Stream temperature data collection standards for Alaska: Minimum standards to generate data useful for regional-scale analyses

Abstract

Study focus: Statewide interest in thermal patterns and increasing data collection efforts provides Alaska’s scientific and resource management communities an opportunity to meet broader regional-scale data needs. A basic set of stream temperature monitoring standards is needed for Alaskans to begin building robust datasets suitable for regional analyses. The goal of this project is to define minimum (base) standards for collecting freshwater temperature data in Alaska that must be met so that observations can support regional assessment of status and recent trends in freshwater temperatures and predictions of future patterns of change in these aquatic thermal regimes using downscaled climate projections. New hydrological insights for the region: We defined 10 minimum data collection standards for continuous stream temperature data in Alaska. The standards cover data logger accuracy and range, data collection sampling frequency and duration, site selection, logger accuracy checks, data evaluation, file formats, metadata, and data sharing. We hope that the adoption of minimum standards will encourage rapid, but structured, growth in comparable stream temperature monitoring efforts in Alaska that will be used to understand current and future trends in thermal regimes.

Keywords

• Stream temperature
• Data collection
• Minimum standards