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Air‐Water Temperature Relationships in the Trout Streams of Southeastern Minnesota's Carbonate‐Sandstone Landscape
Author(s) -
Krider Lori A.,
Magner Joseph A.,
Perry Jim,
Vondracek Bruce,
Ferrington Leonard C.
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
jawra journal of the american water resources association
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.957
H-Index - 105
eISSN - 1752-1688
pISSN - 1093-474X
DOI - 10.1111/jawr.12046
Subject(s) - streams , groundwater , environmental science , hydrology (agriculture) , surface water , climate change , sinkhole , geology , environmental engineering , computer network , paleontology , oceanography , geotechnical engineering , karst , computer science
Abstract Carbonate‐sandstone geology in southeastern M innesota creates a heterogeneous landscape of springs, seeps, and sinkholes that supply groundwater into streams. Air temperatures are effective predictors of water temperature in surface‐water dominated streams. However, no published work investigates the relationship between air and water temperatures in groundwater‐fed streams (GWFS) across watersheds. We used simple linear regressions to examine weekly air‐water temperature relationships for 40 GWFS in southeastern M innesota. A 40‐stream, composite linear regression model has a slope of 0.38, an intercept of 6.63, and R 2 of 0.83. The regression models for GWFS have lower slopes and higher intercepts in comparison to surface‐water dominated streams. Regression models for streams with high R 2 values offer promise for use as predictive tools for future climate conditions. Climate change is expected to alter the thermal regime of groundwater‐fed systems, but will do so at a slower rate than surface‐water dominated systems. A regression model of intercept vs . slope can be used to identify streams for which water temperatures are more meteorologically than groundwater controlled, and thus more vulnerable to climate change. Such relationships can be used to guide restoration vs . management strategies to protect trout streams.