U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey

Scientific Investigations Report 2009–5121

Prepared for the Missouri River Recovery—Integrated Science Program 

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Yankton, South Dakota

Assessment of Lower Missouri River Physical 

Aquatic Habitat and Its Use by Adult Sturgeon 

(Genus Scaphirhynchus), 2005–07
Cover. Top: Research vessel Slim Funk mapping physical aquatic habitat on the Lower Missouri River near Ponca, Nebraska. Bottom 

left: Shovelnose sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus platorynchus; on left) and pallid sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus albus; on right) from the Lower 

Missouri River. Bottom right: Sturgeon telemetry tracking boat on the Lower Missouri River. 
Assessment of Lower Missouri River 

Physical Aquatic Habitat and Its Use by 

Adult Sturgeon (Genus Scaphirhynchus), 

2005–07

By Joanna M. Reuter, Robert B. Jacobson, Caroline M. Elliott, and 

Aaron J. DeLonay

Prepared for the Missouri River Recovery—Integrated Science Program 

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Yankton, South Dakota

Scientific Investigations Report 2009–5121

U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey
U.S. Department of the Interior

KEN SALAZAR, Secretary

U.S. Geological Survey

Suzette M. Kimball, Acting Director

U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia: 2009

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Suggested citation:

Reuter, J.M., Jacobson, R.B., Elliott, C.M., and DeLonay, A.J., 2009, Assessment of Lower Missouri River physical 

aquatic habitat and its use by adult sturgeon (genus Scaphirhynchus), 2005–07: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific 

Investigations Report 2009–5121, 81 p.

ISBN 978-1-4113-2511-1
iii

Contents

Abstract...........................................................................................................................................................1

Introduction.....................................................................................................................................................1

The Lower Missouri River....................................................................................................................3

Physical Setting ...........................................................................................................................3

Hydrologic Context ......................................................................................................................4

Reproductive Ecology of Scaphirhynchus Sturgeon in the Missouri River................................4

Habitat Definitions and Assessments ...............................................................................................6

Purpose and Scope ..............................................................................................................................7

Acknowledgments................................................................................................................................7

Data Sources..................................................................................................................................................7

Sturgeon Telemetry Data.....................................................................................................................8

Species, Sex, and Reproductive Condition of Telemetered Sturgeon................................8

Spatial Distribution of Sturgeon Relocations..........................................................................8

Maps of Hydraulic and Substrate Characteristics........................................................................10

Reach Map Information and Discharge Conditions.............................................................10

Descriptions of Specific Map Types.......................................................................................11

Analysis Approach.......................................................................................................................................14

Descriptive Statistics of Reach Maps.............................................................................................14

Relations of Sturgeon Relocations to Habitat Variables ..............................................................15

Qualifying Sturgeon Relocations: 7 Day and 10 Percent Discharge Criteria...................15

Approaches for Assessment of Sturgeon Habitat Selection .............................................16

Inferred Patterns of Habitat Use in a Map Context.......................................................................17

Geomorphic Characterization of the Lower Missouri River Based on Reach Maps .......................18

Descriptions of Lower Missouri River Sections ............................................................................22

Minimally Engineered Section (Gavins Point and Ponca Segments) ...............................22

Upstream Channelized Section (Big Sioux and Platte Segments) ....................................30

Downstream Channelized Section (Kansas, Grand, and Osage Segments)....................30

Habitat Characteristics at Sturgeon Relocations...................................................................................31

Patterns of Sturgeon Habitat Use Considered in Map Context ...........................................................35

Discussion.....................................................................................................................................................58

Summary........................................................................................................................................................63

References Cited..........................................................................................................................................63

Table 4............................................................................................................................................................69
iv

Figures

1. Map showing the Lower Missouri River...................................................................................2

2. Hydrographs for 2005 through 2007...........................................................................................5

3–4. Plots showing—

3. Sturgeon telemetry and reach mapping activities, by date and river mile................9

4. Discharges on reach mapping dates in the context of flow exceedance data 

for the Lower Missouri River, based on daily discharge records..............................10

5. Maps of an example reach .......................................................................................................12

6. Illustration of the approach used to characterize sturgeon relocations by decile 

range of habitat used .................................................................................................................17

7. Plots of reach geometry and related statistics by river mile ..............................................19

8. Schematic illustration of channel geometry and velocity characteristics, based on 

mean values by river segment..................................................................................................20

9. Composite histograms by river segment for depth, depth slope, velocity, velocity 

gradient, and Froude number ...................................................................................................21

10–13. Maps showing—

10. An example reach from the Minimally Engineered section .......................................22

11. An example reach from the Upstream Channelized section......................................24

12. An example reach from the Downstream Channelized section ................................26

13. Examples of repeat mapping from each river section ................................................29

14–20. Histograms showing—

14. Depth maps for each reach .............................................................................................36

15. Depth slope maps for each reach...................................................................................38

16. Velocity maps for each reach..........................................................................................40

17. Velocity gradient maps for each reach..........................................................................42

18. Froude number maps for each reach.............................................................................44

19. Composites of reach map data and values at qualifying sturgeon relocations......46

20. Histograms and Ivlev’s selectivity coefficients for reach maps and qualifying 

sturgeon relocations, subdivided by river section.......................................................47

21. Plots of percentage of reproductive female shovelnose sturgeon in each decile 

range, by river section, for each continuous variable..........................................................51

22. Maps showing example maps from each river section showing the distribution 

of areas with high depth slope, high velocity gradient, and/or low Froude number.......59
v

Tables

1. Map types and sources.............................................................................................................11

2. Bivariate relations among continuous variables for map data...........................................28

3. Data for sturgeon individuals that were relocated within 7 days and 10 percent 

discharge of a reach map .........................................................................................................32

4. Reach map data for sturgeon relocations on reach maps within 7 days and 10 

percent discharge ......................................................................................................................70 

5. Number of relocations by decile for continuous and categorical variables 

compiled by sturgeon species, sex, reproductive condition, and river section ..............48

6. Number of relocations by decile for continuous variables for only reproductive 

female shovelnose sturgeon compiled by year.....................................................................52

7. Categorical variables summarized by reach, including numbers of qualifying 

sturgeon relocations within 10 percent discharge and 7 days of the map date..............53

7. Categorical variables summarized by reach, including numbers of qualifying 

sturgeon relocations within 10 percent discharge and 7 days of the map date..............56

8. Summary of categorical data by river section, including percent of map area, 

percent of relocations, and Ivlevs selectivity coefficient....................................................57

9. Comparison of distribution of shovelnose sturgeon relocations to distribution 

of high depth slope, high velocity gradient, and/or low Froude habitats ..........................62
vi

Conversion Factors

Inch/Pound to SI

Multiply By To obtain

Length

mile (mi) 1.609 kilometer (km) 

Flow rate

cubic foot per second (ft3/s) 0.02832 cubic meter per second (m3/s)

SI to Inch/Pound

Multiply By To obtain

Length

meter (m) 3.281 foot (ft) 

kilometer (km) 0.6214 mile (mi)

meter (m) 1.094 yard (yd) 

Area

square meter (m2) 10.76 square foot (ft2) 

square kilometer (km2) 0.3861 square mile (mi2)

Flow rate

cubic meter per second (m3/s) 35.31 cubic foot per second (ft3/s)

meter per second (m/s) 3.281 foot per second (ft/s) 

meter per day (m/d) 3.281 foot per day (ft/d)

To communicate effectively with stakeholders, managers, and other scientists working on the 

Lower Missouri River, this report uses a mix of U.S. customary units and International System of 

Units (SI) units of measure. Distances along the Missouri River are given in river miles upstream 

from the junction with the Mississippi River at St. Louis, Missouri, as measured by the U.S. Army 

Corps of Engineers in 1960. Discharges are provided in the customary units of cubic feet per 

second. Reach-scale hydraulic variables—velocity and depth—are in SI units of meters per 

second and meters.

Horizontal coordinate information is referenced to the World Geodetic System of 1984 (WGS 84).
Assessment of Lower Missouri River Physical 

Aquatic Habitat and Its Use by Adult Sturgeon 

(Genus Scaphirhynchus), 2005–07

By Joanna M. Reuter, Robert B. Jacobson, Caroline M. Elliott, and Aaron J. DeLonay

Abstract

This report presents an exploratory analysis of habitat 

availability and use by adult Scaphirhynchus sturgeon on the 

Lower Missouri River from Gavins Point Dam, South Dakota, 

to the junction with the Mississippi River. The analysis is 

based on two main data sources collected from 2005 to 2007: 

(1) a compilation of 153 reach-scale habitat maps (mean 

reach length, 2.4 kilometers) derived from boat-collected 

hydroacoustic data and (2) a sturgeon location dataset from 

which 378 sturgeon telemetry locations are associated with the 

maps (within 7 days of the mapping and within 10 percent of 

the discharge). The report focuses on: (1) longitudinal patterns of geomorphic and hydraulic characteristics revealed by 

the collection of reach maps; (2) assessment of environmental characteristics at sturgeon locations in the context of the 

mapped reaches; and (3) consideration of spatial distribution 

of habitat conditions that sturgeon appear to select. 

Longitudinal patterns of geomorphology, hydraulics, and 

associated habitats relate strongly to the engineered state of 

the river. Reaches within each of the following river sections 

tended to share similar geomorphic, hydrologic, and hydraulic 

characteristics: the Minimally Engineered section (Gavins 

Point Dam to Sioux City, Iowa), the Upstream Channelized 

section (Sioux City, Iowa, to the junction with the Kansas 

River), and the Downstream Channelized section (Kansas 

River to the junction with the Mississippi River). 

Adult sturgeon occupy nearly the full range of available values for each continuous variable assessed: depth, 

depth slope, depth-averaged velocity, velocity gradient, and 

Froude number (a dimensionless number relating velocity to 

depth). However, in the context of habitat available in a reach, 

sturgeon tend to select some areas over others. Reproductive 

female shovelnose sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus platorynchus), in 

particular, were often found in parts of the reach with one or 

more of the following characteristics: high velocity gradient, 

high depth slope, low Froude number, and low (though not 

necessarily the lowest) depth-averaged velocity. Depths used 

by sturgeon varied considerably. 

We explored spatial patterns representing the variable 

ranges that reproductive female shovelnose sturgeon most 

strongly and consistently selected by mapping areas within 

reaches meeting the following criteria: greater than the 80th 

percentile of depth slope, greater than the 80th percentile of 

velocity gradient, and less than the 20th percentile of Froude 

number. Our data exploration indicates that areas meeting 

these criteria have some predictive value regarding sturgeon 

habitat selection. Of all sturgeon locations that fall on maps 

from the same year (sample size = 2,013), about 63 percent 

fall within about 35 percent of the area where at least one 

variable meets the above criteria and 18 percent of locations 

fall within 4 percent of the area where all three variables meet 

the above criteria. The spatial patterns of these mapped areas 

show distinct differences among the sections of the Lower 

Missouri River. For example, the areas of predicted selection 

exhibit a relatively complex mosaic with multiple interconnected pathways in reaches of the Minimally Engineered section. In contrast, areas of predicted selection are concentrated 

along the channel margins in reaches of the Upstream Channelized section. Because the patterns described in this report 

represent habitat use in the context of the available habitat in 

a highly altered river system, selection may not necessarily 

indicate preferred habitats or habitats sufficient for reproduction and survival of sturgeon species.

Introduction

This report presents an analysis of fluvial habitat and 

habitat selection by Scaphirhynchus sturgeon on the Lower 

Missouri River downstream from Gavins Point Dam, South 

Dakota (fig. 1). The physical character of the Lower Missouri 

River has changed substantially relative to the historic condition because of human alteration, including impoundment and 

channelization (National Research Council, 2002; Galat and 

others, 2005b). In association with river alteration, a decline 

has occurred in native species and commercial fish catches 

(Hesse, 1987; Pflieger and Grace, 1987; Hesse and others, 
98° 96° 94° 92° 

42° 40° 38° I O W A M I S S O U R I K A N S A S N E B R A S K A S O U T H D A K O T A Sioux City (6486000) Waverly (6895500) Nebraska City (6807000) Decatur (6601200) St. Joseph (6818000) Hermann (6934500) St Charles (6935965) Boonville (6909000) Gavins Point Dam 0 50 100 KILOMETERS 0 50 100 MILES Base data from the National Atlas, 2006 Universal Transverse Mercator projection Zone 15 EXPLANATION Kansas City (6893000) Rulo (6813500) Glasgow (6906500) Waterbody data from the U.S. Geological Survey National 

River miles (1960) from U.

Big Sioux River (6485500) M iss o u r i R i v e r b a si 

Osage River (6926510) Grand River (6902000) Platte River (6805500) James River (6478500) Kansas River (6892350) 100 200 700 800 600 400 300 500 

900 Minimally Engineered section Upstream Channelized section Downstream Channelized section 

Omaha (6610000) 2005 reach map locations 2006 reach map locations 2007 reach map locations Mi ss issippi River (No map data from this study) Yankton 

Missouri River basin Lower Missouri River segments Gavins Point Ponca Big Sioux Platte Kansas Grand Osage Missouri River Missouri River tributary U.S. Geological Survey streamRiver-mile marker— 500 Omaha (6610000) Identification number for the 

Number is distance upstream with the Mississippi River, in 

Figure 1. The Lower Missouri River, including insets showing the location of reach maps for each study year, 2005 through 2007. The Lower Missthe unimpounded length of the Missouri River extending from Gavins Point Dam to the junction with the Mississippi River.
Introduction 3

1989; Hesse and Sheets, 1993; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 

2000; Galat and others, 2005a). 

