Watershed-scale thermal regimes and the distribution of brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) and the smallmouth bass ( Micropterus dolomieui) in the Cheat River watershed, West Virginia

I examined relationships between landscape physiographic factors and summer stream temperatures in the Cheat River watershed, WV and developed statistical models to characterize thermal patterns at the stream segment and watershed scales. I also examined the influence of modeled thermal regimes on the distribution of smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieui) and brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) in this system. The objectives of this study were to (1) develop and verify an empirical model to predict stream temperature at the stream segment scale in the Cheat River basin, (2) quantify the geography of thermal regimes within the basin at the segment and watershed scales, and (3) examine how stream temperature and the geography of drainage networks interact to influence brook trout and smallmouth bass distributions in this system.; To address these objectives, I obtained continuous summertime measures of water temperature at 52 sites distributed throughout the Cheat River watershed to calculate two important summer thermal statistics: weekly mean July temperature and maximum weekly average temperature. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)...