‘Deadbeat dams’ and their impact on cold-water ecosystems
As drought-stricken California considers constructing new dams, a new study finds that many of the state’s existing structures— despite efforts to prioritize healthy water temperatures— are failing the cold-water ecosystems that depend on them. The study, published in PLOS One, crunched data from 77 cold-water streams across California to characterize their “thermal regime” — that is, their annual temperature fluctuations over an eight- to 12-year period.