Two of the declining species are native riverine sturgeon. 

The pallid sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus albus) is considered 

rare to extremely rare in the Missouri River and was listed 

as endangered in 1990 under the Federal Endangered Species Act (Dryer and Sandvol, 1993). The shovelnose sturgeon 

(Scaphirhynchus platorynchus), a more common, but closely 

related species, also inhabits the Missouri River and has been 

used as a comparative model for studying the pallid sturgeon 

(DeLonay and others, 2007b). Although shovelnose sturgeon are not endangered on the Missouri River, populations 

have similarly declined and the species has been excluded or 

extirpated from significant portions of its historic range (June, 

1977; Moos, 1978; Keenlyne, 1997; Quist and others, 2002). 

The pallid sturgeon differs from the shovelnose sturgeon in 

that the pallid grows larger, matures later, lives longer, is more 

tolerant of turbidity, becomes piscivorous as an adult, and 

is primarily found only in the mainstem river and the downstream portions of larger tributaries (Keenlyne, 1997). 

In 2000, and again in 2003, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife 

Service, in consultation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, concluded that the operation and maintenance of the 

Missouri River mainstem and reservoir system jeopardized 

the continued existence of the pallid sturgeon (U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service, 2000, 2003). Included among the reasonable and prudent management actions detailed in the resultant 

Biological Opinion are significant efforts at flow modifications, habitat creation, and research and monitoring to enhance 

spawning, reproductive success, and survival of sturgeon. The 

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is engaged in the Comprehensive Sturgeon Research Program (CSRP), a multiyear, 

multi-agency program of research to understand Scaphirhynchus sturgeon life history, especially as related to reproduction 

and proposed management actions, in the Lower Missouri 

River (Korschgen, 2007). This report presents results from the 

habitat-use component of the broader sturgeon research project. The focus of the report is on understanding variability of 

physical habitat along the river, and on understanding which 

habitats among those available are selected by adult sturgeon—especially reproductive female shovelnose sturgeon—

during the time of year that spawning occurs. The research is 

intended to contribute to a scientific basis for managing the 

highly altered Lower Missouri River to arrest the decline of 

native sturgeon species and to promote the recovery of the 

imperiled pallid sturgeon.

The Lower Missouri River

The Lower Missouri River extends approximately 1,305 

kilometers (811 miles) from Gavins Point Dam, South Dakota, 

to the junction with the Mississippi River at St. Louis, Missouri (fig. 1). Gavins Point Dam is the downstream-most 

impoundment of the Missouri River reservoir system, which 

consists of six mainstem reservoirs that are operated to 

satisfy multiple objectives, including hydropower generation, 

flood control, water supply, and navigation. Dam operation 

has resulted in a change in both flow regime and sediment 

regime. Inter- and intraseasonal flow variability have been 

substantially altered (Galat and Lipkin, 2000) and sediment 

loads have declined to approximately one-sixth of historic 

loads at Hermann, Missouri (Jacobson and others, 2009a). 

The mainstem Missouri River is unimpounded downstream 

from Gavins Point Dam, but it has been channelized to allow 

for commercial barge navigation downstream from Sioux 

City, Iowa (river mile 734). In addition, the river has been 

subjected to changes in water quality because of agricultural 

and industrial development in the basin (Sprague and others, 

2006; Alexander and others, 2008; Echols and others, 2008). 

Among the stresses imposed on the river, the large magnitude 

of changes in flow regime and channel morphology have 

been assumed to be the most influential in species declines, 

largely through their influence on physical habitat availability 

(National Research Council, 2002; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 2003). Furthermore, flow regime and channel morphology are among the factors that can be addressed most readily 

through management action (Jacobson and Galat, 2006).

This report uses the terms reach, segment, and section

to define lengths of river at various spatial scales (Frissell 

and others, 1986). Reaches are lengths of river up to a few 

kilometers that include bend and crossover habitats; from a 

logistics standpoint, reaches could be mapped in a single day 

(Reuter and others, 2008). Segments are intermediate in scale 

and primarily are defined by tributary junctions (fig. 1). At the 

broadest scale, sections are lengths of river that show broadly 

similar morphologic and engineering characteristics (fig. 1). 

Physical Setting

In the 1800s, the Missouri River had a dynamically 

migrating, multithread channel with numerous islands and 

side channels, high sediment loads, abundant woody debris, 

and floods that frequently inundated the flood plain (Chittenden, 1903; Jacobson and others, 2009a). During the 1900s, 

engineering efforts succeeded in channelizing and stabilizing 

the planform of most of the Lower Missouri River. Downstream from Sioux City, Iowa, navigation structures were 

used to focus flow to maintain a single-thread, self-dredging 

navigation channel. Channel engineering resulted in the loss 

of as much as 400 square kilometers of river-corridor habitats, an amount that is approximately two-thirds of the habitat 

that existed prior to the Missouri River Bank Stabilization 

and Navigation Project (Funk and Robinson, 1974; Hesse 

and Sheets, 1993; Ferrell, 1996; National Research Council, 

2002; U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 2004; Galat and others, 2005b). The Biological Opinion issued by the U.S. Fish 

and Wildlife Service in 2000, and amended in 2003, called 

for the restoration of 48 to 79 square kilometers of shallowwater aquatic habitat lost because of river engineering, on 

the basis that lack of this habitat class jeopardized survival 

of the endangered pallid sturgeon (U.S. Fish and Wildlife 
4 Assessment of Lower Missouri River Physical Aquatic Habitat and Its Use by Adult Sturgeon (Genus Scaphirhynchus), 2005–07

Service, 2000, 2003). Shallow-water habitat, defined by the 

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as water 0 to 1.5 meters deep 

and 0 to 0.6 meters per second current velocity, was specified 

in particular because of its assumed importance for rearing of 

larval and juvenile pallid sturgeon and for other native fishes 

(U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 2003; U.S. Army Corps of 

Engineers, 2004). Projects to enhance habitat have included 

alteration of navigation structures (such as wing-dike notching) and construction of side-channel chutes (Jacobson and 

others, 2001, 2004).

The modern river varies substantially over its length 

because of contributions of tributaries, land-use patterns, and 

variation in channel engineering. The longitudinal variation 

is illustrated in a classification scheme that is based primarily on hydrologically defined segments bounded by junctions 

with major tributaries (fig. 1). Hydrologic variation among 

segments is evident in progressive downstream increase in 

intra-annual flow variability because of inputs from tributaries 

(fig. 2;(Galat and Lipkin, 2000; Jacobson and Heuser, 2002; 

Pegg and others, 2003). Tributary junctions also have the 

potential to be locations of discrete changes in water quality 

because of land-use influences in the drainage basins; longitudinal variation in aquatic insect populations along the Lower 

Missouri River indicates that water-quality variations may be 

biologically significant (Poulton and others, 2003).

In addition to segment-scale hydrology, another factor 

that varies along the Lower Missouri River is channel engineering. Channel morphology is least disturbed relative to 

the historic (pre-engineered) condition in the non-navigation 

segment downstream from Gavins Point Dam, South Dakota, 

to Ponca State Park, Nebraska (Elliott and Jacobson, 2006). 

From Ponca State Park to Sioux City, Iowa, the river has been 

channelized and stabilized but is not used for commercial 

navigation so the construction is intermediate between the 

more natural channel upstream and the navigation channel 

that begins in Sioux City. From Sioux City, Iowa, to St. Louis, 

Missouri, the river has been channelized for commercial navigation and the banks have been stabilized to prevent erosion 

of the flood plain, resulting in narrowing and deepening of the 

channel, loss of habitat diversity, and changes to the relations 

between flow regime and habitat availability (Jacobson and 

Galat, 2006; Jacobson and others, 2009b). 

Physiography of the Missouri River Valley also influences the river by determining valley width and geologic 

materials it interacts with in its banks. Just downstream from 

Gavins Point Dam, the river flows adjacent to glacial drift 

deposits that provide abundant coarse, hard substrate in those 

reaches (Laustrup and others, 2007). Between Yankton, South 

Dakota, and Sioux City, Iowa, the river flows for much of its 

length along bedrock bluffs that provide abundant bedrock 

and boulder substrate. At Sioux City, the river flows through 

a wide alluvial valley with little interaction with the valley 

wall until it enters the Ozark Plateaus Physiographic Province 

near Glasgow, Missouri. In this section of the river—mostly 

coincident with the hydrologically defined Grand and Osage 

segments—the valley narrows considerably and the river 

periodically encounters bedrock in its bed and banks (Laustrup 

and others, 2007).

Hydrologic Context

Prior to impoundment, the characteristic Missouri River 

hydrograph included two spring flood peaks (the first dominated by snow melt from the Great Plains and the second 

from the Rocky Mountains), followed by a low flow period 

later in the summer (fig. 2). Flow regulation has substantially 

affected the flow regime of the Lower Missouri River, resulting in reduced intra-annual flow variability, decreased spring 

pulses, and generally increased summer flows (Galat and 

Lipkin, 2000). The intensity of flow-regime alteration is most 

pronounced just downstream from Gavins Point Dam, and it 

diminishes in the downstream direction as tributaries enter 

the mainstem (fig. 2;(Galat and Lipkin, 2000; Jacobson and 

Heuser, 2002; Pegg and others, 2003).

Natural flow regimes are considered important to ecosystem function; therefore, a common strategy for ecosystem 

recovery in impounded systems is to incorporate elements of 

the natural flow regime into managed flow releases (Poff and 

others, 1997; Galat and Lipkin, 2000). This is a strategy specified in the 2003 Amended Biological Opinion, which called 

for naturalization of the flow regime to provide spawning cues 

for the sturgeon, to connect the main channel periodically 

with low-lying flood plain, to build sandbars for nesting birds, 

and to improve the quality of sturgeon spawning habitats 

(U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 2003). During the study 

period, one pulsed release of about 9,000 cubic feet per second 

(260 cubic meters per second) was implemented from Gavins 

Point Dam in May 2006 (fig. 2) as an attempt to provide a 

sturgeon spawning cue (Jacobson and Galat, 2008).

River conditions varied over the course of this study 

because of the planned flow release as well as unplanned 

hydrologic conditions. Individual flow pulses during 2005 

through 2007 were uniformly small in the upstream section, 

achieving no more than 15 percent flow exceedance at Sioux 

City. In all 3 years, flow pulses substantially larger than the 

2006 release were evident downstream from the Platte River 

(fig. 2). For example, a flood pulse during May 2007 attained a 

0.9 percent exceedance at the USGS streamflow-gaging station 

at Nebraska City, Nebraska and qualified as a 5- to 10-year 

recurrence interval flood at the Boonville, Missouri, gaging 

station (fig. 2).

Reproductive Ecology of Scaphirhynchus

Sturgeon in the Missouri River 

Sturgeon experts have identified sturgeon spawning 

requisites as a research priority (Quist and others, 2004; Wildhaber and others, 2007a; Bergman and others, 2008), in part 

because the precise spawning requirements for Scaphirhynchus sturgeon are largely unknown and because little to no 

recruitment is occurring among pallid sturgeon in the Missouri 
Introduction 5

0

50,000

100,000

150,000

0

50,000

100,000

150,000

Gavins Point Dam

River mile 811

Sioux City, Iowa

River mile 732

DISHCHARGE, IN CUBIC FEET PER SECOND

0

50,000

100,000

150,000

200,000

Nebraska City, Nebraska

River mile 563

0

100,000

200,000

300,000

Boonville, Missouri

River mile 197

JAN. FEB. MAR. APR. MAY JUNE JULY AUG. SEPT. OCT. NOV. DEC.

2005

2006

2007

Mean daily discharge for:

Current water control plan

Run of the river

Modeled 10th–90th percentile discharge 

range by day of year for:

2006 managed flow pulse

from Gavins Point Dam

Figure 2. Hydrographs for 2005 through 2007. The shaded areas provide context for the range of flows 

expected under unmanaged conditions and under the current water control plan. “Run-of-the-river” 

conditions represent flows that would occur in the absence of dams (Jacobson and Heuser, 2002).
6 Assessment of Lower Missouri River Physical Aquatic Habitat and Its Use by Adult Sturgeon (Genus Scaphirhynchus), 2005–07

River (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 2000). In contrast, 

some successful recruitment is occurring among shovelnose 

sturgeon (Moos, 1978; Keenlyne, 1997). During 2005 through 

2007, CSRP research efforts focused on following the movements of reproductive female shovelnose sturgeon to provide 

insight on various aspects of reproductive ecology. Subsequent 

efforts have shifted the focus to comparative assessments of 

pallid sturgeon.

The time to reach reproductive maturity is estimated 

to be approximately 7 years for female shovelnose sturgeon 

(Keenlyne, 1997) and nearly a decade or more for female pallid sturgeon (Keenlyne and Jenkins, 1993). Female shovelnose 

sturgeon may spawn as often as once every 2 to 3 years, while 

pallid sturgeon females are thought to spawn only once every 

3 to 10 years (Mayden and Kuhajda, 1997). Female sturgeon 

with black eggs in the spring are in condition to spawn that 

spring or summer (Wildhaber and others, 2007b). 

