Modeling the Effect of Flow and Sediment Transport on White Sturgeon Spawning Habitat in the Kootenai River, Idaho

McDonald, Richard R.; Nelson, Jonathan M.; Paragamian, Vaughn L.; Barton, Gary J.

doi:10.1061/(asce)hy.1943-7900.0000283

Cited by 47 publications

(61 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…One variable that also continuously changed was river discharge, part of which was due to planned augmented discharges from Libby Dam. The changing discharge varied velocities in the river at different depths (McDonald et al 2010). The Kootenai River is regulated, but the augmented sturgeon pulses were only about 60% of pre-dam spring discharge at Bonners Ferry, and velocities at spawning locations were usually less than 1 m s −1 ).…”

Section: Analytical Fusion Of Spawning Location and Fluvial Processesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Modeling suggested that higher discharges approximating 1600 m 3 s −1 or more for a period of 2 wk would likely provide more suitable spawning and rearing conditions (Paragamian et al 2009, McDonald et al 2010.…”

Section: Analytical Fusion Of Spawning Location and Fluvial Processesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A more sophisticated approach was necessary (Paragamian et al 2009, McDonald et al 2010). Fisheries and hydrology researchers collaborated to determine whether the spawning habitat had been changed by Libby Dam operations.…”

Section: Analytical Fusion Of Spawning Location and Fluvial Processesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Kootenai River white sturgeon: synthesis of two decades of research

Paragamian¹

2012

Endang. Species. Res.

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Little information is available on the Kootenai River white sturgeon Acipenser transmontanus population prior to the completion of Libby Dam (Montana, USA) in 1972. Regulation of the Kootenai River by the dam significantly lowered discharge and reduced river temperatures during the white sturgeon spawning season. The population became recruitment limited and was listed as endangered under the US Endangered Species Act in 1994. An international recovery team between the USA and Canada was formed to develop a recovery plan and recommend recovery measures. This paper is a synthesis of research that followed. Population studies estimated an abundance of 1000 adults declining at about 4% annually. Through conservation culture hatchery stockings in the early 1990s, survival was found to be about 65% in the first year and 90% thereafter; consequently, hatchery fish soon dominated the population. Wild white sturgeon spawning occurred in spring when the river warmed to ≥8°C but took place over sand substrates which were thought to be unsuitable for incubation and rearing. Recruitment failures continued to drive the decline despite augmented discharge, which was of little value to white sturgeon spawning. Evaluation of spawning habitat and fluvial processes confirmed that cobbles and gravels were present at most spawning locations but were buried under sediment. Although discharges ≥1600 m 3 s −1 for a period of 2 wk would likely scour fine substrates and provide more suitable spawning and rearing conditions, such a measure would be socially and politically unacceptable. Thus, support should be given to a habitat management plan that restores suitable substrates that help promote enhanced survival of embryos and larvae. KEY WORDS: White sturgeon · Kootenai River · Endangered fish · Idaho Resale or republication not permitted without written consent of the publisher OPEN PEN ACCESS CCESS Contribution to the Theme Section 'Endangered river fish: threats and conservation options'Endang Species Res 17: 157-167, 2012 Lake (H. Andrusak & M. A. Crowley, BC Ministry of Environment, unpublished). May & Huston (1979) reported that white sturgeon were limited in numbers in the Kootenai River downstream of Kootenai Falls, Montana, with a set line catch of 6 white sturgeon in 1975 and 2 in 1976. Studies in Idaho began in 1978 and suggested that within a decade of the completion of Libby Dam, the white sturgeon population became recruitment limited (Partridge 1983, Apperson 1990.Although other anthropogenic factors may have had an effect on the decline of white sturgeon e.g. contaminants, disconnection from the flood plain, nutrient loss, and channelization of the river (Woods 1982, Anders et al. 2002, Kruse & Scarnecchia 2002, Coutant 2004, dam operations were thought to have had the most profound effect as they had led to habitat alteration and loss. The physical and chemical attributes of the river after the construction of Libby Dam changed dramatically from pre-dam conditions (Woods 1982, Partridge 1983, Snyder & Mi...

