About the project
Of Norway's approximately 1800 waterways that empty into the ocean, there are around 450 that have one or more salmon population. Over generations, these populations have adapted to local conditions such as geographic position, water chemistry, water temperature, and geomorphological conditions. Such local adaptations reveal themselves in different timing of upriver migration, different sea ages required for maturation, and varied body forms. The time at which smolts leave for the ocean in the spring or early summer varies significantly between systems as well.
These local adaptations are important to consider when a waterway is subject to hydropower installation. Common to most of the reviews for this process are a lack of knowledge concerning the timing and factors that influence smolt emigration.
Through a significant international collaboration, University of Oslo has access to a database of smolt emigration from over 60 waterbodies over the entire atlantic salmon geographic distribution. The data span 10 years, something that makes it possible to investigate alterations driven by climate change. It will also be possible to predict the degree of change following future climate change, important knowledge for future reviews of envirnomental impact. This database provides the opportunity to model smolt emigration on a general, international scale as well as specific to Norway. Migration timing will be modeled using additional data on water conditions, river temperatures, sea temperature, ocean productivity, as well as latitude and longitude.
This project is a collaboration between UiO and NVE(Norwegian Waterways and Energy Directorate).
Financing
This project funded by the Norwegian Waterways and Energy Directorate.
Period
Start: 1.1.2012. End: 31.05.2014.