Water management, Chinook salmon, California, climate change

This research paper uses WEAP and SALMOD models to analyze the impact of climate change on spring-run Chinook salmon (SRCS) in Butte Creek, California, concluding that simple water operation changes are unlikely to prevent their extinction.

• The study concludes that spring-run Chinook salmon in Butte Creek are unlikely to survive in the long term due to climate change, and that basic adjustments to water operations will likely fail to significantly reduce their vulnerability to extinction.
• Climate scenarios simulated via the Water Evaluation and Planning (WEAP) model indicate a trend toward higher water temperatures and lower summer base flows compared to historical data, which the SALMOD model links to increased population declines and adult summer thermal mortality.
• Among the tested management adaptations, only the cessation of water diversion for power production from the summer holding reach improved water temperatures and adult survival rates, though this resulted in a significant loss of power production.

APA

Stockholm Environment Institute (2011). Water management, Chinook salmon, California, climate change. https://www.sei.org/publications/water-management-chinook-salmon-california-climate-change/

Chicago

Stockholm Environment Institute. Water management, Chinook salmon, California, climate change. 2011. https://www.sei.org/publications/water-management-chinook-salmon-california-climate-change/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Stockholm Environment Institute |title=Water management, Chinook salmon, California, climate change |date=29 August 2011 |url=https://www.sei.org/publications/water-management-chinook-salmon-california-climate-change/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{stockholmenvironmentinstitute2011water, author = {{Stockholm Environment Institute}}, title = {{Water management, Chinook salmon, California, climate change}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2011}, month = aug, url = {https://www.sei.org/publications/water-management-chinook-salmon-california-climate-change/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }