Lecture 10 - Climate Change

Question 1

What has happened to Pacific salmonids from 1848 to 2006?

Answer 1

They went from being abundant throughout the coast from California to Alaska to being relatively abundant in Alaska and severely degraded in southern B.C. and the U.S.

Question 2

What are the 4 main causes of salmon declines?

Answer 2

Habitat loss
Harvest
Hatcheries
Hydropower

Question 3

What are the 3 additional causes of salmonid loss?

Answer 3

Invasive species
Pollution
Climate change

Question 4

What was the warmest year on record for the planet?

Answer 4

2016

Question 5

What is the optimum temperature range and lethal upper limit for Sockeye? (2)

Answer 5

Between 12 and 14 degrees C

~25 degrees C

Question 6

At what dissolved oxygen level does growth decline in juvenile salmonids?

Answer 6

Below 5 ppm, but death occurs at less than 2 ppm

Question 7

When do most salmon production bottlenecks happen? (2)

Answer 7

Winter - high flows and lack of food or overwintering habitat

Summer - lack of habitat, low flows, high temperatures, and predation

Question 8

What are some of the main stream restoration categories? (13)

Answer 8

LWD placement 
Boulder placement 
Stream channel restoration (eg. Recreating pool-riffle sequences)
Gravel placement 
Stream enrichment 
Stream bank stabilization 
Off-channel habitat 
Riparian restoration 
Estuary restoration 
Culverts, dams, and fish passage 
Fish flows (related to dams etc.)
Urban stream restoration

Question 9

How does urbanization and loss of pervious surfaces disrupt the local hydrologic cycle? (4)

Answer 9

Reduced canopy interception

Reduces evapotranspiration

Increases surface runoff

Decreases shallow and deep infiltration

Question 10

What are some impacts to urban streams resulting in urbanization and high impervious area? (4)

Answer 10

Peak flows occur earlier

Peak flow is larger

Base flow is lower

Base flow in summer is warmer

Question 11

What are two ways you can counteract impacts to hydrology caused by impervious areas? (2)

Answer 11

Infiltration galleries, wetlands, detention ponds etc.

Plant riparian zones with trees to intercept ad retain water

Question 12

What are the main priorities for conducting habitat restoration in the face of climate change? (5)

Answer 12

1. The highest priority is securing adequate water quality and quantity
2. Holistic watershed scale planning
3. Most watershed restoration activities are focused on the short-term, but we need to have long-term riparian protection and restoration
4. Make sure to be prioritizing restoration activities by what will be most degraded by climate change
5. Engage and work with appropriately qualified professionals, students, and academics

Question 13

What should be the main priorities for restoring salmonids in the face of climate change? (4)

Answer 13

Climate proofing watersheds

Restoring habitat connectivity

Restoring estuaries

Restoring riparian areas for shading and cooling

Question 14

What are the goals of riparian protection and restoration? (3)

Answer 14

Recover riparian function

Provide future desired conditions for fish and wildlife

Provide shrubs and deciduous trees for leaf litter mixed with nature coniferous trees for thermal shading, wood recruitment, and fluvial resistive root systems