Distributed Temperature Sensingin the Middle Fork John Day

Oregon State University professor and IMW investigator, John Selker, and his students are using state-of-the-art temperature monitoring techniques on restoration properties in the Middle Fork John Day River.  From August 1-8, 2013, a section of river on the Warm Springs Tribes’ Oxbow Conservation Area  was monitored using a large-scale DTS (distributed temperature sensing) installation.  The DTS installation consisted of fiber optic cables placed in the thalweg (deepest part of the riverbed) through which high-resolution temperature data was recorded at precise temporal and spatial scales.

Preliminary results from DTS temperature monitoring on the Oxbow Conservation Area reveal an observable sustained drop in stream temperature downstream of the Granite Boulder Creek redirection and stream channel reconstruction restoration area.  This temperature drop was apparent throughout the day, although it was most pronounced during peak midday stream temperatures

The following figure shows the change in watertemperature over time and distance for a section of the Middle Fork John Day River on the Oxbow Conservation Area.

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