CUERE Fall 2024 Seminar Series

Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Lafayette College

Stream temperature is a key measure of water quality that strongly influences ecosystem health and is known to be influenced by human activity. While stream temperatures and associated drivers are well characterized in forested areas with limited human impacts, the behavior of stream temperatures in urban environments and the factors that influence this behavior are less understood. In this presentation, we will explore stream temperature behavior at annual, seasonal, and sub-daily timescales across 30+ urban monitoring sites located in Atlanta, Georgia. In particular, we focus on simple metrics that describe stream temperature under average conditions and during stormflow and use these to compare water quality response across sites. We also empirically link behaviors to key descriptors of stream and watershed environments, to identify the extent to which imperviousness and altered hydrology impact stream temperature behavior. Finally, we interpret what these findings mean for managing stream temperatures in an urban context.