Author(s): Roser Casas-Mulet; Aimee Nicholson-Jack; Juergen Geist; Michael J. Stewardson; Dongryeol Ryu
Linked Author(s): Roser Casas-Mulet
Keywords: No Keywords
Abstract: With the forecast of continued durations of warmer weather, reduced precipitation and stream flow under climate change, freshwater systems have been highlighted as particularly vulnerable ecosystems. Aquatic organisms have been identified to seek thermal refuge in areas of water, which are persistently cooler than the surrounding river and provide local-scale shelters from warmer waters in the summer months. These cold-water refugia have been identified as critical sites in conservation due to their ability to conserve biota. The formation of cold-water refugia has been extensively described in previous studies and associated with identifiable physical geomorphic features and adjacent landscape topographies. This study aims to understand the relationship between thermal heterogeneity and physical morphological drivers in promoting the occurrence of cold-water refugia in riverine systems, using the Upper River Ovens (Australia) as a case study [1].
Year: 2018