Sub-hourly water temperature data collected across the Nechako Watershed, 2019-2021

Water temperature is actively being monitored along the regulated Nechako River and some of its unregulated tributaries in northern British Columbia (BC) to determine how climate variability, climate change and flow regulation influence water temperatures. The Nechako Watershed, located mainly in the sub-boreal spruce biogeoclimatic zone, spans 47,200 km2 in area [1]. The regional climate experiences a prominent seasonal cycle in air temperature and precipitation, with subfreezing temperatures and snow accumulating during winter. Waterways therefore experience extended near 0°C water/ice temperatures during the winter season. The accumulation of snow yields snowmelt-generated peaks in discharge during the spring freshet period in unregulated tributaries [2].