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Section: Analytical Fusion Of Spawning Location and Fluvial Processesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Analytical Fusion Of Spawning Location and Fluvial Processesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Kootenai River white sturgeon: synthesis of two decades of research

Paragamian¹

2012

Endang. Species. Res.

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“…Typically, we stop the iteration when the discharge error drops below 1-2%. The FaSTMECH numerical model is described in detail in Nelson et al [2003] and McDonald et al [2010].…”

Section: Numerical Simulationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Calibrating discharge, bed friction, and datum bias in hydraulic models using water level and surface current observations

et al. 2013

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[1] We show that observations of water surface elevation, surface velocity, and bathymetry can be used to calibrate multiple reach-scale parameters such as the discharge, the overall bed friction, and a water surface datum bias in a hydraulic model (FaSTMECH) for the depth-averaged flow in the braided reach of the Kootenai River near Bonners Ferry, ID. Remotely sensed surface velocity data acquired during a 2010 field experiment are converted to depth-averaged velocity using a uniform ratio of 0.79 computed from concurrent in situ observation of vertical profiles of velocity. The in situ measured discharge of the Kootenai River was approximately 220 m 3 /s. For given discharge forcing and downstream boundary condition provided by the measured water surface elevation, the FaSTMECH model was used to predict the horizontal variation of the depth-averaged velocity and the water surface elevation over the braided reach. The calibration considered here consists of varying the discharge, the bed friction coefficient and the water surface datum offset to find the combination that minimizes error metrics based on the streamwise profiles of the measured water level and maximum depth-averaged velocity. Composite error metrics that combine water level and velocity measurements are found to be more sensitive with respect to variation of the datum bias and the bed friction. We find that a composite error based on the total head is minimized for a discharge of 220 m 3 /s, friction coefficient of 0.005, and a datum offset of 40 cm.Citation: Simeonov, J. A., K. T. Holland, J. Calantoni, and S. P. Anderson (2013), Calibrating discharge, bed friction, and datum bias in hydraulic models using water level and surface current observations, Water Resour. Res., 49,[8026][8027][8028][8029][8030][8031][8032][8033][8034][8035][8036][8037][8038]

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“…Many stream ecological evaluations, integrating hydraulics into the ecological studies, have been conducted in recent years. These ecological evaluations present rapid development of the new and effective method [1][2][3]. High flow effects are the main determinants of physical habitat…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Simulating Spawning and Juvenile Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) Habitat in Colorado River Based on High-Flow Effects

Yao

Liu

Chen

et al. 2017

Water

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High flow generates significant alterations in downstream river reaches, resulting in physical condition changes in the downstream regions of the river such as water depth, flow velocity, water temperature and river bed. These alterations will lead to change in fish habitat configuration in the river. This paper proposes a model system to evaluate the high flow effects on river velocity, water depth, substrates changes, temperature distribution and consequently assess the change in spawning and juvenile rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) habitats in the downstream region of the Glen Canyon Dam. Firstly, based on the 2 dimensional (2D) depth-averaged CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) model and heat transfer equation applied for simulation, three indices were simulated, namely depth, flow velocity and temperature distribution. Then, the spawning and juvenile fish preference curves were obtained based on these three indices and substrates distribution. After that, the habitat model was proposed and used to simulate the high flow effects on juvenile and spawning rainbow trout habitat structure. Finally, the weighted usable area (WUA) and overall suitability index (OSI) of the spawning and juvenile fish species were quantitatively simulated to estimate the habitat sensitivity. The results illustrate that the high flow effect (HFE) increased the juvenile rainbow trout habitat quality but decreased the spawning rainbow trout habitat quality. The juvenile trout were mainly affected by the water depth while the spawning rainbow trout were dominated by the bed elevation.

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Modeling the Effect of Flow and Sediment Transport on White Sturgeon Spawning Habitat in the Kootenai River, Idaho

Cited by 47 publications

References 22 publications

Kootenai River white sturgeon: synthesis of two decades of research

Kootenai River white sturgeon: synthesis of two decades of research

Calibrating discharge, bed friction, and datum bias in hydraulic models using water level and surface current observations

Simulating Spawning and Juvenile Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) Habitat in Colorado River Based on High-Flow Effects

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