aquifer. As an example, the tools are applied to the Fall River Springs complexes, California, USA. Upper-basin springs are strongly affected only by recharge conditions, but large distal springs are also strongly influenced by changes in average annual land-surface temperature. Timing of temperature changes depends on both vadose zone (geologic material above the aquifer) properties and the rate of upland recharge. Most of the thermal response of upper-basin springs will occur within 20 years of a shift in recharge temperatures, but the lower-basin Fall River Springs will respond more slowly, with about half of the land-surface temperature change response occurring within the first 20 years and about half of the recharge response occurring in approximately 60 years. These findings explain why typical fisheries studies in this region lasting a few years measure almost constant springs’ temperature. For this system, springs temperatures will change on a timescale similar to but lagging climate trends.

Erick Burns (Primary Presenter/Author), U.S. Geological Survey, eburns@usgs.gov;


Yonghui Zhu (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), China University of Geosciences, zhuyh@cug.edu.cn;


Hongbin Zhan (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Texas A&M University, zhan@geos.tamu.edu;


Michael Manga (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), University of California - Berkeley, manga@seismo.berkeley.edu;


Colin Williams (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), U.S. Geological Survey, colin@usgs.gov;


Steven Ingebritsen (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), U.S. Geological Survey, seingebr@usgs.gov;


Jason Dunham (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), U. S. Geological Survey, jdunham@usgs.gov;


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5/24/2018  |   11:15 - 11:30   |  310 B

MODELING THERMAL LANDSCAPES FROM A FISH PERSPECTIVE WITH IMPLICATIONS FOR A CHANGING CLIMATE Water temperatures fluctuate in time and over space, creating diverse thermal regimes on river networks. Both native and non-native fish species move through these waters, utilizing particular elements, or facets, of the thermal landscape during each stage of their lifecycle. Using water temperature data collected every 30-minutes for five years at 40+ locations in the Snoqualmie River, WA, we fit spatial stream network models (SSNMs) to thermal metrics quantifying facets of the thermal landscape that are documented to be of importance to Chinook Salmon, Bull Trout, and Largemouth Bass during spawning, egg incubation, and juvenile rearing. Climate, land form, and land use characteristics were considered for each spatial model in order to gain a clearer understanding of the potential ecological drivers of thermal habitat by species. We present differences in best models describing the distribution of, say, emergence phenology for Largemouth Bass versus Chinook Salmon. We also explore how the distribution of these facets shifts between years and in years with extreme low flows and high temperatures. We conclude by considering how our results can be generalize to other basins.

Amy Marsha (Primary Presenter/Author), University of Washington, amarsha2@uw.edu;


E. Ashley Steel (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), PNW Research Station, US Forest Service, asteel.usfs@gmail.com;


Aimee Fullerton (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Northwest Fisheries Science Center, NOAA, aimee.fullerton@noaa.gov;


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5/24/2018  |   11:30 - 11:45   |  310 B

HIERARCHICAL SCALE-DEPENDENCY IN FRESHWATER SPECIES DISTRIBUTION MODELS: HOW DOES THE PREDICTOR IMPORTANCE CHANGE WITH VARYING SPATIAL SCALES? Species distribution models (SDMs) are an important tool to assess the potential habitat suitability for species over large spatial scales, and are increasingly used in freshwater ecology. Key aspects that have not been tested in freshwater SDMs are i) how the predictor importance changes according to the size of spatial units used (e.g. (sub-) catchments) and ii) how the interplay between the used predictors and spatial units affect the model outcomes. Predictor importance and model outcomes can play a key role for decision making in e.g. conservation actions. To test these key aspects, we ran SDMs across ten different hierarchical catchment scales (ranging from 2 km² to 500 km²) for a set of native fish species in the Upper Danube catchment in Europe. For each species and catchment scale, we then compared the model outputs together with the relative predictor importance. We show how model outputs depend on the spatial scale on which they are assessed, and give guidance regarding the choice of predictors at varying scales. Our results provide useful insights into factors influencing species occurrence across spatial scales, and into the further development of freshwater SDMs.

Martin Friedrichs (Primary Presenter/Author), Leibniz-Institute for Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, friedrichs@igb-berlin.de;


Florian Pletterbauer (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Institute of Hydrobiology and Aquatic Ecosystem Management (IHG), University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna (BOKU), Max Emanuel Strasse 17, 1180 Vienna, Austria, florian.pletterbauer@boku.ac.at;


Thomas Hein (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Institute of Hydrobiology and Aquatic Ecosystem Management (IHG), University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna (BOKU), Max Emanuel Strasse 17, 1180 Vienna, Austria, thomas.hein@boku.ac.at;


Harald Kling (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Pöyry Energy GmbH, Kranichberggasse 4, 1120 Vienna, Austria, harald.kling@poyry.com;


Simone D. Langhans (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), University of Otago and BC3 - Basque Centre for Climate Change, simone.langhans@otago.ac.nz;


