Project Number
R/SF-49
Project Date Range
-
Focus Area(s)
Education, Training and Public Information
Plans are underway to release water from Friant Dam on an interim, experimental basis, as part of an effort to restore the San Joaquin River ecosystem. This project investigates the effects of these releases on the physical properties, such as water temperature, that create viable habitat for Chinook salmon. The fellow seeks to develop a model to analyze the sensitivity of channel water temperatures to heat fluxes associated with near-stream temperature gradients. Ultimately, this research seeks to determine the degree to which, and how, flow releases regulate thermal minima and maxima and restore salmon habitats for a given length of stream.