Current Shade - Thermal Energy Loading
Stream shade is an important component of functioning riparian zones. Do you know the shade conditions in your watershed? NetMap can be used to examine current shade conditions across entire watersheds. It can also be used to identify the best locations to grow new shade.
Map the current shade condition at any location
NetMap applies a thermal energy mass balance model to predict the current solar isolation to streams across entire watersheds based on the existing riparian vegetation. This identifies stream reaches where shade is adequate to protect against heightened thermal loading and stream reaches where shade could be increases to reduce thermal isolation.
Using data on current streamside vegetation conditions across watersheds, analysts can calculate the current solar insolation to all streams and rivers in a watershed.
Which streams and rivers are most sensitive to loss of vegetation?
Use NetMap to identify critical stream reaches where the loss of vegetation by wildfire or land uses would result in the largest thermal impacts.
Identify stream reaches where removal of vegetation will lead to the largest increases in thermal loading
NetMap can be used to identify any percentile of new shade effectiveness, such as the highest 1%, 5%, 10% etc.
Where Would You Grow New Shade to Maximize its Effectiveness?
Identify locations in a watershed where the addition of new shade will be most effective at reducing thermal energy.
The most effective locations are small floodplain tributaries, not mainstem rivers.
NetMap can be used to identify any percentile of new shade effectiveness, such as the highest 1%, 5%, 10% etc.
Red and yellow areas are those that could benefit from increased shade (reduced thermal energy to channels)
Thermal energy in larger rivers cannot be significantly impacted by increasing shade because most of the energy is coming from the sky view.
Smaller channels in areas of no shade would have the greatest benefit and most of these overlap with high quality coho habitat potential (e.g., high IP scores) in coastal Oregon
Using NetMap, analysts can locate where the greatest reductions in thermal energy to streams would occur with increasing shade (top 10%) overlap with the locations of thebest coho habitat (top 10%)-e.g., strategic locations of shade enhancement
Locations are small, low gradient tributary channels located in fields