Assessing climate-change risks to cultural and natural resources in the Yakima River Basin, Washington, USA

Hatten, James R.; Waste, Stephen M.; Maule, Alec G.

doi:10.1007/s10584-014-1126-z

Cited by 5 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…It is more similar to Lake Wenatchee than to Osoyoos Lake in that there has been relatively minimal impact from land use or development in the watershed. However, similar to those in the lower Okanogan River, summer water temperatures in the migratory corridor of the lower Yakima River near the Columbia River confluence often exceed 21°C, which has significant influence on the survival and migratory behavior of salmonids Naughton et al 2005;Hatten et al 2014; https://www.usb r.gov/pn/hydromet/yakima/yakwebarcread.html).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Early Observations from Monitoring a Reintroduction Program: Return of Sockeye Salmon to a Nursery Lake of Historical Importance

et al. 2019

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The historical distribution of Sockeye Salmon Oncorhynchus nerka in the Columbia River basin has been constrained by the species’ dependence on nursery lakes for juvenile rearing. Several productive lake systems were impounded by dams during the last century leading to the extirpation of Sockeye Salmon from many nursery lakes in the region. Recent efforts to re‐establish populations in historically natal areas are exemplified by the Cle Elum Lake reintroduction program. The program is founded on outplanting adult fish from two middle Columbia River donor populations with different adaptive potentials. We used genetic stock identification methods to differentiate stock origins between Osoyoos Lake (OSO) and Lake Wenatchee (WEN) donor stocks and to evaluate the relative productivity from two brood years (2011 and 2012) of natural spawning in the novel environment. Spawning ground surveys revealed assortative mating between earlier‐spawning WEN fish that were more abundant farthest upstream and later‐spawning OSO fish that were concentrated (82%) downstream nearest the lake. Hybrids accounted for only 5% of sampled smolts and 4% of adult returns. Smolts rearing in Cle Elum Lake were significantly larger overall (OSO, 140 mm; WEN, 129 mm) than smolts in either donor population (84 mm). However, the average size of OSO smolts varied among emigration years, and relative smolt abundances favored the WEN stock (70% overall), indicative of a rearing survival advantage. In relation, the WEN stock exhibited a better average rate of replacement (0.80) in adult‐to‐adult escapement compared with the OSO stock (0.17). Continued monitoring will focus on trends in productivity and potential demographic shifts that may arise in the Cle Elum Lake population and will provide managers with information concerning limiting factors in the environment that might affect similar approaches to reintroductions in other lake systems.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Early Observations from Monitoring a Reintroduction Program: Return of Sockeye Salmon to a Nursery Lake of Historical Importance

et al. 2019

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“…Additionally, the declines in summer streamflow will likely have an impact on other important components of the ecology and economy in the region, such as fisheries. Studies in the YRB indicate that a warming climate will decrease the salmonid habitat due to both increased streamflow during winter months and higher water temperatures [70].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multiple Indicators of Extreme Changes in Snow-Dominated Streamflow Regimes, Yakima River Basin Region, USA

Wagner

Bennett

Liston

et al. 2021

Water

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Snow plays a major role in the hydrological cycle. Variations in snow duration and timing can have a negative impact on water resources. Excluding predicted changes in snowmelt rates and amounts could result in deleterious infrastructure, military mission, and asset impacts at military bases across the US. A change in snowpack can also lead to water shortages, which in turn can affect the availability of irrigation water. We performed trend analyses of air temperature, snow water equivalent (SWE) at 22 SNOTEL stations, and streamflow extremes for selected rivers in the snow-dependent and heavily irrigated Yakima River Basin (YRB) located in the Pacific Northwest US. There was a clear trend of increasing air temperature in this study area over a 30 year period (water years 1991–2020). All stations indicated an increase in average air temperatures for December (0.97 °C/decade) and January (1.12 °C/decade). There was also an upward trend at most stations in February (0.28 °C/decade). In December–February, the average air temperatures were 0.82 °C/decade. From these trends, we estimate that, by 2060, the average air temperatures for December–February at most (82%) stations will be above freezing. Furthermore, analysis of SWE from selected SNOTEL stations indicated a decreasing trend in historical SWE, and a shift to an earlier peak SWE was also assumed to be occurring due of the shorter snow duration. Decreasing trends in snow duration, rain-on-snow, and snowmelt runoff also resulted from snow modeling simulations of the YRB and the nearby area. We also observed a shift in the timing of snowmelt-driven peak streamflow, as well as a statistically significant increase in winter maximum streamflow and decrease in summer maximum and minimum streamflow trends by 2099. From the streamflow trends and complementary GEV analysis, we show that the YRB basin is a system in transition with earlier peak flows, lower snow-driven maximum streamflow, and higher rainfall-driven summer streamflow. This study highlights the importance of looking at changes in snow across multiple indicators to develop future infrastructure and planning tools to better adapt and mitigate changes in extreme events.

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Climate change and sustainability: The roles of natural resources and societal cohesion to decision planning

Kyriakopoulos

2023

Reference Module in Social Sciences

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Assessing climate-change risks to cultural and natural resources in the Yakima River Basin, Washington, USA

Cited by 5 publications

References 9 publications

Early Observations from Monitoring a Reintroduction Program: Return of Sockeye Salmon to a Nursery Lake of Historical Importance

Early Observations from Monitoring a Reintroduction Program: Return of Sockeye Salmon to a Nursery Lake of Historical Importance

Multiple Indicators of Extreme Changes in Snow-Dominated Streamflow Regimes, Yakima River Basin Region, USA

Climate change and sustainability: The roles of natural resources and societal cohesion to decision planning

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