Use of Frequency and Duration Analysis for the Determination of Thermal Habitat Thresholds: Application for the Conservation of Alasmidonta heterodon in the Delaware River
Publication: Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 138, Issue 8
Abstract
A novel approach for setting thermal habitat recommendations for an endangered aquatic species will be proposed in this paper. The method, uniform continuous above-threshold (UCAT) analysis, evaluates the duration and frequency of continuous events in which the temperature is higher than a specified value and identifies temperature levels that, because of their rare occurrence in the past, can be considered stressor thresholds. The UCAT analysis was applied to set thermal habitat recommendations for Alasmidonta heterodon, an endangered mussel species in the Upper Delaware River. It was found that a maximum daily water temperature of 26.5°C lasting for more than 7 days is a rare event in the A. heterodon population centers in Upper Delaware River and consequently this condition should be avoided by adjusting already regulated cold-water releases from upstream reservoirs. Knowledge of temperature thresholds and their relationship with persistent low-flow periods provided further decision support for the development of flow management recommendations for species protection. The case study of A. heterodon in the Upper Delaware River demonstrates that in the absence of laboratory research on physiological temperature tolerance of a species, UCAT analysis provides an effective way to approximate habitat conditions that fall within thermal tolerances. Because of quick and easy preparation and analysis, this method may also have a broader application to habitat studies of other animal groups.
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Acknowledgments
The authors would like to acknowledge the support of many organizations that contributed their resources to this project. These include the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Delaware River Basin Commission, the U.S. Geological Survey, the Nature Conservancy, fisheries agencies of New York, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey, and many independent mussel experts that contributed data and review.
Particularly, the authors would like to thank Dr. William Lellis and Jeffrey Cole of the USGS who contributed the Delaware River dwarf wedgemussels survey data described in this paper. The authors would also like to thank the members of the technical team, advisory committees, and the public who helped in data collection for this project. Finally, the authors need to recognize Mr. Alex Hoar of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Dr. Robert Tudor of the Delaware River Basin Commission as individuals who offered particular patronage to this project.
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Published In
Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 138 • Issue 8 • August 2012
Pages: 886 - 892
Copyright
© 2012. American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Feb 14, 2011
Accepted: Nov 10, 2011
Published online: Nov 12, 2011
Published in print: Aug 1, 2012
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