The importance of cold water refuges to Pacific salmon and steelhead migrating through the Columbia River Basin recently has been well documented. Summertime water temperatures in the mainstem Columbia River have steadily increased over the last few decades, as has the length of these warm periods. Annual peak temperatures routinely exceed 21°C in most years and have been as high as 24°C. The warmest period typically occurs in July to early September, coincident with late-migrating summer Chinook and sockeye salmon and substantial portions of the fall Chinook salmon and summer steelhead runs. Water temperatures in the 19-22°C range are a significant concern because these temperatures can cause behavioral changes and a variety of sub-lethal effects on physiology, disease susceptibility, reproduction, and survival.
By Catherine Corbett, Lower Columbia Estuary Partnership
The importance of cold water refuges to Pacific salmon and steelhead migrating through the Columbia River Basin recently has been well documented. Summertime water temperatures in the mainstem Columbia River have steadily increased over the last few decades, as has the length of these warm periods. Annual peak temperatures routinely exceed 21°C in most years and have been as high as 24°C. The warmest period typically occurs in July to early September, coincident with late-migrating summer Chinook and sockeye salmon and substantial portions of the fall Chinook salmon and summer steelhead runs. Water temperatures in the 19-22°C range are a significant concern because these temperatures can cause behavioral changes and a variety of sub-lethal effects on physiology, disease susceptibility, reproduction, and survival.
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By John Rozum and Becky Lunde, NOAA Office for Coastal Management
After a hot, dry summer, Washington communities were beset with a series of wildfires. Now Western Washington prepares for rain and catastrophic flooding. Along the coast, sea level continues to rise despite tectonic uplift while erosion changes the shoreline. In recent years, NOAA has been hearing from coastal communities about their interest in being better prepared for coastal hazard impacts. We’re also noticing a growing recognition of the role that natural infrastructure (such as preserved open space) can play in helping to reduce risk to residents, businesses, and infrastructure. What communities might not know, is they can also take advantage of FEMA programs that provide insurance incentives and support adaptation planning and flood mitigation. Tye Ferrell, Resilience Collaborative NW Earlier this year, I joined a team from the William D. Ruckelshaus Center to assess resilience efforts on the Washington State coast.* We knew it would be important to ask assessment participants how they defined resilience. Because how people define resilience patterns the objectives they set for themselves and the actions they take to make their community more resilient.
The assessment team conducted 104 interviews with coastal tribes, residents, elected officials, federal, tribal, state, county, and city government staff, researchers, scientists, and other interested parties. What we found was that definitions varied widely around three areas: the type of change envisioned, how boundaries lines are drawn, and the hazards people were most concerned about. |
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