Hi CEE community,

Please join us this Thursday, February 2 at 3:30 in More Hall room 225 for this week’s water seminar where CEE PhD candidate George Darkwah will present on techniques used to monitor the thermal impacts dams have on rivers (and the aquatic life living in them) within the Columbia river basin. See the abstract for his talk below!

Saving the Fish in Regulated Rivers with Satellites & Data-Driven Techniques

Abstract

Our world today has reaped numerous benefits from dams. These benefits, such as irrigation, hydropower, water supply, and flood control, have aided in the rapid development of nations as well as protecting lives and properties. Unfortunately, the operation of dams also affects riverine ecosystems in diverse ways including significant alterations to the thermal regime of rivers. The rivers are home to fish, which are not only a source of food, but also a highly endeared treasure for many cultures and livelihoods.

Therefore, to understand the thermal impacts of dam operation on rivers and fish, we harness the long-term historic data from Landsat to develop a means to estimate river temperature in a temporally and spatially continuous manner along rivers in the Columbia River basin. This water temperature data could serve as a gateway to understanding the thermal impacts of dam operations on rivers. It is our goal to help save fish and the aquatic ecosystem by operating dams in an ecologically and culturally sound manner while reaping the benefits of dams.