All sturgeon species spawn in freshwater with most 

migrating upstream from marine or estuarine environments 

to deposit their eggs in the upper reaches of larger rivers. 

The timing and length of spawning migrations varies among 

sturgeon species and may range over hundreds to thousands of 

kilometers from adult feeding or wintering areas (Auer, 1996). 

For some sturgeon species, a phase of the upstream migration 

may occur during fall prior to the final spawning run (Bemis 

and Kynard, 1997). 

Scaphirhynchus sturgeon live exclusively in the large 

freshwater rivers of mid-continental North America and do 

not thrive in reservoirs or move downstream into estuarine 

environments (Wilson and McKinley, 2004). In preparation 

for spawning, reproductive Scaphirhynchus sturgeon migrate 

upstream on the order of tens to hundreds of kilometers, 

as documented by telemetry studies on the Missouri River 

(DeLonay and others, 2007b). Spawning of Scaphirhynchus species is hypothesized to occur near the apex, or most 

upstream point, of a female’s migratory path, although the 

specific location and success of spawning by telemetered sturgeon remains to be validated through egg or larvae collection. 

Missouri River sturgeon tend to reach their migratory apex 

locations during late spring and early summer, as determined 

from telemetry data (Aaron J. DeLonay, unpub. data, 2008). 

Historically, large flow pulses were typical during the period 

of sturgeon migration on the Missouri River, leading to the 

hypothesis that sturgeon may require a flow pulse to act as a 

spawning cue (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 2003; Jacobson and Galat, 2008). High river discharge and the increasing 

daylight of spring are associated with the period of spawning 

for many sturgeon species (Cech and Doroshov, 2004).

Specific spawning locations and the relative suitability of 

spawning conditions for these sturgeon species in the Lower 

Missouri River are not known conclusively. Hard, coarse 

substrate is assumed to be suitable spawning substrate based 

on spawning requirements of other sturgeon species (Bemis 

and Kynard, 1997), and recent studies on the Lower Missouri 

River have mapped the distributions of such substrate (Laustrup and others, 2007). In 2008, three reproductive female 

pallid sturgeon were tracked to inferred spawning patches 

on the outsides of river bends covered with riprap revetment 

(Aaron J. DeLonay, unpub. data, 2008). Subsequent recapture 

verified that eggs had been released; however, the specific site 

of egg deposition was not confirmed through egg or larvae 

collection.

Sturgeon migratory behavior varies by sex and reproductive condition as well as among individuals. Habitat use may 

also depend on these factors. Telemetry studies have documented that reproductive male sturgeon have less systematic 

upstream migrations and nonreproductive female sturgeon 

typically do not migrate upstream (Aaron J. DeLonay, unpub. 

data, 2008). Furthermore, a substantial amount of variation 

exists in the observed rate and distance of the upstream migration among reproductive individuals. Not all black-egged 

female sturgeon spawn successfully or completely; some 

resorb their eggs because of factors that are not fully understood (DeLonay and others, 2007a; Papoulias and others, 

2007).

A variety of questions exist regarding whether habitat for 

migration or spawning is limiting for reproduction of the pallid sturgeon. Key questions include: (1) Has alteration of the 

Missouri River decreased the availability of low-velocity pathways for migratory sturgeon, resulting in increased rates of 

energy expenditure and decreased spawning success? (2) Has 

alteration of the Missouri River decreased or modified quantity 

or quality of spawning habitat patches? (3) Has the altered 

distribution and availability of habitats changed the timing 

and duration of migration or altered the location and timing of 

spawning? (4) Has habitat had a role in reducing reproductive 

isolation between species and increasing the apparent rate of 

hybridization in sturgeon? (5) Are engineered habitat features 

used by sturgeon for migration and spawning, and how does 

habitat quality compare to pre-engineered habitats? 

Habitat Definitions and Assessments

Fish habitat is defined as the place or a set of places 

where a fish, a fish population, or a fish assemblage finds suitable environmental features to survive and reproduce (Orth 

and White, 1999). Habitat for a particular species consists 

of all the characteristics of all the places that the fish may 

occupy during its life history. For Missouri River sturgeon that 

migrate long distances during their lives (DeLonay and others, 

2007b), habitat assessments may, therefore, need to consider a 

wide range of conditions at a wide range of locations. A more 

restricted definition of physical habitat is the 3-dimensional 

structure of physical and chemical characteristics in which 

a riverine organism lives; time variation in these characteristics (frequency, duration, sequence, rate of change) adds 

a critical fourth dimension that must be assessed (Gordon 

and others, 1992). Of a wide range of physical and chemical 

characteristics, depth, current velocity, and substrate are the 

three main characteristics of physical habitat that are usually 

evaluated. Other factors like water temperature and turbidity 
Data Sources 7

can be important habitat components and often covary with 

the physical components. Physical components of habitat can 

be managed directly by changes in flow regime or channel 

morphology (Jacobson and Galat, 2006).

A central challenge in fish habitat assessment is to relate 

habitats used by a fish to all available habitats in order to 

evaluate whether the fish select specific habitats over others. 

Habitat selection is a measure of relative choice of habitat 

from the range that is readily available to the fish; habitat 

preference is a measure of relative choice if all possible habitats are available (Hall and others, 1997). In the case of field 

studies in a river like the Lower Missouri, selection indicates 

choice among available habitat patches, none of which may be 

preferred or sufficient for a particular life stage.

Availability is conditioned by water discharge, as physical characteristics like depth and velocity are highly dependent on discharge. Therefore, use and availability should be 

considered simultaneously or at equivalent discharges in order 

to assess selection. 

Existing literature on Scaphirhynchus sturgeon provides 

information regarding sturgeon habitat use, but most studies 

have not addressed reach-scale habitat availability or selection. Scaphirhynchus sturgeon are primarily benthic, but the 

literature supports the idea that adult pallid sturgeon do not 

select strongly for river depth. For example, pallid sturgeon 

in the Mississippi River used a wide range of depths, 1.8 to 

19.1 meters (Hurley, 1999) and pallid sturgeon in the Upper 

Missouri and Yellowstone Rivers were captured at 0.6 to 

14.5 meters depth (Bramblett and White, 2001). Depth selection of other fishes is often thought to relate the cover that 

depth provides for predator avoidance rather than a hydraulic 

effect on the fish (Rabeni and Jacobson, 1999), and this effect 

would be expected to vary with turbidity. However, adult 

pallid sturgeon have few predators and selected habitats may 

be related more to the availability or habitat selection of prey 

species. 

Pallid sturgeon selection for velocity may be stronger 

than for depth. Adult pallid sturgeon have been found at a 

fairly narrow range of velocities: 0 to 1.37 meters per second 

in the Upper Missouri and Yellowstone Rivers (Bramblett and 

White, 2001) and 0.17 to 0.97 meters per second in the Platte 

River (Snook and others, 2002).

Purpose and Scope

This report presents an exploratory analysis of habitat 

maps of Lower Missouri River reaches (Reuter and others, 

2008) and associated sturgeon relocations (DeLonay and others, 2007b; Aaron J. DeLonay, unpub. data, 2008) with the 

objective of providing information about habitats selected by 

adult Scaphirhynchus sturgeon, especially reproductive female 

shovelnose sturgeon, during the spring and summer. The 

mapped reaches provide a basis for characterization of aspects 

of the geomorphology of the Lower Missouri River, including broad patterns of longitudinal variability of the river from 

Gavins Point Dam to the junction with the Mississippi River. 

In the context of the geomorphic setting, the sturgeon locations associated with mapped reaches reveal trends of habitat 

selection. Presentation of results includes an extensive set of 

tables intended to make data publically available; however, we 

discuss only the highlights of this large dataset. Data collection was not targeted at specific, a priori hypotheses; thus, we 

do not use statistical hypothesis testing in this report. Instead, 

the exploratory approach used was intended to investigate 

trends and to generate working hypotheses.

Acknowledgments

Funding for this project was provided by the U.S. Army 

Corps of Engineers, Missouri River Recovery—Integrated 

Science Program and the USGS. This work is part of the 

Comprehensive Sturgeon Research Program (CSRP), a large, 

interdisciplinary, multiyear, multi-agency research project to 

which many individuals have contributed. The following individuals assisted with hydroacoustic mapping: Harold Johnson, 

III (USGS), Matt Smith (Arctic Slope Regional Corporation, 

ASRC), Chad Vishy (ASRC), Mark Laustrup (USGS), and 

David Gaeuman (National Research Council Post-Doctoral 

Fellow). Sturgeon telemetry crews tagged and tracked sturgeon. Crews were supervised by Aaron DeLonay (USGS) and 

led by Sabrina Davenport (ASRC) and David Combs (ASRC). 

Core crew members included: Brian Carollo (ASRC), Jermyn 

Porter (ASRC), Caleb Troutt (ASRC), Daniel Schertz (ASRC), 

and Kyle Singer (ASRC). Tracking crews with the Nebraska 

Game and Parks Commission provided some of the telemetry 

locations in 2007. Kim Chojnacki, Emily Tracy-Smith, Sandy 

Clark-Kolaks, and Emily Kunz (USGS) provided support 

through management and quality control of the sturgeon 

telemetry data. Diana Papoulias, Mandy Annis, and Janice 

Bryan (USGS) provided data concerning the sex and reproductive condition of telemetered sturgeon. Many additional 

individuals have provided indirect support; the chapters of the 

volume edited by Korschgen (2007) contain acknowledgments 

for numerous other individuals involved with the CSRP. Color 

schemes for some maps were inspired by Color Brewer, http://

colorbrewer.org. Lewis Coggins and Edward Little (USGS) 

reviewed this report.

Data Sources

This section provides basic background information on 

the two source datasets that were the focus of analysis for this 

report. The two data sources are: (1) a sturgeon telemetry dataset with thousands of recorded sturgeon positions in the 2005 

through 2007 time period (DeLonay and others, 2007b; Aaron J. 

DeLonay, unpub. data, 2008) and (2) a set of reach-scale maps 

that are associated with a subset of the sturgeon telemetry locations (Reuter and others, 2008). Maps depict depth, depth-averaged velocity, and substrate, as well as habitat characteristics 
8 Assessment of Lower Missouri River Physical Aquatic Habitat and Its Use by Adult Sturgeon (Genus Scaphirhynchus), 2005–07

derived from these variables. Thus, for a set of known sturgeon 

locations, maps provide data for environmental characteristics 

at the sturgeon coordinate locations, assuming the that discharge 

and bed configuration did not vary substantially between sturgeon location and mapping. In addition, the maps provide the 

context of habitat availability in the reach surrounding the sturgeon. Here we provide an overview of these datasets; additional 

information has been documented in other published reports 

(Korschgen, 2007; Reuter and others, 2008).

Sturgeon Telemetry Data

The telemetry project involved capturing sturgeon from 

the Missouri River, implanting selected individuals with 

combined acoustic and radio transmitters, and tracking these 

telemetered sturgeon to obtain relocations of the sturgeon 

over time (DeLonay and others, 2007a; DeLonay and others, 2007b). We use the term “relocation” to refer to a point 

location where a sturgeon was found again through telemetry 

tracking, and not as a reference to an act of moving something from one place to another. Sturgeon were captured and 

implanted during the late winter and early spring of 2005, 

2006, and 2007. In total, more than 400 sturgeon were tagged 

and implanted with transmitters during these 3 years. After 

release and a recovery period, telemetered sturgeon were 

tracked to determine their movement patterns. Crews tracked 

sturgeon by navigating through sections of river, using boats 

outfitted with acoustic and radio receivers to determine the 

locations of telemetered sturgeon. These relocation points, 

accurate to approximately 2 meters, were obtained using a 

differential global positioning system (DGPS) receiver and 

recorded in Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) coordinates, Zone 15 North, using the World Geodetic System of 

1984 (WGS 84) datum. The crews recorded more than 6,200 

sturgeon relocation positions in 2005 through 2007. A subset of the telemetered sturgeon were recaptured to assess the 

spawning success of individuals.

Species, Sex, and Reproductive Condition of 

Telemetered Sturgeon

Sturgeon were selected for implantation based on size and 

field assessments of species, sex, and reproductive condition at 

the time of initial capture in the spring. Blood and egg samples 

were taken to confirm sex and reproductive condition in the 

lab (Papoulias and others, 2007; Wildhaber and others, 2007b). 

All implanted sturgeon were adults. Female sturgeon with 

black eggs at the time of initial capture were considered to be 

in reproductive condition, with a high probability of spawning 

that year. Female sturgeon that did not have black eggs at initial 

capture were unlikely to spawn that year (Moos, 1978); we 

refer to these sturgeon as nonreproductive. Male sturgeon also 

were assessed with regard to reproductive condition using the 

criteria in Wildhaber and others (2007b). In 2005 and 2006, all 

telemetered shovelnose sturgeon were reproductive females. In 

2007, telemetered shovelnose sturgeon also included males and 

females in a range of reproductive stages, including sturgeon 

not expected to spawn in that year. A few pallid sturgeon were 

also included in each year from 2005 through 2007. Overall, the 

majority of sturgeon during this time period were reproductive 

female shovelnose sturgeon.

The reproductive designations used in this report are 

based on the condition at initial capture because this is the 

only reproductive assessment that is available for all sturgeon 

in the study. For a subset of telemetered sturgeon that were 

recaptured later in the year, assessments of spawning success based on field observations and laboratory assessments 

of gonad tissue also are available. However, we do not have 

sufficient data to consistently and confidently differentiate 

between locations that represent sturgeon in prespawn versus 

postspawn condition, nor do we have data regarding spawning 

success for all individuals. Therefore, in this report, we used 

the assessment of reproductive condition at initial capture to 

classify sturgeon reproductive condition for the entire season.

