A volunteer holds a thermometer at eye level to read the temperature.

Monitoring Methods
When Do You Monitor?	Time Needed	Equipment Needed
For temperature, you monitor once per month, from May through October.	5-10 minutes	Hip boots or waders Thermometer WAV Baseline Monitoring Datasheet Pen/pencil Clear plastic cup (optional) Waterproof gloves (optional)

Procedure

To insure consistency in a long-term monitoring effort, the sampling location should be marked in some way. You can tie a piece of surveyor’s tape to a tree or drive in a stake above the highest water line. Make sure you have any necessary permission before you mark a site. Record the air temperature before you take the stream temperature.
Test in the middle of the stream where the water is moving, not in pools or backwater areas.
You can use a standard alcohol thermometer for the measurement. Lower the thermometer about four inches below the surface, as close as possible to the middle of the stream.
Leave the thermometer immersed until the reading has stabilized. This usually takes about two minutes. Try to take the reading with the base of the thermometer still immersed. You can fill a clear plastic cup with water and raise it to eye level to read the temperature.
Record your measurement. If you measured in degrees F, use the chart below to convert and record your measurement in degrees C.

Temperature conversion chart

lined paper NOTE: The chart is available on the fact sheet "Temperature: Its Role in Aquatic Habitats". You may want to print it out and bring it with you if your thermometer does not have Celsius units of measurement.

Video Demonstration

Watch this video to learn WAV's measuring stream temperature method.

Back to "The Methods"

Monitoring Methods

When Do You Monitor?

Time Needed

Equipment Needed

Procedure

Video Demonstration