Water Quality
Southwest Alaska Network. 2020. Water Quality. Southwest Alaska Network
Katmai and Lake Clark national parks and preserves were created, in part, to protect high-quality habitat for salmon. Cold water is a key habitat requirement, but exactly how cold depends on the salmon species, population, and life stage. To address this complexity, the State of Alaska uses several freshwater temperature thresholds that align with the upper end of the range of temperatures tolerated by salmon at specific life stages. According to these thresholds, water that supports spawning or incubating salmon may not exceed 13°C, and water that supports migrating or rearing salmon may not exceed 15°C. Also, water may not exceed 20°C at any time, if it supports aquatic life. In 2019, water temperatures in Katmai and Lake Clark national parks and preserves exceeded all of these thresholds.
- Type
- Resource Brief
- Authors
- Southwest Alaska Network
- Date of Issue
- 2020-03
- Publisher
- Southwest Alaska Network
- Units
- KATM , LACL , SWAN
- Keywords
- water quality, water temperature
- Subjects
- Ecological Framework: Water | Hydrology | Surface Water Dynamics , Ecological Framework: Water | Water Quality | Water Chemistry