Spatial Distribution of Sturgeon Relocations

The regional distribution of sturgeon relocations is a 

byproduct of sample design and search effort (fig. 3). During 

2005 and 2006, the CSRP sample design called for comparison between upstream and downstream locations in an 

attempt to isolate the effects of flow regulation on sturgeon 

reproduction. The upstream segments have highly regulated 

flow regimes and few spring flow pulses (fig. 2). The upstream 

segments also have the potential for manipulated pulsed-flow 

experiments like the one in 2006. The downstream segments 

have less-regulated flows and have a very high probability of 

experiencing natural spring flow pulses in every year. Downstream sturgeon initial capture/release locations were in the 

Missouri River between the Osage River and the Kansas River 

junctions, and the upstream sturgeon were captured/released 

between the junctions of the Platte River and the Vermillion 

River in South Dakota. During 2007, all initial capture/release 

locations were upstream from the Platte River.

On a reach scale, locations are minimally biased by 

search effort. The presence of the boat during tracking in 

the Missouri River had minimal impact on the activity and 

behavior of the sturgeon. Telemetered positions could be 

accurately located by placing the boat directly over the sturgeon (DeLonay and others, 2007b). Limitations do exist to 

the extent that sturgeon can only be relocated in areas deep 

enough to be navigable by the tracking boats. This is of primary concern in the segment downstream from Gavins Point 

Dam to Ponca State Park, where shallow water and multithread channels are prevalent. Additionally, some difficulties 

exist in locating telemetered sturgeon during very high water 

because of high acoustic noise associated with increased suspended sediment and bedload, as well as the proliferation of 

acoustic shadows where sturgeon can hide behind large bedforms or submerged engineered structures. On the whole, the 
DATE

RIVER MILE

0

200400600800

03/01/05 07/01/05 11/01/05 03/01/06 07/01/06 11/01/06 03/01/07 07/01/07

Figure 3. Plot of sturgeon telemetry and reach mapping activities, by date and river mile. In 2005 and 2006, telemetry and mapping efforts were divand downstream parts of the Lower Missouri River. In 2007, effort was largely focused in the upstream part of the river. Relocations illustrate the breffort.
10 Assessment of Lower Missouri River Physical Aquatic Habitat and Its Use by Adult Sturgeon (Genus Scaphirhynchus), 2005–07

sturgeon relocations provide a relatively thorough sampling of 

where sturgeon are found within river reaches.

Maps of Hydraulic and Substrate 

Characteristics

Maps based on boat-collected hydroacoustic data depict 

hydraulic and substrate characteristics at sturgeon relocations 

and in surrounding reaches. These maps, along with a detailed 

description of methods used to derive them, were published in 

Reuter and others (2008). Maps were made at the reach scale 

(mean reach length, 2.4 kilometers) in order to include the 

immediate vicinity of a targeted sturgeon relocation as well 

as the full range of habitat available at the bend and crossover 

scale. Reaches typically were surveyed on the day following 

the relocation of a telemetered sturgeon and at a discharge 

within 10 percent of the discharge on the sturgeon relocation 

date in order to characterize as closely as possible the channel morphology and flow-field conditions at the time that the 

sturgeon was present.

Reach Map Information and Discharge 

Conditions

One-hundred fifty-three reaches were mapped during the 

months of April to September of 2005 through 2007, with the 

majority of data collection occurring in the months of May 

and June (coinciding with the period of sturgeon migration 

and spawning in the Lower Missouri River). Many maps were 

based on random selection of target Scaphirhynchus sturgeon 

(primarily shovelnose). Other maps were made based on nonrandom selection of target sturgeon for a variety of reasons; 

some of these nonrandom maps included suspected spawning 

locations, as inferred from information available at the time of 

mapping. Specific spawning locations were not verified during 

the time period in question. We consider all maps, random 

and nonrandom, in the exploratory analysis presented in this 

report. One-hundred twelve of the maps contain sturgeon 

relocations within an acceptable date and discharge range (see 

section on “Qualifying Sturgeon Relocations”).

Discharges at the time of mapping spanned a range of 

flow conditions in terms of flow exceedance and discharge 

(fig. 4). Flow exceedance values indicate how frequently flows 

of a given discharge are equaled or exceeded at a particular 

location based on a record of past discharge. We computed 

Missouri River flow exceedances from mainstem gages during 

the period of regulated flows from 1967 through 2008 (Galat 

and Lipkin, 2000). Most maps were made when discharges 

were moderate to low relative to annual data. No overbank 

flows were mapped during this study. The lowest flows at the 

time of mapping, in terms of both absolute discharge and flow 

exceedance, were between Gavins Point Dam and the first 

major tributary, the James River, during early May 2007 when 

the James, Vermillion, and Big Sioux Rivers were contributing 

EXPLANATION

100,000

10,000

1,000

1,000,000

RIVER MILE

800 600 400 200 0

DISCH

ARGE, IN CUBIC FEET PER SECOND

1000

10000

100000

1000000

Maximum

10 percent exceedance

20 percent exceedance

30 percent exceedance

40 percent exceedance

50 percent exceedance

60 percent exceedance

70 percent exceedance

80 percent exceedance

90 percent exceedance

Minimum

2005 reach map

2006 reach map

2007 reach map

1,000

10,000

100,000

1,000,000

Gavins Point

Sioux City

Omaha

Nebraska City

Rulo

St. Joseph

Kansas City

Waverly

BoonvilleHermann

Lower Missouri River segments

Gavins Point

Ponca

Big Sioux

Platte

Kansas

Grand

Osage

Figure 4. Plot of discharges on reach mapping dates in the context of flow exceedance data for the Lower Missouri River, based 

on daily discharge records. Flow exceedances were computed for Missouri River gages with records from 1967 to 2008. From 

upstream to downstream, the gages are: Gavins Point Dam (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers), Sioux City (USGS streamflow-gaging 

station ID 6486000), Omaha (USGS 6610000), Nebraska City (USGS 6807000), Rulo (USGS 6813500), St. Joseph (USGS 6818000), 

Kansas City (USGS 6893000), Waverly (USGS 6895500), Boonville (USGS 6909000), and Hermann (USGS 6934500).
Data Sources 11

substantial discharges to the Lower Missouri River; flow 

releases from the dam were very low during this period to 

compensate for flows from the tributaries. 

The spatial distribution of maps along the length of the 

Lower Missouri River is a byproduct of a number of factors 

including the sampling design used in the telemetry studies, 

the movement of telemetered sturgeon, tracking search effort, 

and mapping effort. The distribution of telemetry relocations 

and reach maps at this broad scale does not indicate regional 

patterns of habitat selection. For example, the Platte segment 

is especially underrepresented in terms relocations and the 

number of maps, but this is primarily a result of the upstreamdownstream structure of the study design, and not necessarily 

because of the relative use of that segment by sturgeon. 

Descriptions of Specific Map Types

Primary maps were generated directly from boatcollected hydroacoustic data (Reuter and others, 2008), and 

derived maps were computed from the primary maps. The 

three types of primary maps are depth, depth-averaged velocity, and substrate. These maps are based on hydroacoustic data 

from a longitudinal profile and a set of cross-sections spaced 

15 to 40 meters apart. Raw datasets were processed according 

to methods outlined in Reuter and others (2008) to yield interpolated maps with a grid cell size of 5 meters. Maps represent 

areas navigable by the survey boat, generally where depths are 

greater than 0.6 meter.

Maps derived from primary maps or combinations of 

primary maps provide additional ways of looking at physical habitat conditions. These alternate views of the data offer 

some specific advantages over the raw, primary variables, 

even though they are not independent of the primary variables. 

For example, depth slope is less dependent on discharge than 

depth itself. Because the primary and derived variables are not 

independent, we considered issues of covariance and colinearity by exploring bivariate relations among primary and derived 

variables; examples are presented in the results.

Table 1 summarizes the map types, and figure 5 shows an 

example of each map type for a reach. The following descriptions provide additional detail:

Depth.—Most maps of depth were based on echo-sounder 

data collected with high-resolution, single-beam Hydrotrac 

echo sounders (Odom Hydrographic Systems, Inc., Baton 

Rouge, Louisiana). Some depth maps were based on data from 

an acoustic Doppler current profiler.

Depth slope.—Depth slope is effectively the topographic 

slope of the bed, in degrees. It is computed as the maximum 

slope of the depth grid within a moving 3 by 3 cell matrix 

(with 5 meter grid cells) using the ArcGIS slope algorithm 

(Environmental Systems Research Institute, Redlands, California). Depth slope is nearly independent of discharge if the bed 

morphology is static.

Terrain classification.—We used a bathymetric terrain 

classification approach to visualize major channel features. 

This technique is based on the concepts of the Topographic 

Position Index and the Benthic Terrain Modeler (Weiss, 2001; 

Lundblad and others, 2006); it uses measures of relative depth 

and slope to classify the channel into crests (bars), depressions (thalweg and deep holes), slopes, and flat areas (fig. 

D13 in Jacobson and others, 2007). Relative depth is computed as the difference between the depth at each grid cell 

and the average depth within an area defined by an annulus 

(two concentric circles) surrounding the grid cell. We used 

the following parameters: horizontal radii for the annulus of 

25 and 250 meters; the vertical threshold used to differentiate crests/depressions from flat/sloped areas as 0.5 meter; and 

the slope threshold that differentiates flat from sloped areas as 

5 degrees. 

Generalized substrate.—Maps of substrate are based on 

an interpretation of data from a RoxAnn instrument (Marine 

Microsystems and Sonavision, Ltd., Aberdeen, United Kingdom) in combination with spatial data regarding the location 

of engineered structures and bedrock (Reuter and others, 

2008). These maps are general indicators of substrate characteristics. Two categories were derived from RoxAnn data 

alone; these categories are (1) sand (generally dunes) and (2) a 

Table 1. Map types and sources.

Map type Source Primary or 

derived

Variable 

type

Units used in this 

report

Depth Echo sounder or depth returns from acoustic Doppler current profiler 

(Reuter and others, 2008)

Primary Continuous Meters.

Depth slope From depth map, based on 3 by 3 moving window of grid cells, using 

ArcGIS slope command

Derived Continuous Degrees.

Terrain classification From depth, using methods in Jacobson and others (2007) Derived Discrete --

Substrate RoxAnn, supplemented by other map data (Reuter and others, 2008) Primary Discrete --

Velocity, depth-averaged Acoustic Doppler current profiler (Reuter and others, 2008) Primary Continuous Meters per second.

Velocity gradient From depth-averaged velocity map, using ArcGIS slope command Derived Continuous Percent per meter.

Froude From depth and depth-averaged velocity Derived Continuous --

Shallow-water habitat From depth and depth-averaged velocity, using Biological Opinion 

definition of shallow-water habitat, depth less than 1.5 meters, 

velocity less than 0.6 meters per second

Derived Discrete --
12 Assessment of Lower Missouri River Physical Aquatic Habitat and Its Use by Adult Sturgeon (Genus Scaphirhynchus), 2005–07

River mile 724.2

River mile 724.4

River mile 724.6

River mile 724.8

EXPLANATION

Depth Depth slope Generalized substrate

96°25'00" 96°24'55"

42°24'00"

42°23'45"

RoxAnn-derived classes

RoxAnn- and velocity-derived classes

Class derived from aerial photos

Revetment, gravel, hard sand

Sand (dunes)

Transporting sand

Fine sediment (mud, silt)

Engineered structures (rock)

Shallow

Deep

Flat

Slope

Crest

Depression

Low slope

High slope

Terrain classification

0 100 200 METERS

0 400 800 FEET

Figure 5. Maps of an example reach, with each type of primary and derived map illustrated: depth, depth slope (derived from 

depth), terrain classification (derived from depth), substrate, velocity, velocity gradient (derived from velocity), Froude number 

(derived from depth and velocity), and shallow-water habitat (derived from depth and velocity).
Data Sources 13

Depth-averaged velocity

EXPLANATION

High velocity

Low velocity

Froude number

Shallow-water habitat

Other

Shallow-water habitat

Gradient of depth-averaged velocity

High gradient

Low gradient

High Froude

Low Froude

0 100 200 METERS

0 400 800 FEET

Figure 5. Maps of an example reach, with each type of primary and derived map illustrated: depth, depth slope (derived from 

depth), terrain classification (derived from depth), substrate, velocity, velocity gradient (derived from velocity), Froude number 

(derived from depth and velocity), and shallow-water habitat (derived from depth and velocity).—Continued
14 Assessment of Lower Missouri River Physical Aquatic Habitat and Its Use by Adult Sturgeon (Genus Scaphirhynchus), 2005–07

grouping that includes revetment, gravel, and hard sand. RoxAnn data, in combination with velocity data, were used for the 

differentiation of two categories: (1) transporting sand (where 

velocities were high) and (2) fine sediment, including mud 

and silt (where velocities were low). Two classes were derived 

from geospatial data: (1) engineered structures (generally 

rock) and (2) bedrock (a class with very little representation). 

Depth-averaged velocity—Maps of depth-averaged water 

velocity were based on data from acoustic Doppler current 

profilers (Teledyne RD Instruments, Poway, California). 

