Abstract
Abstract Ice in streams can be detrimental to fish in many ways, including physical exclusion offish from habitat. Stream pools along an elevational gradient in California's central Sierra Nevada were monitored during winters 1990–1991 and 1991–1992 for ice thickness, coverage by ice, and below-ice water depth. Both ice thickness and duration in pools increased with site elevation. Because minimum water depths were below a 6-cm criterion for adult trout movement for only a l0-d period in only 1 of 30 pools monitored over the two winters, 1 concluded that physical exclusion offish from habitat by ice was not a problem. Validated methods to predict the presence and thickness of ice in mountain streams are needed. Ice presence along the elevational gradient and ice thickness at the one pool evaluated were predicted moderately well from air temperature, There is a need for refined models that incorporate the effects of snow cover and stream velocity on ice formation.
Published Version
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