Water Temperature (WATEMP)Status and TrendsTemperature is an important parameter in its affect on the solubility of oxygen in water, the rate of photosynthesis by algae and higher plants, the metabolic rates of aquatic organisms, and the sensitivity of organisms to toxic wastes, parasites, and diseases. Colder water can hold more dissolved oxygen. . Thermal additions to surface water in Maryland are managed so that water temperatures do not exceed 68°F (20 °C), natural trout waters may not exceed 60 °F (15.5 °C) and the upper water temperature for recreational (managed) trout water is 75.0 °F (24 °C). |
|
|||||||
Median water temperature ranged from 48.4 °F at the station on the Little Youghiogheny River to 61.0 °F on the Anacostia River. Twenty-five stations (46%) had median water temperatures that exceeded the top 1/3 of temperatures established by the benchmark data set. Temperatures at stations in the upper tercile exceeded 55.4 ° F and were located, primarily, in the agricultural or urbanizing regions of eastern Maryland. Twenty-six percent of stations with median temperatures in the lower 1/3 of the benchmark data set, i.e., temperatures lower than 52.6 °F, predominated in western Maryland. Fifteen stations (28%) had intermediate temperatures, i.e., between 52.6 °F and 55.4 °F. Increasing trends were evident at two stations (Georges Creek and Susquehanna River) and trends were decreasing at stations on the Patapsco River near the bridge on Washington Boulevard and on Antietam Creek at Rocky Forge. Water temperature and DO were negatively correlated at all stations Water Temperature (WATEMP) data for sampled locations are summarized in these plots. |
||||||||
|
Search Maryland DNR Rivers & Streams 101 | Monitoring & Research | Restoration & Protection Return to the Maryland DNR Home Page. |
||||||||