Depth-averaged values were used for two reasons. Sturgeon 

are generally benthic fish, but the position in the water column 

is not known with certainty for the relocation points. Secondly, 

near-bottom velocity data tend to be noisy because of turbulence, so meaningful maps of near-bottom velocities cannot 

be readily generated from available datasets. Depth-averaged 

velocities provide the best available information about the 

overall hydraulic environment. Throughout this report, the 

term “velocity” refers to depth-averaged velocity.

Velocity gradient.—Velocity gradient represents the 

amount of spatial change in velocity, in percent per meter, 

computed using the ArcGIS slope algorithm. (Thus, the maximum slope is determined from a 3 by 3 cell matrix of 5 meter 

grid cells.) Various studies have concluded that fish respond to 

velocity-derived variables, including vorticity (Crowder and 

Diplas, 2000, 2006; Yang and others, 2007) and total hydraulic 

strain (Nestler and others, 2008). The velocity gradient variable that we used is based on a more simplistic approach, but 

the resulting maps show strong correlations with the vorticity 

and strain variables (Jacobson and others, 2009b).

Froude number.—Froude number is a dimensionless 

parameter derived from depth, velocity, and the gravitational 

constant. It is calculated as: Froude = velocity/√(gravitational 

constant * depth). Conceptually, Froude number represents 

how energetic the environment is; higher Froude number values correspond to higher energy environments (more kinetic 

energy relative to potential energy). Froude number commonly 

has been used in habitat characterization studies (for example, 

Yu and Peters, 1997; Reuter and others, 2003). 

Shallow-water habitat.—The Missouri River Biological Opinion (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 2000) defines 

shallow-water habitat as follows: depths are less than or equal 

to 1.5 meters and velocities are less than or equal to 0.6 meters 

per second. Shallow-water habitat maps are derived by reclassifying and combining depth and velocity maps to meet these 

criteria. The area of mapped shallow-water habitat is a minimum amount for each reach because maps include only parts 

of the reach navigable by the survey boat, generally where 

water depth exceeded 0.6 meters. 

Analysis Approach

Analysis was based on an exploratory approach with 

three parts: (1) Exploration of the reach map data alone. We 

considered patterns and relations among physical variables, 

with an emphasis on longitudinal patterns along the Lower 

Missouri River. (2) Exploration of characteristics at sturgeon 

relocations in the context of available conditions in the reach.

We investigated how the values of physical environmental 

variables at sturgeon relocations compare to the range of 

values in the surrounding reaches. The approach that we used 

considers only one variable at a time. (3) Exploration of patterns of habitat use, as identified in the previous step, in a map 

context. After identifying some relations between sturgeon 

relocations and the available environmental variables, we generated maps of selected habitat types. Each of these three parts 

is described in more detail in the following sections.

Descriptive Statistics of Reach Maps

The reach maps represent a sample of more than 20 percent of the length of the Lower Missouri River and are the 

most extensive set of maps available on the river with this 

level of detail. Descriptive statistics from these maps can be 

used to characterize longitudinal patterns of channel morphology and habitat complexity, although cataloging spatial 

variation in habitats was not the primary intended purpose of 

these maps. Instead, the maps were collected with the intention of assessing habitat availability for sturgeon at the reach 

scale. Thus, there are some caveats about how well these maps 

characterize habitat at the broadest scales. The maps represent 

a range of discharges determined by sturgeon relocations and, 

therefore, depict habitats over a range of flow exceedances. 

The maps also are distributed unevenly geographically; some 

locations were mapped more than once and some segments 

(especially the Platte segment) are poorly represented in the 

dataset. At the reach scale, the maps were constrained to 

include only areas that could be navigated by the survey boat. 

Nonetheless, robust patterns emerge from the descriptive 

statistics.

Reach geometry statistics.—The following summary 

statistics were used to characterize reach geometry: Reach 

wetted area was determined from the area of the polygon that 

encompassed all of the hydroacoustic data for the depth map. 

Reach length was determined from the length of an approximate center line passing through the reach. Reach mean width 

was computed as the area of the reach polygon divided by the 

reach length. The width is based only on mapped, wetted area; 

islands and emergent bars were ignored. Reach volume was 

computed as the sum of the depth grid cell values multiplied 

by the grid cell area (25 square meters). Reach mean wetted cross-sectional area was computed as the reach volume 

divided by the reach length. Note that some of the reach 

geometry statistics are biased estimates because they are based 

on the part of the reach that the boat could navigate and map 

(reach maps do not always represent 100 percent of wetted 

reach); Gavins Point segment reaches are particularly prone to 

err on the side of underestimating areas, widths, and volumes 

because of unmapped shallow areas. Unit length residence 
Analysis Approach 15

time was computed from the volume divided by the prevailing 

discharge divided by the reach length. Reach volumes (and 

thus residence times) are minimum estimates, especially in 

the Gavins Point segment. Prevailing discharge was estimated 

based on the nearest gages as described in Reuter and others 

(2008). Reach mean velocities were calculated as the mean of 

all grid cells in the depth-averaged velocity maps.

Histograms.—Univariate summaries included frequency 

data for each continuous variable (depth, depth slope, velocity, 

velocity gradient, and Froude number) for each reach. Reach 

histograms were pooled to generate composite histograms 

representing all of the mapped reaches in each segment. Histograms were normalized such that the area under the curve 

equals one.

Bivariate relations and correlation coefficients.—For 

each reach and for each pair of continuous variables, we 

considered bivariate relations by plotting scatter plots and 

computing linear correlation coefficients. A set of approximately 10,000 regularly spaced points were superimposed on 

each depth map, and values were extracted from the grid for 

each variable using bilinear interpolation from the surrounding grid cells to obtain an estimate of the value at each point. 

The bivariate plots and correlation coefficients were examined to assess degree of colinearity and to develop a better 

understanding of the relations of derived variables to primary 

variables. 

Relations of Sturgeon Relocations to Habitat 

Variables

The analysis of sturgeon habitat selection is focused at 

the reach scale; that is, characteristics at sturgeon relocations 

are compared to the values available in the surrounding reach. 

This analysis uses all reach maps, random or nonrandom, and 

data from 3 years, 2005 through 2007. 

Qualifying Sturgeon Relocations: 7 Day and 

10 Percent Discharge Criteria

Most reach maps were made to target one particular 

sturgeon relocation. However, many maps have additional, 

nontargeted sturgeon relocations within their boundaries. If 

these opportunistic sturgeon relocations occurred near in time 

and at discharge conditions similar to those on the map date, 

then these sturgeon also were included in the analysis. 

We took a conservative approach by restricting the analysis to relocations that had been documented within 7 days of 

the map date and within 10 percent of the discharge on the 

map date. We chose to limit the time frame to 7 days (either 

before or after the map date) because of recently developed 

understanding of rates and magnitude of geomorphic change 

in the Lower Missouri River by Elliott and others (2009). That 

study, based on channel-monitoring data from four reaches 

of the Missouri River during 2006 and 2007, demonstrated 

that substantial in-channel geomorphic change can occur 

on a month-to-month time scale; periods of shorter duration 

were not documented in the study. The discharge threshold of 

10 percent was the same as that used to decide whether to map 

a targeted relocation. Discharge was estimated based on data 

from the nearest mainstem gage or a combination of mainstem 

and tributary gages, using methods described in Reuter and 

others (2008). 

These criteria did eliminate some sturgeon relocations 

that were originally targeted for mapping. Ideal discharge 

ranges were not always met in the field, and the time lag 

between relocation and mapping was greater than 7 days in 

some cases. However, even with the loss of some targeted 

sturgeon from the analysis, the number of qualifying relocations ultimately increased relative to the group of directly 

targeted sturgeon relocations. The resulting dataset includes 

112 maps with a total of 378 sturgeon relocations. 

Uncertainty in determining a habitat value at a sturgeon 

relocation arises from a number of sources. Horizontal positions from differential GPS (DGPS) are accurate to less than 

1 meter; both sturgeon relocations and hydroacoustic map data 

were collected with DGPS. Relocation position uncertainty 

also is related to how precisely the boat can be positioned over 

the sturgeon when the data point is logged; total horizontal 

uncertainty for positions is estimated to be approximately 

2 meters, less than the scale of map grid cells (5 meters). 

Uncertainty in map data is largely related to data interpolation. 

Values are best constrained near the transects where data were 

collected, and uncertainty generally increases with distance 

from the nearest transect. Estimates from interpolation with 

ordinary kriging suggest that depth uncertainty is generally 

less than 1.5 meters and velocity uncertainty is generally less 

than 0.4 meters per second. However, even along a transect, 

features at a scale smaller than the 5 meter grid cells cannot 

be resolved (small- to moderate-size dunes, for example). 

Dynamically migrating sand dunes have the potential to alter 

benthic microhabitats and velocity distributions. Dune migration rates documented by Elliott and others (2009) ranged 

up to 3 meters per day, resulting in background variability of 

hydraulics and substrate characteristics at the dune scale. The 

uncertainty estimates from kriging do not incorporate potential changes resulting from differences in discharge between 

the time of relocation and the time of mapping. Discharge 

estimates also include uncertainty, both from the discharge 

estimation process at the gaging station and from the use 

of the gage data to estimate values at locations distant from 

gaging stations. Discharges are best constrained near USGS 

streamflow-gaging stations and at times when discharges are 

stable, because of the use of daily average discharge data. We 

used conservative date and discharge ranges to minimize data 

uncertainty. Furthermore, we took the approach of considering 

values at relocations relative to the context of the surrounding 

map. Use of this approach helps to minimize the uncertainty of 

values that tend to show a systematic change with discharge, 

such as depth. 
16 Assessment of Lower Missouri River Physical Aquatic Habitat and Its Use by Adult Sturgeon (Genus Scaphirhynchus), 2005–07

Approaches for Assessment of Sturgeon Habitat 

Selection

The challenge for analyzing the sturgeon relocation 

and reach map data in the context of habitat selection lies in 

the fact that each sturgeon relocation should be considered 

in the context of habitat availability just in the surrounding 

reach, but most reach maps contain only one or a few relocation points—generally too few to be conclusive on their own. 

Thus, the results from individual reaches must be combined in 

a meaningful way. We took two complementary approaches to 

the assessment of habitat selection for continuous variables: an 

approach involving absolute variable values and an approach 

involving relative variable values. Assessment of habitat 

selection for categorical variables was similar to the absolute 

approach for continuous variables. All exploratory analyses 

were performed in a univariate context. The following sections 

describe each approach.

Continuous variables in terms of absolute variable 

values—For each continuous variable (depth, velocity, depth 

slope, velocity gradient, and Froude number), the absolute 

approach involved compiling: (1) composite histograms for 

groups of reach maps, and (2) composite histograms for values 

at sturgeon relocations from corresponding groups of maps. 

The histograms were normalized and plotted together. For a 

given histogram bin, the relative height of the histogram bar 

representing habitat availability compared to the height of the 

bar representing sturgeon relocations suggests whether the 

values represented by that bin were selected or avoided. For 

example, if the proportion of relocations exceeds the proportion of available habitat for a given bin, this suggests selection. 

Because multiple maps were pooled for these comparisons, a 

potential pitfall of this approach is that the sturgeon relocation 

values are compared to composite distributions from reach 

maps, and the distribution and range of values of the composite map histograms may differ somewhat from the distribution 

or range of values that each specific sturgeon could actually 

select—that is, the habitat values in the reach-scale vicinity 

of the sturgeon. To minimize this issue, we computed the histograms by geomorphically similar river sections. In spite of 

this limitation, we feel this approach is valuable because it is 

fairly intuitive, and because the results are in terms of absolute 

numeric values for the variables in question.

We took these results a step further by calculating Ivlev’s 

selectivity coefficients to quantify the strength of selection for 

habitat values (Manly and others, 2002). Selectivity coefficients are calculated as:

where:

Ei is the selectivity coefficient for resource unit I 

(from -1 to +1), 

oi is the sampled proportion of used units, and 

	 pi is the sampled proportion of available units. 

Values of the selectivity coefficient near zero indicate habitat 

is used in proportion to its availability. Positive coefficient 

values indicate habitat selection, whereas negative coefficient 

values indicate avoidance. Although these coefficients do not 

indicate a probability of sturgeon occurrence in the habitat 

unit, they document the strength of selection among a range of 

values. Bins with no relocations receive a -1 selectivity coefficient even if the amount of available habitat area is very small, 

so selectivity coefficients computed from such bins should be 

interpreted with caution. 

Continuous variables in terms of relative variable values 

using a decile classification approach.—The relative approach 

used to explore sturgeon selection of habitat with respect to 

continuous variables (depth, velocity, depth slope, velocity 

gradient, and Froude number) in a univariate context involved 

computing the decile distribution for each map of the continuous variable type. This method divides the range of the variables 

such that each interval represents one-tenth of the mapped area 

(fig. 6). The value at each sturgeon relocation is considered in 

the context of the decile values for the respective reach to determine within which decile range the sturgeon relocation value 

falls. This is a measure of used habitat compared to available 

habitat in the reach. Using this approach, the value at a sturgeon 

relocation is compared to the range of values available locally. 

For groups of sturgeon relocations from collections of reach 

maps, the distribution of the sturgeon decile values can provide 

insight into whether sturgeon nonrandomly select habitats from 

among the range of values available to them. Because the decile 

zones are of equal area, this is a straightforward assessment of 

sturgeon habitat selection in the context of univariate data. If 

sturgeon are not responding to a given variable, either directly 

or indirectly, then we would expect similar numbers of relocations to be found in each decile range. 