Sonja C. Jähnig (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Berlin, Germany , sonja.jaehnig@igb-berlin.de;


Sami Domisch (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, domisch@igb-berlin.de;


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5/24/2018  |   11:45 - 12:00   |  310 B

COMPARISON OF GEOMORPHIC PROPERTIES BETWEEN FUNCTIONAL PROCESS ZONES IN THE WESTERN UNITED STATES From a watershed and stream management perspective, functional process zones (FPZs) are potentially a way for ecosystem and watershed managers to identify specific river reaches based on research interest or project needs. For this study, FPZs were classified and mapped along three rivers in the Great Basin and Bighorn Mountains (USA) using a GIS protocol. River reaches within the resulting FPZs were sampled based on the modified EMAP protocol to test whether significant hydrogeomorphic differences existed across scales, including between FPZs, within a single river basin, and among river basins in the Great Basin and Bighorn regions and between regions. Our study reveals both a substantial amount of internal complexity among FPZs within a river and consistency in the morphological nature of FPZs between rivers within an ecoregion. From a watershed management perspective, the ability to predict hydrogeomorphic processes at the watershed scale is beneficial for cost-effective and standardized management and research goals. From a macro-ecological perspective, this analysis reveals how aggregation of data at larger spatial extents can illuminate patterns that might otherwise be obscured by limiting analyses to finer scales.

Nicholas Kotlinski (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Kansas Biological Survey, University of Kansas, kotlinskikansas@gmail.com;


Scott Kenner (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, Scott.Kenner@sdsmt.edu;


James H. Thorp (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), University of Kansas/Kansas Biological Survey, thorp@ku.edu;


John Costello (Primary Presenter/Author), South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, john.costello@mines.sdsmt.edu;


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5/24/2018  |   12:00 - 12:15   |  310 B

LANDSCAPE SCALE RISK ASSESSMENT OF CYANOBACTERIA BLOOMS IN CALIFORNIA LAKES Increased frequency of toxic cyanobacteria blooms in California lakes has negatively affected designated uses. Synthesis of existing datasets with remote sensing methods to develop a risk assessment model at the landscape scale is currently being explored in California. The goal is to quantify the likelihood or ‘risk’ of each lake of exceeding a eutrophication endpoint that is statistically related to bloom occurrence. Lake characteristics were compiled at the lake, immediate catchment, and watershed scale using the newly developed LakeCat database. These data were combined with in situ chlorophyll measurements and estimates derived from remote sensing products to develop a statistical model that identifies at-risk lakes for prioritization. Model development followed a stratified approach using a lake classification scheme where independent relationships between chlorophyll and bloom occurrence were identified. The results revealed distinct differences in the risk-response model related to latitudinal variation, watershed position, and basin type. These initial models are expected to guide the development of a statewide bioassessment method for lakes that, combined with existing assessment methods, will provide a comprehensive approach for surface water management in California.

Marcus Beck (Primary Presenter/Author), Southern California Coastal Water Research Project, marcusb@sccwrp.org;


Martha Dee (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), University of Notre Dame, mdee@nd.edu;


Meredith Howard (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), SCCWRP, meredithh@sccwrp.org;


Eric Stein (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Southern California Coastal Water Research Project, erics@sccwrp.org;


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5/24/2018  |   12:15 - 12:30   |  310 B

EXPLORING BROAD-SCALE FISH MERCURY BIOACCUMULATION PATTERNS: ROLE OF GROWTH DILUTION IN A WARMING CLIMATE Bioaccumulation of mercury in fish is a complex process that varies in space and time. In this study, we avail a long-running (1970-2015) monitoring program from Ontario, Canada to better understand spatiotemporal variations in fish mercury bioaccumulation. Focussing on Walleye and Northern Pike, the data were first stratified by latitudinal zones and temporal periods. A series of LMEMs with latitudinal zone, time period, and their interactions as random effects were used to capture the spatial, temporal, and spatiotemporal variations in mercury bioaccumulation. The random slopes were used to define bioaccumulation index and capture trends in space and time. Growth dilution in conjunction with estimated rates of warming for different latitudinal zones failed to explain the spatiotemporal trends. Temporal trends showed contrasting patterns with bioaccumulation increasing in Pike and decreasing in Walleye, suggesting temperature-driven growth dilution is more likely in Walleye. A space-for-time substitution revealed the presence of a weak growth dilution, but it was not attributable to temperature differences. Overall, the study summarizes broad-scale variations in fish mercury levels and sheds light on the role of growth dilution in a warming climate.

Shyam Thomas (Primary Presenter/Author), Ryerson University, shyam.thomas@ryerson.ca;


Stephanie Melles (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Ryerson University, stephanie.melles@ryerson.ca;


Satyendra Bhavsar (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Ontario Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change, Toronto, satyendra.bhavsar@ontario.ca;


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