Temperature

Why Test Temperature?

Temperature is an important characteristic to test for both its direct and indirect impacts on marine life.

On their own, temperature measurements can give valuable information about the conditions at a sample site.  Understanding the rate that water warms up in the spring and summer and cools down in the fall can help to define characteristics of an area.  Organisms are adapted to live at certain ranges of temperature at certain times of year and can be stressed when the temperature goes outside of its typical range.  Eggs and juvenile fish are particularly sensitive to temperature. Temperature measurements can also reveal  potential impacts from fresh water sources or offshore sources of water when tied in with salinity information. 

Temperature’s relationship to pH, dissolved oxygen, water density, and the metabolic rates of organisms makes it essential that temperature is tested at the same time as any of these other characteristics. 

Testing Temperature

Water temperature will be tested using the old tried and true method; a glass thermometer.  These thermometers measure temperature in degrees Celsius.  The thermometers can measure temperatures between -5°C (23°F) and 55°C (122°F).  The liquid inside the thermometer is non-toxic.