We have compiled the results by river section and by species, sex, and reproductive condition. In addition, for reproductive female shovelnose sturgeon, we have further compiled 

the data by year, by month of the year, and by discharge 

range. However, we have not assessed how relocations may 

have been influenced by antecedent hydrologic, hydraulic, or 

temperature conditions, nor have we accounted for sturgeon 

behavior at the time of relocation. These are possibilities for 

future analyses.

Categorical variables.—For each categorical variable 

(substrate, terrain classification, and shallow-water habitat), the available area of each category was summarized for 

each reach map. In addition, the category at the location of 

each qualifying sturgeon relocation was determined. Within 

geomorphically similar river sections, we computed the 

proportion of available habitat in each category, as well as 

the proportion of sturgeon found within each category. These 

values were used to compute Ivlev’s selectivity coefficients. 

This approach compares the composite distribution of sturgeon relocations with the composite distribution of habitat 

values among many reaches. Within river sections, the broad 

similarity of the proportional availability of categorical values 

contributes to the validity of this approach.

E o o i i i i i = - + ( p p ) / ( )
Analysis Approach 17

Inferred Patterns of Habitat Use in a Map 

Context

The decile analysis yielded results that indicate that 

habitat use by sturgeon is non-uniform in the Lower Missouri 

River. We explored the spatial distribution of the ranges of 

values that sturgeon tended to select for three variables (depth 

slope, velocity gradient, and Froude number) to address some 

basic questions: Where do these values occur? How do the 

different variables interact in a spatial context? How do the 

patterns differ by river section? In the approach that we took, 

we reclassified maps of each continuous variable such that a 

“1” represented the 2 most selected deciles, and a “0” represented the remainder of the deciles. After reclassifying each 

individual variable, we combined the maps by adding them 

together. In the resulting maps, each grid cell has a value from 

0 to 3, representing the number of variables that fall within 

the range that sturgeon showed the greatest tendency to select. 

Finally, to assess whether these zones might represent a more 

general predictor of habitats that are selected by sturgeon, we 

considered where the general population of sturgeon relocations fell on the reclassified maps. All relocations falling on 

the maps were considered, as long as the relocations and the 

maps were from the same year. 

The following reasons justify the decision to include 

all sturgeon relocations from the same year (rather than just 

those within 7 days and 10 percent discharge of the map): 

(1) For reaches that were mapped more than once, observations suggest that the spatial patterns of the mapped selection 

zones show some degree of persistence. For example, in some 

areas, selection zones tend to be associated with the edge of 

the channel, a pattern that appears relatively robust within 

the context of the observed amount of morphologic change. 

(2) Use of all relocations from the same year substantially 

increases the sample size of relocations associated with maps; 

notably, this means that many more relocations (sample size = 

2,013) are being used to test the selection model relative to the 

number of relocations (sample size = 378) that were used to 

develop the selection model. 

EXPLANATION

Depth, in meters

0.53 to 2.65 Minimum to 1st decile

> 2.66 to 3.15 1st to 2nd decile

> 3.16 to 3.48 2nd to 3rd decile

> 3.49 to 3.80 3rd to 4th decile

> 3.81 to 4.13 4th to 5th decile

> 4.14 to 4.50 5th to 6th decile

> 4.51 to 4.86 6th to 7th decile

> 4.87 to 5.34 7th to 8th decile

> 5.35 to 6.08 8th to 9th decile

> 6.09 to 8.88 9th decile to maximum

Sturgeon relocation—

River-mile marker—

SNS05-097 5/18/2005

SNS05-071 5/18/2005

657

658

96°06'30" 96°06'

41°40'

41°39'30"

Base from U.S. Department of

Agriculture National Agriculture

Imagery Program, digital data, 2006

Universal Transverse Mercator

projection

Zone 14

A

B

River miles from U.S.

Army Corps of Engineers, 1960;

Sturgeon relocations from

U.S. Geological Survey,

DeLonay and others, 2007b

0 250 500 METERS

0 500 1,000 FEET

PERCENT OF MAPPED AREA 10

DECILE CLASS

514

SNS07-141 5/22/2007

Label shows identification code of tagged 

sturgeon and the relocation date

Number is distance upstream from the junction 

with the Mississippi River, in miles

Figure 6. Illustration of the approach used to characterize sturgeon relocations by decile range of habitat used. A, Depth map color 

coded by decile ranges with two qualifying sturgeon relocation. B, Plot showing that each decile range represents an equal area. In this 

case, one sturgeon relocation fell in the first decile and one in the third.
18 Assessment of Lower Missouri River Physical Aquatic Habitat and Its Use by Adult Sturgeon (Genus Scaphirhynchus), 2005–07

Geomorphic Characterization of the 

Lower Missouri River Based on Reach 

Maps

The reach maps provide insight into the geomorphic character and longitudinal variability of the Lower Missouri River. 

This section presents several summaries of reach characteristics. As a part of the data exploration, we address the question 

of how best to group similar parts of the river; are there natural 

groupings of data that suggest different parts of the river have 

distinct habitat structures? We approached this analysis with 

the working hypothesis that reaches within segments—defined 

primarily by major tributary junctions (fig. 1)—would share 

similarities (Frissell and others, 1986; Benda and others, 

2004). Other factors that could influence longitudinal patterns 

of habitat quantity and quality include engineering structures, 

flow regime, and physiographic provinces. Qualitative patterns 

emerge from the reach summary data presented here. 

In the first group of summary plots, reach geometry 

characteristics and other summary data are plotted against 

river mile (fig. 7). In these plots, each reach stands for itself, 

and no assumptions are made about how to group parts of 

the river with like characteristics. Plotted points represent all 

mapped discharges, regardless of flow exceedance. Several 

notable patterns can be discerned from figure 7. Discharge 

and wetted cross-sectional area show an overall increase 

in the downstream direction. However, other variables that 

commonly increase in a downstream direction under natural 

river conditions show more complex patterns on the Lower 

Missouri River; velocity and width are examples. For similar 

discharges, mean reach velocities are highest in the Big Sioux 

and Platte segments, where the widths are also the narrowest. 

Mean reach depth averages more than 4 meters throughout the 

navigable parts of the river, with generally shallower mean 

depths (less than 3 meters) upstream from Sioux City, Iowa. 

A schematic summary of reach geometry data averaged 

by segment is presented in figure 8. Mean width, depth, and 

velocity were computed from the reaches located within each 

segment. In this plot, box length is scaled with mean segment 

width and box height is scaled with mean segment depth (with 

no vertical exaggeration); the arrows are scaled with mean 

velocity. This graphic illustrates that, on average, the Gavins 

Point and Ponca segments are wide, relatively shallow, and 

have relatively low velocities. The Big Sioux and Platte segments are narrow and deep, with relatively high velocities. 

The Kansas, Grand, and Osage segments have mean depths 

and velocities similar to each other, and mean segment widths 

progressively increase in a downstream direction. 

Composite histograms provide another summary of data 

at the segment scale (fig. 9). The composite depth histograms 

for the Gavins Point and Ponca segments are both skewed to 

the right. The composite depth histograms for the Big Sioux 

and Platte segments are both relatively symmetrical. The Kansas, Grand, and Osage segment composite depth histograms 

are complex, with a subpopulation of relatively shallow depths 

associated with areas on channel margins and behind wing 

dikes. Similar to depth, three distinct sets of velocity histograms are apparent: The Gavins Point and Ponca composite 

velocity histograms are roughly symmetrical. The Big Sioux 

and Platte composite velocity histograms are skewed left. The 

Kansas, Grand, and Osage composite velocity histograms 

show a more complex, shape, heavily skewed left and containing secondary modes. 

To simplify analysis, we grouped the seven Lower Missouri River segments into three major river sections on the 

basis of the similar groupings of habitat-variable distributions 

(fig. 9), mean widths (fig. 8), and mean velocities (fig. 8). 

From upstream to downstream, these are referred to as the 

Minimally Engineered, the Upstream Channelized, and the 

Downstream Channelized sections. Because of the gap in 

relocations and maps between the upper Platte segment and 

Kansas City, we cannot precisely determine the location or 

abruptness of the change from the Upstream Channelized to 

the Downstream Channelized section based on the map data. 

Generally, however, these river sections correspond to parts of 

the river that are engineered and managed in different ways. 

Typical reaches document habitat characteristics of the three 

river sections (figs. 10–12). For each of these example reaches, 

figures also show the bivariate relations of the continuous 

variables.

The bivariate relations among continuous variables 

(table 2, figs. 10–12) yield additional insight into the geomorphic and hydraulic structure of the mapped reaches. Variation 

exists among the correlation coefficients from reach to reach 

and section to section, but some generalizations can be made 

that apply to the entire Lower Missouri River. On a point by 

point basis, depth and velocity tend to be positively correlated; 

higher velocities tend to be associated with greater depths. 

Within reaches, the exceptions occur in association with deep 

scour holes that have low velocity; deep, slow scours are 

particularly prevalent in the Downstream Channelized section 

of river. The correlation of depth and velocity in the Lower 

Missouri River contrasts with depth-velocity relations in many 

smaller rivers and streams where the shallow riffle environments tend to have high velocities, and pools tend to have low 

velocities at moderate discharge (Rabeni and Jacobson, 1993). 

Depth slope and velocity gradient sometimes also exhibit 

a positive correlation. To the extent that depth and velocity 

covary, it is reasonable that their derivatives—depth slope 

and velocity gradient—would covary as well. A third variable pair that shows relatively strong positive correlations is 

velocity and Froude number. Froude number on the Missouri 

River tends to be relatively low, less than 0.3. Conditions that 

produce high Froude numbers (shallow depth and high velocity) tend not to occur on the Lower Missouri River. Under 

prevailing conditions, Froude number is strongly correlated 

with velocity but not with depth. Correlations between other 

variable pairs are weak or inconsistent (table 2). Recognition 

of the relations among physical variables may be useful in 

assessing responses of biota to the physical environment. 
Geomorphic Characterization of the Lower Missouri River Based on Reach Maps 19

Gavins Point

Ponca

Big Sioux

Platte

Kansas

Grand

Osage

800 600 400 200 0

MEAN WETTED CROSS-SECTIONAL

AREA, IN SQUARE METERS

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

800 600 400 200 0

DISCHARGE ESTIM

ATE,

IN CUBIC FEET PER SECOND

0

20000

40000

60000

80000

100000

120000

800 600 400 200 0

ME

AN DEPTH, IN METERS

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

800 600 400 200 0

MEAN WIDTH, IN METERS

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

800 600 400 200 0

ME

AN VELOCITY,

IN METERS PER SECOND

0.0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1.0

1.2

1.4

RIVER MILE

800 600 400 200 0

MEAN WIDTH/DEPTH RATIO

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

RIVER MILE

800 600 400 200 0

RESIDENCE TIME, IN HOURS PER KILOMETER

0.0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

0.6

0.7

< 20,000

> 20,000 to 30,000 

> 30,000 to 40,000 

> 40,000 to 50,000 

> 50,000 to 60,000 

> 60,000

EXPLANATION

Lower Missouri River

segments

Reach mean values—Points are

 colored coded by estimated

 discharge, in cubic feet per

 second

20,000

40,000

60,000

80,000

100,000

120,000

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

Figure 7. Plots of reach geometry and related statistics by river mile. Each point represents a reach. For reference, the segments are 

shaded in the background of the plot. Data values were omitted for the map on May 21, 2007, near river mile 759.6 because the map 

represents only a side channel.
20 Assessment of Lower Missouri River Physical Aquatic Habitat and Its Use by Adult Sturgeon (Genus Scaphirhynchus), 2005–07

Additional insight into the character of the Lower Missouri River comes from observations of channel change 

over time. The reach maps were not mapped with absolute 

elevation control because characterization of geomorphic 

change was not one of the goals of this portion of the sturgeon 

research project. However, some reaches were mapped on 

more than one occasion, and qualitative patterns of change 

shown by these repeat maps exhibit similarities to the geomorphic dynamics quantified in Elliott and others (2009). Figure 

13 shows three examples of repeat mapping, with one reach 

per river section. The time interval between each pair of maps 

is approximately 1 year. The maps display classified bathymetry using the benthic terrain mapping technique, which has 

the advantage of highlighting the major features of the channel 

with relative insensitivity to discharge (Jacobson and others, 

2009b). These examples of repeat mapping demonstrate the 

dynamic nature of the Lower Missouri River and illustrate differences in channel dynamics in various parts of the river.

The repeat mapping example from the Minimally Engineered section (fig. 13A, 13B) is located at Mulberry Bend 

(river mile 775), downstream from the James River junction. 

This reach shows some substantial changes in bar configuration and in the area navigable by the survey boat between the 

2 years (although discharges were similar). Two additional 

reaches documented by Elliott and others (2009) in the Minimally Engineered section showed differing trends, with little 

change in the armored reach at Yankton, South Dakota, just 

5 kilometers (3 miles) downstream from the dam, but substantial change in the Ponca segment at Kenslers Bend, when 

normalized for channel size. 

