Investigating stream water temperature in southern Belgium : environmental drivers and potential impact on a thermal sensitive species (Salmo trutta fario) ; Etude de la température des cours d'eau dans le sud de la Belgique : facteurs environnementaux et impact potentiel sur une espèce thermo sensible (Salmo trutta fario)

Stream water temperature (WT) is considered as a key ecological factor. Oxygen solubility, organic matter, decomposition rates,… are influenced by WT. Moreover, WT directly influences aquatic species by interacting with the metabolism, growth and survival of species. In Wallonia (Southern Belgium, 16,000 km²), a water level monitoring network of about 140 stations also measures continuous WT taken at intervals of 10 minutes. Continuous monitoring allows detecting extreme thermal events generally harmful to aquatic organisms and time-limited because of high WT variability. The objectives of thi... Mehr ...