Water Quality and Salmon Migration Data from 16 Idaho Streams

The Salmon River drainage in Idaho is the geographic scope for this ongoing project monitoring wild Chinook salmon. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration collects up to 6 water quality parameters hourly in up to 16 streams to study migrational characteristics and survival. Data collection is funded by the Bonneville Power Administration and supports real-time management decisions during smolt out-migrations.

Use Cases

• Modeling fish movement and survival based on hourly water quality parameters.
• Analyzing relationships between salmon migration timing and environmental conditions within streams.
• Estimating parr-to-smolt survival rates for wild Chinook salmon at Lower Granite Dam.
• Characterizing run-timing patterns of wild fish to inform management decisions.

Strengths

• Data collection is ongoing and funded by the Bonneville Power Administration, suggesting institutional support.
• Hourly measurements of up to 6 water quality parameters provide high temporal resolution.
• Monitoring occurs in up to 16 streams across the Salmon River drainage, offering spatial breadth.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data is provided in PDF format, which is not ideal for direct machine learning analysis.

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce

Collection Method

Project involves collecting, PIT tagging, and releasing wild Chinook salmon parr, with subsequent monitoring through in-stream sites and dams.

Time Range

Ongoing project; temporal coverage is not explicitly defined.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-14 22:52:57.853002; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Salmon River drainage in Idaho, specifically up to 15-16 streams.