The example from the Upstream Channelized section 

(fig 13C, 13D) is near the junction with the Little Sioux 

River (river mile 669) and in close proximity to the reach that 

Elliott and others (2009) surveyed. As illustrated here, in the 

Upstream Channelized section the position of the thalweg 

often does not fall in the outer bend as defined by the engineered planform morphology. The repeat mapping example 

shows a shift in the location of bars and the depressions in 

a generally downstream direction. Elliott and others (2009) 

documented change of considerable magnitude, including 

shifts in the location of the thalweg from one bank to another 

over the course of a year. 

The repeat mapping example from the Downstream 

Channelized section (fig. 13E, 13F) is in the Grand segment 

upstream from Lisbon Bottom. Although this reach was 

mapped at two different discharges and over a year apart, the 

major morphologic features of the reach show little change. 

The thalweg and bar positions are very stable, and the thalweg 

position corresponds to the outer bend of the river planform. 

Although change did occur, the overall stability of channel 

features is consistent with the surveys of Elliott and others 

(2009) in the Downstream Channelized section.

Gavins Point segment (based on 13 reaches)

Mean depth = 2.2 m, width = 300 m, velocity = 0.7 m/s

Ponca segment (based on 10 reaches)

Mean depth = 2.7 m, width = 270 m, velocity = 0.8 m/s

Big Sioux segment (based on 65 reaches)

Mean depth = 4.0 m, width = 200 m, velocity = 1.0 m/s

Platte segment (based on 5 reaches)

Mean depth = 4.4 m, width = 210 m, velocity = 1.2 m/s

Kansas segment (based on 16 reaches)

Mean depth = 4.1 m, width = 280 m, velocity = 1.0 m/s

Grand segment (based on 32 reaches)

Mean depth = 4.2 m, width = 320 m, velocity = 1.0 m/s

Osage segment (based on 11 reaches)

Mean depth = 4.6 m, width = 360 m, velocity = 1.0 m/s

0 25 50 METERS

0 100 200 FEET

NOTE: Box dimensions are proportional to the width and depth of 

each segment, based on the mean of reach mean values. Arrows 

are proportional to the mean velocity of each segment. [m, meters; 

m/s, meters per second]

Figure 8. Schematic illustration of channel geometry and velocity characteristics, based on mean values by river segment. Widths, 

depths, and velocity values were calculated by taking the mean of the reach mean values in each segment.
0

0.20.40.6

0.81.0

Ponca

0

0.20.40.60.81.0

Gavins Point

0

0.20.40.60.81.0

Big Sioux

0

0.20.40.60.81.0

Platte

FREQUENCY

0

0.20.40.60.81.0

Kansas

0

0.20.40.60.81.0

Grand

0

0.20.40.60.81.0

Osage

DEPTH, IN METERS

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14

0

0.2

0.40.60.81.0

All segments 

0

0.51.01.52.02.53.0

VELOCITY, IN METERS PER SECOND

0

0.51.01.52.02.53.0

0

0.20.40.60.81.01.21.4

0

0.10.20.30.40.50.6

05

101520

0

0.51.01.52.02.53.0

0

0.5

1.01.52.02.53.0

0

0.51.0

1.5

2.02.53.0

0

0.5

1.01.52.02.5

3.0

0

0.51.0

1.5

2.02.53.0

0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5

0

0.5

1.0

1.52.02.53.0

0

0.20.40.60.81.01.21.4

0

0.20.40.60.81.01.21.4

0

0.20.40.60.81.01.21.4

0

0.20.40.60.8

1.01.21.4

0

0.20.40.60.81.01.21.4

VELOCITY GRADIENT, IN PERCENT

PER METER

0

0.2

0.40.60.8

1.01.21.4

0 2 4 6 8 10

0

0.20.40.6

0.81.01.2

1.4

0

0.10.20.30.40.50.6

0

0.1

0.20.3

0.40.50.6

0

0.10.20.30.4

0.5

0.6

0

0.10.20.3

0.40.50.6

0

0.1

0.20.30.40.5

0.6

DEPTH SLOPE , IN DEGREES

0

0.10.2

0.3

0.40.50.6

0 5 10 15 20 25 30

0

0.1

0.2

0.30.40.50.6

05

101520

05

101520

05

101520

05

101520

FRO

05

101520

05

101520

0 0.1 0.

05

101520

Figure 9. Composite histograms by river segment for depth, depth slope, velocity, velocity gradient, and Froude number.
22 Assessment of Lower Missouri River Physical Aquatic Habitat and Its Use by Adult Sturgeon (Genus Scaphirhynchus), 2005–07

Descriptions of Lower Missouri River Sections

Observations from the reach maps suggest that the engineering framework of the Lower Missouri River is of overarching importance in determining habitat patterns; similarly 

engineered and managed sections of river tend to share similar 

morphologies and characteristics. Habitat controls exerted by 

physiographic constraints or changes in flow regime at major 

tributaries are less apparent. 

An understanding of the geomorphic and hydrologic 

framework of the Lower Missouri River provides important 

context for interpretation of sturgeon relocations. Therefore, 

before addressing the results from the sturgeon data, we offer 

the following broad descriptions of the major sections of 

the Lower Missouri River, based on summary data from the 

mapped reaches and from published research. It is important to note that present-day (2008) descriptions of Missouri 

River habitats capture a synoptic view of a river system that 

is undergoing substantial re-engineering to support ecosystem 

recovery (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 2000; U.S. Army 

Corps of Engineers, 2003; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 

2003; Jacobson and others, 2009a). 

Minimally Engineered Section (Gavins Point and 

Ponca Segments)

The Missouri River is not maintained for commercial 

navigation from Gavins Point Dam to Sioux City, Iowa 

(fig. 1). From a morphologic standpoint, this is the least 

altered section of the Lower Missouri River and the closest to 

a reference condition. This is especially true upstream from 

Ponca State Park, where the river is under the jurisdiction of 

the National Park Service as the Missouri National Recreational River. There, much of the channel is multithreaded 

with sand bars, vegetated islands, and eroding banks, though 

banks have been stabilized with revetment in places (Elliott 

SNS05-066 6/14/2005

760

96°44' 96°43'30" 96°43'

42°40'

42°39'45"

Base from U.S. Department of Agriculture National Agriculture Imagery Program, digital data, 2006

Universal Transverse Mercator projection

Zone 14

River miles (1960) from U.S. Army Corps of Engineers;

Sturgeon relocations from U.S. Geological Survey,

DeLonay and others, 2007b; Aaron J. DeLonay, unpub. data, 2008

0 125 250 METERS

0 500 1,000 FEET

Terrain

classification

Depth

slope

Velocity

Velocity

gradient

Froude

number

Depth

A

Figure 10. Example reach from the Minimally Engineered section, mapped on June 15, 2005, in the vicinity of river mile 760. 

A, Maps are shown for each of the continuous variable and the terrain classification. B, Scatter plots illustrate relations among 

the continuous variables.
Geomorphic Characterization of the Lower Missouri River Based on Reach Maps 23

Figure 10. Example reach from the Minimally Engineered section, mapped on June 15, 2005, in the vicinity of river mile 760. 

A, Maps are shown for each of the continuous variable and the terrain classification. B, Scatter plots illustrate relations 

among the continuous variables.—Continued DEPTH, IN METERS DEPTH SLOPE, IN DEGREES

VELOCITY, IN 

METERS PER

SECOND

VELOCITY

GRADIENT,

IN PERCENT

PER METER

DEPTH SLOPE, IN DEGREES

VELOCITY,

IN METERS PER SECOND

VELOCITY GRADIENT,

IN PERCENT PER METER FROUDE NUMBER

SNS07-141 5/22/2007

0

5

10

15

0

10

20

2.0

1.5

1.0

0.5

0

0

2

4

6

8

10

30

0 10 20 30 0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 0 2 4 6 8 10 0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5
24 Assessment of Lower Missouri River Physical Aquatic Habitat and Its Use by Adult Sturgeon (Genus Scaphirhynchus), 2005–07

SNS06-089 6/8/2006

SNS06-072 6/8/2006 SNS06-072 6/8/2006

SNS06-084 6/8/2006

SNS06-089 5/31/2006

665

96°5'30" 96°05' 96°04'30"

41°46'

41°45'30"

41°45'

0 125 250 METERS

0 500 1,000 FEET

Terrain

classification

Depth

slope

Velocity

Velocity

gradient

Froude

number

Depth

Base from U.S. Department of Agriculture National Agriculture Imagery Program, digital data, 2006

Universal Transverse Mercator projection

Zone 14

River miles (1960) from U.S. Army Corps of Engineers;

Sturgeon relocations from U.S. Geological Survey,

DeLonay and others, 2007b; Aaron J. DeLonay, unpub. data, 2008

A

666

Figure 11. Example reach from the Upstream Channelized section, mapped on June 6, 2006, in the vicinity of river mile 665. 

A, Maps are shown for each of the continuous variable and the terrain classification. B, Scatter plots illustrate relations among 

the continuous variables.
Geomorphic Characterization of the Lower Missouri River Based on Reach Maps 25

Figure 11. Example reach from the Upstream Channelized section, mapped on June 6, 2006, in the vicinity of river mile 665. 

A, Maps are shown for each of the continuous variable and the terrain classification. B, Scatter plots illustrate relations among 

the continuous variables.—Continued

DEPTH SLOPE, IN DEGREES

DEPTH, IN METERS

VELOCITY,

IN METERS PER SECOND

VELOCITY GRADIENT,

IN PERCENT PER METER FROUDE NUMBER

DEPTH SLOPE,

IN DEGREES

VELOCITY, IN

METERS PER

SECOND

VELOCITY 

GRADIENT,

IN PERCENT 

PER METER

SNS07-141 5/22/2007

B

2.0

1.5

1.0

0.5

0

30

20

10

0

15

10

5

0

0 10 20 30 0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 0 2 4 6 8 10 0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5

10

8

6

4

2

0
26 Assessment of Lower Missouri River Physical Aquatic Habitat and Its Use by Adult Sturgeon (Genus Scaphirhynchus), 2005–07

SNS05-031 5/27/2005

174

173

92°26'30" 92°26' 92°25'30"

38°50'30"

38°50' 38°49'30" Base from U.S. Department of Agriculture National Agriculture Imagery Program, digital data, 2006

Universal Transverse Mercator projection

Zone 15

River miles (1960) from U.S. Army Corps of Engineers;

Sturgeon relocations from U.S. Geological Survey,

DeLonay and others, 2007b; Aaron J. DeLonay, unpub. data, 2008

0 125 250 METERS

0 500 1,000 FEET

Velocity gradient

Velocity

Depth slope

Terrain

classification

Depth

38o50'

38o49'30"

Froude number

92o26'30"

92o25'30"

A

Figure 12. Example reach from the Downstream Channelized section, mapped on June 1, 2005, in the vicinity of river mile 173. 

A, Maps are shown for each of the continuous variable and the terrain classification. B, Scatter plots illustrate relations among 

the continuous variables.
Geomorphic Characterization of the Lower Missouri River Based on Reach Maps 27

DEPTH SLOPE, IN DEGREES

DEPTH, IN METERS

VELOCITY,

IN METERS PER SECOND

VELOCITY GRADIENT,

IN PERCENT PER METER FROUDE NUMBER

DEPTH SLOPE,

IN DEGREES

VELOCITY, IN

METERS PER

SECOND

VELOCITY 

GRADIENT,

IN PERCENT

PER METER

B

SNS07-141 5/22/2007

10

8

6

4

2

0

30

20

10

0

15

10

5

0

0 10 20 30 0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 0 2 4 6 8 10 0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5

2.0

1.5

1.0

0.5

0

Figure 12. Example reach from the Downstream Channelized section, mapped on June 1, 2005, in the vicinity of river mile 

173. A, Maps are shown for each of the continuous variable and the terrain classification. B, Scatter plots illustrate relations 

among the continuous variables.—Continued
28 Assessment of Lower Missouri River Physical Aquatic Habitat and Its Use by Adult Sturgeon (Genus Scaphirhynchus), 2005–07

Table 2. Bivariate relations among continuous variables for map data. 

