Real-Time Stream
Temperature Data
Putting Science & Numbers to the Test
Explore our ongoing efforts to safeguard the Cook Inlet through meticulous stream temperature monitoring. Join us as we apply scientific rigor and data-driven insights to track and address the changing thermal dynamics of four vital waterways, putting science and numbers to the test.
We’re applying scientific methodologies to understand the shifting thermal landscapes, recognizing the vital importance of this endeavor in preserving the ecological balance of our precious waterways.
Inletkeeper Strategies
Cook Inletkeeper developed the Stream Temperature Monitoring Network to build the science-based knowledge needed to identify thermal impacts in Alaska’s coastal salmon habitat. We are 1) collecting consistent, comparable temperature data for Cook Inlet’s salmon streams; 2) increasing our understanding of the rate of rising stream temperatures and areas of maximum exceedances throughout the basin; and 3) providing the knowledge and data needed to prioritize sites for future research, protection and restoration actions. See the map below for site locations and links for site-specific factsheets.
In 2007, Cook Inletkeeper began laying the groundwork for the Network by creating a standardized water temperature monitoring protocol for Cook Inlet, which is easily transferable to other watersheds in Alaska. Water Temperature Data Logger Protocol for Cook Inlet Salmon Streams includes a detailed description of methods, equipment needed, and instructions on how to deploy data loggers in the field, how to program and download data, and how to perform maintenance and quality assurance measures. In 2015, Cook Inletkeeper helped develop data collection standards and protocols for Alaska. Having this information written for a general audience will make it easier for stakeholders and decision makers throughout Alaska to implement temperature monitoring to understand and respond to thermal change in local salmon-bearing watersheds.
In May 2008, Cook Inletkeeper and its partners began implementing the Stream Temperature Monitoring Network to collect water temperature data in 48 non-glacial salmon streams in the Cook Inlet watershed. In 2013, we completed a synthesis report of the stream temperature data collected from 2008-2012 to establish current water temperature conditions in Cook Inlet salmon streams and stream-specific sensitivity to climate change impacts. In 2017, our paper: Summer temperature regimes in southcentral Alaska streams: watershed drivers of variation and potential implications for Pacific salmon was published in the Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences.