Climate change is a reality on the Kenai Peninsula.  We are enjoying warmer and milder summers.  As air temperatures rise, so does the temperature of the water in our streams. This is of concern because water temperatures may rise to the point where they are detrimental to the survival of juvenile salmon. In addition to climate change, the Cook Inlet watershed is the most populated and fastest-growing region in Alaska; it is also home to the state’s renowned wild salmon runs that are at greatest risk to the effects of climate and land-use change.  For the past several years, the Kenai Watershed Forum has documented temperature trends in local salmon streams, with summer temperatures routinely exceeding state water quality standards established to protect spawning and migrating fish.  Fisheries scientists warn that high stream temperatures make fish increasingly vulnerable to pollution, predation, and disease.  Yet despite the association between warming water temperatures and reduced salmonid survivorship - there is little or no consistent, long-term temperature data for salmon streams in Alaska.  Without such basic information, it is impossible to gauge the health of the Kenai Peninsula’s salmon habitat and resources, and equally difficult to develop management responses to improve watershed resiliency to climate change. 

KWF is a partner in the Stream Temperature Monitoring Network, led by Cook Inletkeeper, to build the science-based knowledge needed to identify thermal impacts in Alaska’s coastal salmon habitat. The Stream Temperature Monitoring Network for Cook Inlet will 1) collect consistent, comparable temperature data for Cook Inlet’s salmon streams; 2) increase our understanding of the rate of rising stream temperatures and areas of maximum exceedances throughout the basin; and 3) provide the knowledge and data needed to prioritize sites for future research, protection and restoration actions.

The quantifiable benefits of this work include:

• Providing resource managers with quantified thermal data on key Cook Inlet salmon systems to make better habitat and management decisions;
• Identifying salmon systems and habitat requiring enhanced protection or restoration efforts due to thermal stressors.

Read more about the Stream Temperature Monitoring Network here.