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Temperature rod sensor data, San Antonio Creek Valley watershed, Santa Barbara County, California, 2016–2019

Published by U.S. Geological Survey | Department of the Interior | Metadata Last Checked: January 27, 2026 | Last Modified: 2022-01-11T00:00:00Z
Heat can be used a tracer for monitoring seepage rates within stream channels. To estimate seepage using temperature, the diel amplitude and attenuation of temperature at several depths below the streambed must be monitored, as well as the frequency and duration of streamflow in a channel (Narranjo and Smith, 2016). Special subsurface temperature rods (TRODS) were developed to address these most of these needs (Narranjo and Turcotte, 2015). A TROD consists of discrete temperature iButton sensors within a .75 inch (in) diameter 1 meter (m) long sealed, water-proof PVC pipe to prevent water damage to the sensors. A TROD is installed into stream channel sediments and measures surface water and sediment temperatures (Narranjo and Turcotte, 2015). TRODS are ideally suited for measuring instream water and sediment temperature as the instruments are constructed with a low profile design mitigating harsh channel conditions, are inexpensive to construct, allow for data transfers without removing the instrument using a simple and efficient dedicated software (Narranjo and Turcotte, 2015). However, TRODS do not measure stream duration or flow frequency and must be paired with other instrumentation.

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