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PROJECTED GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACT ON WATER TEMPERATURE IN FIVE NORTH CENTRAL U.S. STREAMS
Citation:
Stefan, H. AND B. Sinokrot. PROJECTED GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACT ON WATER TEMPERATURE IN FIVE NORTH CENTRAL U.S. STREAMS. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., EPA/600/J-95/199, 1993.
Description:
The effect of projected global climate change due to a doubling of atmospheric CO2 on water temperatures in five streams in Minnesota was estimated using a deterministic heat transport model. he model calculates heat exchange between the atmosphere and the water and is driven by climate parameters and stream hydrologic parameters. he model is most sensitive to air temperature and solar radiation. he model was calibrated against detailed measurements to account for seasonally variable shading and wind sheltering. sing climate projections from the GISS, GFDL and OSU GCMs as input; stream temperature simulations predict a warming of freely flowing river reaches by 2.4 degrees C to 4.7 degrees C when atmospheric CO2 doubles. n small shaded streams water temperatures are predicted to rise by an additional 6 degrees C in summer if trees along stream banks should be lost due to climate change or other human activities (e.g. logging). hese projected water temperature changes have significant consequences for survival and growth of fishes. imulation with the complete heat budget equations were also used to examine simplified water temperature/air temperature correlations.