TEMPERATURE & TEMPERATURE RANGE

A measure of the temperature and thermal variegation of the riverine environment.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR USING TEST KIT:

TEMPERATURE

1. Insert a thermometer into the water at the location in which you are sampling. Let it come to equilibrium (about 2 minutes). Record the information.

2. If your thermometer is calibrated in degrees Fahrenheit, convert to degrees Celsius using the formula:

C = ( F - 32) / 1.8

TEMPERATURE RANGE

1. Take several temperature readings in the general vicinity of your site. Include as wide a range of environments as you can find, including sun, shade, under bridges, in areas of slowly-moving and quickly-moving water, etc. If there are flowing outfalls at your station, sample in the mixing zone.

2. Calculate the range of temperature observed: RangeTemperature = temp.highest observed - temp.lowest observed

QUESTIONS TO THINK ABOUT:

Is your temperature greater than 20 C or less than that?

EFFECTS OF WARM WATER:

• Lowers the amount of oxygen dissolved in the water (check your Dissolved Oxygen test)
• Increases the rate of photosynthesis by plants, so you have more vegetation.
• Increases the metabolic rates of aquatic organisms
• Increases the sensitivity of organisms to disease.
• Not very cooling to swim in.
• Industry has to use more water to cool things.

WHY DID YOU NOTE THE TEMPERATURE RANG YOU DISCOVERED IN THE VICINITY OF YOUR STATION?

• Is there a power plant or factory that discharges hot water upstream from your site?
• Has there been a hard rain after a long hot spell?
• How many trees shade the river?
• Was it a hot summer?
• How much erosion is there?
• Check and see if your Turbidity Test is high.
• Is the river shallow or slow moving?
• How much water is used, then returned to the river?
• Is the river deep and fast moving?

*TOO-HIGH TEMPERATURE OR TEMPERATURE VARIATION IS A PROBLEM YOU MIGHT BE ABLE TO SOLVE. HOW?

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