Stream Habitat Measurement Techniques Day 4: Habitat/Bank Measurements
Stream Habitat
Stream Habitat Data Sheet
Stream Habitat 1) Velocity and Depth: 3) Canopy: presence/absence 5) Bank Angle: measured with measure with the Marsh measured with tube clinometer at each end of the transect. McBirney flow meter at 0.25, densiometer at 10 evenly 0.5, and 0.75. spaced points on transect.
0.75 0.5 0.25
0.75 0.5 0.25 descending bank Left Rightdescending bank 6) Basal Area: measured with cruise prism. Count all trees that are “in” in a 360 degree circle from bankfull.
Systematic transects should be spaced at intervals of 2 mean stream widths.
Velocity, Depth, Substrate, and 2) center quadrat 4) Embeddedness measurements Substrate: Riparian Cover: should be taken across the transect at 0.25, 0.5, 0.75 and take measured with spherical at 0.25, 0.5, and 0.75 of the wetted four measurements, one at densiometer at each end of stream width. each rope intersection. the transect.
Measurements taken from left descending bank to right descending bank
Silt (<0.062) = 1, Sand ( 0.062 - 2 mm) = 2, Gravel (fine; 2 – 16 mm) = 3, Gravel (coarse or “Pebble”; 17 – 63 mm) = 4, Cobble (64 – 256 mm) = 5, Boulder (256 – 4,096 mm) = 6, Bedrock (> 4,096 mm) 2 3
1 4 Station Wetted Velocity Depth Substrate Embedded Bank angle Instream Mesohabitat Type Rip density Canopy P/A Basal Area (feet) Width (ft/sec) (in) L R Cover (riffle, run, pool, L R glide)
Stream Habitat 1) Velocity and Depth: 3) Canopy: presence/absence 5) Bank Angle: measured with measure with the Marsh measured with tube clinometer at each end of the transect. McBirney flow meter at 0.25, densiometer at 10 evenly 0.5, and 0.75. spaced points on transect.
0.75 0.5 0.25
0.75 0.5 0.25 descending bank Left Rightdescending bank 6) Basal Area: measured with cruise prism. Count all trees that are “in” in a 360 degree circle from bankfull.
Systematic transects should be spaced at intervals of 2 mean stream widths.
Velocity, Depth, Substrate, and 2) center quadrat 4) Embeddedness measurements Substrate: Riparian Cover: should be taken across the transect at 0.25, 0.5, 0.75 and take measured with spherical at 0.25, 0.5, and 0.75 of the wetted four measurements, one at densiometer at each end of stream width. each rope intersection. the transect.
Measurements taken from left descending bank to right descending bank
Silt (<0.062) = 1, Sand ( 0.062 - 2 mm) = 2, Gravel (fine; 2 – 16 mm) = 3, Gravel (coarse or “Pebble”; 17 – 63 mm) = 4, Cobble (64 – 256 mm) = 5, Boulder (256 – 4,096 mm) = 6, Bedrock (> 4,096 mm) 2 3
1 4 Station Wetted Velocity Depth Substrate Embedded Bank angle Instream Mesohabitat Type Rip density Canopy P/A Basal Area (feet) Width (ft/sec) (in) L R Cover (riffle, run, pool, L R glide)
Mesohabitat Types
Mesohabitats or channel geomorphic units important habitats for aquatic biota.
In meandering streams, there are four main types: riffle, run, pool, and glide. Pools are further divided into 8 subtypes (see figure). Riffles have the steepest slope, pools the flattest, and runs and glides are transitional between riffles and pools. The sequence is:
riffle run pool glide riffle etc.
Steeper streams may have a step-pool, “rapids” dominated bed morphology. “Steps” are short, sharp drop transitions between pools. High gradient fast, turbulent water areas are sometimes termed “rapids” and even steeper, faster waters are called “cascades”. Steep bedrock morphology is described as “chutes” or “sheets”.
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