[For each mapped reach, linear correlation coefficients were computed for each pair of variables. Distributions of these correlation coefficients are presented here for each river section]

River section Variable 1 Variable 2 Linear correlation coefficients (r) 

Minimum First quartile Median Third quartile Maximum

Minimally Engineered Depth Depth slope 0.07 0.30 0.38 0.45 0.56

Upstream Channelized Depth Depth slope -0.29 -0.05 0.03 0.11 0.31

Downstream Channelized Depth Depth slope -0.24 0.11 0.16 0.22 0.39

Minimally Engineered Depth Velocity -0.00 0.35 0.44 0.53 0.76

Upstream Channelized Depth Velocity 0.39 0.50 0.56 0.62 0.77

Downstream Channelized Depth Velocity 0.14 0.50 0.62 0.69 0.86

Minimally Engineered Depth Velocity gradient -0.12 0.08 0.12 0.19 0.28

Upstream Channelized Depth Velocity gradient -0.31 -0.18 -0.10 -0.05 0.09

Downstream Channelized Depth Velocity gradient -0.20 -0.02 0.07 0.12 0.27

Minimally Engineered Depth Froude number -0.51 -0.40 -0.32 -0.25 0.05

Upstream Channelized Depth Froude number -0.51 -0.22 -0.10 0.04 0.33

Downstream Channelized Depth Froude number -0.12 0.06 0.16 0.29 0.55

Minimally Engineered Depth slope Velocity -0.31 -0.23 -0.13 -0.01 0.17

Upstream Channelized Depth slope Velocity -0.61 -0.47 -0.41 -0.30 -0.18

Downstream Channelized Depth slope Velocity -0.59 -0.38 -0.31 -0.21 0.04

Minimally Engineered Depth slope Velocity gradient 0.13 0.39 0.45 0.53 0.61

Upstream Channelized Depth slope Velocity gradient 0.41 0.58 0.62 0.65 0.77

Downstream Channelized Depth slope Velocity gradient 0.14 0.37 0.43 0.54 0.71

Minimally Engineered Depth slope Froude number -0.58 -0.50 -0.42 -0.25 -0.11

Upstream Channelized Depth slope Froude number -0.65 -0.56 -0.48 -0.41 -0.24

Downstream Channelized Depth slope Froude number -0.65 -0.48 -0.41 -0.35 -0.19

Minimally Engineered Velocity Velocity gradient -0.38 -0.22 -0.14 -0.06 0.08

Upstream Channelized Velocity Velocity gradient -0.64 -0.56 -0.50 -0.42 -0.27

Downstream Channelized Velocity Velocity gradient -0.36 -0.17 -0.13 -0.08 0.13

Minimally Engineered Velocity Froude number 0.51 0.63 0.67 0.74 0.88

Upstream Channelized Velocity Froude number 0.50 0.69 0.75 0.82 0.92

Downstream Channelized Velocity Froude number 0.59 0.84 0.89 0.91 0.98

Minimally Engineered Velocity gradient Froude number -0.45 -0.35 -0.27 -0.10 0.05

Upstream Channelized Velocity gradient Froude number -0.62 -0.52 -0.46 -0.41 -0.23

Downstream Channelized Velocity gradient Froude number -0.37 -0.23 -0.16 -0.13 0.12
Geomorphic Characterization of the Lower Missouri River Based on Reach Maps 29

775

96°57' 96°56'30" 96°56'

42°43'15"

42°43'

669

96°04'

41°48'15"

41°48'

41°47'45"

41°47'30"

EXPLANATION

Base from U.S. Department of Agriculture National Agriculture Imagery Program, digital data, 2006

Universal Transverse Mercator projection

Zone 14 (river mile 775 and 669) and 15 (river mile 219)

River miles (1960) from U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

219

218

Terrain classification

775

669

Minimally Engineered May 30−31, 2006

May 19, 2006

April 22, 2005 June 1, 2006

May 30, 2007

Flat

Slope

Crest

Depression

Engineered rock

River-mile marker—

220

219

92°55'30" 92°55' 92°54'30"

39°09'

39°08'45"

39°08'30"

39°08'15"

39°08'

39°07'45"

Downstream Channelized

Number is distance upstream from the junction

with the Mississippi River, in miles

0 250 500 METERS

0 1,000 2,000 FEET

Upstream

Channelized

April 15, 2005

A

B

C

D

E F

775

Figure 13. Examples of repeat mapping from each river section, A, B, Minimally Engineered, C, D, Upstream Channelized, and 

E, F, Downstream Channelized. Maps show the terrain classification representation of each reach because it highlights major 

channel features and is relatively insensitive to discharge.
30 Assessment of Lower Missouri River Physical Aquatic Habitat and Its Use by Adult Sturgeon (Genus Scaphirhynchus), 2005–07

and Jacobson, 2006). Downstream from Ponca State Park, 

revetment and wing dikes stabilize and constrict the channel. 

However, morphologic characteristics of the Ponca segment 

show similarities with the Gavins Point segment (fig. 9). For 

example, at moderate to low flow, emergent sand bars are 

common in the Ponca segment. Therefore, we combined the 

Gavins Point and Ponca segments for analysis and call them 

the Minimally Engineered section of the Lower Missouri 

River.

The Minimally Engineered section of river is characterized by a single- or multithread channel with variable—but 

typically relatively large—widths. The depth histograms tend 

to be skewed right (fig. 9), meaning that shallow depths are 

common. As discharge decreases or increases, bar area can 

readily become emergent or submergent. Mean velocities are 

relatively low, and velocity histograms tend to be relatively 

symmetrical (fig. 9); low- and high-velocity habitats are available in similar quantities. 

Although the Minimally Engineered section has relatively natural morphologic characteristics, its location just 

downstream from Gavins Point Dam results in two related 

effects: (1) this river section has a highly altered flow regime 

(Galat and Lipkin, 2000; Pegg and others, 2003), and (2) the 

section is sediment starved and the channel is incising as demonstrated by declining water-surface elevations for the same 

discharge over time (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 2007; 

Jacobson and others, 2009a). These factors combine to limit 

the likelihood for connectivity with the historic flood plain in 

this section of river. 

Geomorphic dynamism varies within the section. Results 

from monitoring by Elliott and others (2009) in 2006 and 2007 

showed relatively low magnitude channel change at Yankton, 

South Dakota (river mile 805), between Gavins Point Dam 

and the first major tributary. At the Yankton reach, much of the 

channel is armored with gravel. In contrast, change at Kenslers 

Bend (river mile 746, in the Ponca segment) was high when 

scaled to channel size (Elliott and others, 2009). Qualitative 

observations from repeat mapping at Mulberry Bend (river 

mile 775, fig. 13) also show notable change in morphology. In 

addition, bank changes quantified from air photos (Elliott and 

Jacobson, 2006) attest to the dynamic nature of parts of the 

Minimally Engineered section of river.

Upstream Channelized Section (Big Sioux and 

Platte Segments)

The Big Sioux and Platte segments are managed by the 

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for commercial navigation. 

These segments have been stabilized with revetment and spur 

dikes and are not subject to planform geomorphic changes 

except where reconfigured in restoration projects. The engineered structures constrain the channel width to be the narrowest and most uniform of the Lower Missouri River (fig. 7). 

The depth histograms in the Upstream Channelized section show a relatively symmetrical shape, in contrast to the 

skewed nature of the histograms for the Minimally Engineered 

section (fig. 9). Not much of the channel area is represented by 

shallow depths. The mean depth based on the mapped reaches 

is 4 meters, similar to the measured mean depth throughout the 

length of the river maintained for commercial navigation. The 

consistency of the widths from the surveyed reaches within 

the Upstream Channelized section is notable, given that maps 

were made at a range of discharges (figs. 4, 7). We attribute 

the consistency in width across discharge to the steepness of 

the banks in this river section. As discharge increases, the river 

is constrained by the banks from spreading laterally and there 

is little opportunity for shallow water. In the Upstream Channelized section, emergent bars are very limited at the typical 

navigation-season discharges that we observed while mapping. 

In addition to being deep and narrow, the Upstream Channelized section has the highest mean velocity values based on 

the reaches we mapped. Relative to those of the other river 

sections, the composite velocity histograms (fig. 9) are skewed 

such that low velocity values are more sparsely represented. 

In the Upstream Channelized section, the location of 

thalweg is often inconsistent with the engineered planform of 

river and often meanders from bank to bank within the planform bends (fig. 11). Furthermore, the position of the thalweg 

tends to be unstable over time. We observed this qualitatively 

with repeat mapping of reach maps (fig. 13), and Elliot and 

others (2009) documented the unstable position of the thalweg 

quantitatively through cross-section surveys. Those surveys 

showed that the thalweg moved back and forth between opposite banks of the river within the course of a year. Thus, within 

the stable planform bends, morphologic change is substantial 

(Elliott and others, 2009). The spatial arrangement of habitat 

may change; however, 2-dimensional hydrodynamic modeling work suggests a degree of equilibrium in that proportions 

of habitat within a reach tend to remain relatively stable over 

time (Jacobson and others, 2009b).

The flow regime of the Upstream Channelized section 

also is substantially affected by Gavins Point Dam operations. 

The regulated flow regime reduces spring and early summer 

flow pulses relative to the natural background and increases 

late summer and fall flows to support navigation (fig. 2). The 

flow regime recovers some variability downstream from the 

Platte River. 

Downstream Channelized Section (Kansas, 

Grand, and Osage Segments)

The Kansas, Grand, and Osage segments are managed for 

commercial navigation and have been engineered with a combination of revetment, spur dikes, and L-head dikes. Similar to 

the Upstream Channelized section, the planform is stable, with 

the exception of habitat mitigation projects. The river is dominantly a single thread, but some side-channel chutes exist as a 

result of a combination of natural processes and engineering 

for habitat (Jacobson and others, 2001, 2004). Side-channel 

chutes were excluded from the scope of this project.
Habitat Characteristics at Sturgeon Relocations 31

In the Downstream Channelized section, the Missouri 

River becomes progressively wider in a downstream direction, 

although mean depths are similar to the Upstream Channelized section (fig. 8). The histograms of depth and velocity 

for individual reaches tend to be bimodal, and the composite 

histograms exhibit a more complex, nearly bimodal form 

relative to the simple unimodal histograms characteristic of 

the upper segments. The lower peak of the depth and velocity histograms generally represents values along the channel 

margins in areas behind wing dikes, and the higher peaks 

generally represent values in the navigation channel. Some of 

the high depth values are associated with deep scour holes, 

which are commonly located at the tips of dikes. Bars that are 

emergent at low flow and submerged at high flow are relatively common. 

The location of the thalweg tends to be consistent with 

the engineered channel planform; that is, in a macroscale outer 

bend, the thalweg tends to hug the outer bend of the river. 

Furthermore, the location of the thalweg tends to be persistent, based on qualitative observations from repeat mapping 

(fig. 13) and from quantitative cross-section surveys in 2006 

and 2007 (Elliott and others, 2009).

The flow regime of the Downstream Channelized section has characteristics of the natural flow regime, because 

tributary inflows lessen the effects of the Missouri River 

reservoir system (fig. 2). Spring flow pulses are relatively 

common, as exemplified by the spring 2007 peak flow of over 

300,000 cubic feet per second at Boonville, Missouri (fig. 2). 

Such high flows provide opportunities for the river to connect 

to its flood plain, especially where levees have been removed. 

Habitat Characteristics at Sturgeon 

Relocations

In this section, we consider the sturgeon relocations in 

the context of the reaches where they were relocated. A total 

of 378 sturgeon relocations fell on 112 maps within 7 days and 

10 percent discharge of the map date. These relocations represent 166 individual sturgeon, of which 151 were shovelnose 

sturgeon and 15 were pallid sturgeon. Of these individuals, the 

group with the most representatives sharing the same species, 

sex, and reproductive characteristics were the reproductive 

female shovelnose sturgeon; 269 of the 378 relocations document positions of reproductive female shovelnose sturgeon. 

Table 3 documents the species, sex, and reproductive condition of each mapped, relocated sturgeon. Table 4 (at the back 

of this report) documents the values obtained from the reach 

maps at each sturgeon relocation point. 

Figures 14–18 present histograms of the continuous 

variables (depth, depth slope, velocity, velocity gradient, and 

Froude number) for each reach along with the values at each 

qualifying sturgeon relocation. These figures show: (1) The 

distribution of relocations among the maps is non-uniform. 

Most maps have just one or two relocations, though there are 

exceptions. In particular, the map labeled “070503_f” contained a disproportionate number of relocations; this map was 

at the mouth of the Big Sioux River. (2) The distribution of 

mapping effort was non-uniform among the segments. The 

Big Sioux segment has the most maps. The Platte segment is 

the least thoroughly documented. (3) Histogram shape varies 

from reach to reach, but broad similarities are apparent within 

segments; compare with the composite histograms in figure 9. 

(4) The values at sturgeon relocations show broad variability 

in the context of the available habitat.

We are also interested in the question of whether sturgeon 

select specific habitats, or if instead they use habitat in the proportions in which it is available in a reach. This question can 

be addressed in a rudimentary but intuitive way by considering 

the distribution of map variables in comparison to the distribution of values at sturgeon relocations (fig. 19). This figure 

represents composite data from all of the maps and all of the 

sturgeon relocations, regardless of map location or sturgeon 

species. Because these histograms represent composite data 

from all sections of river and all sturgeon categories, they 

should be interpreted with caution and the understanding that 

they represent non-uniformly distributed maps and relocations. 

These histograms do show that the range of values collectively 

used by sturgeon is nearly as large as the range of values 

available to sturgeon. Because the histograms are normalized, 

the frequency of the sturgeon data relative to the map data is 

indicative of the relative use of that range of values based on 

the available dataset. For example, the velocity histograms 

indicate that sturgeon are underutilizing high velocities relative to their availability. The figure 19 histograms suggest 

several trends that are supported by more robust data analysis.

Figure 20 presents histogram data similar to figure 19, 

but results in this figure are separated by river section. In addition, Ivlev’s selectivity coefficients are shown for all mapped 

sections by habitat value (fig. 20). Some coefficients may 

be misleading because of the way data fell into the arbitrary 

bin intervals, especially for bins that have a small percentage of available habitat. To minimize this issue, coefficients 

are shown only for bins with at least one sturgeon relocation. 

Sturgeon selection for depth varies by river section. In the 

Minimally Engineered section, sturgeon disproportionately use 

depths at the deep end of the available range. In contrast, sturgeon in the Upstream and Downstream Engineered sections 

tend to use both deep and shallow depths in greater proportions than available, while underutilizing the moderate depths 

that have the greatest availability (in the 4 to 6 meter range). 

For velocity, the relocation histograms peak at values that are 

similar for each river section, approximately 0.7 to 0.8 meters 

per second, though the availability differs considerably among 

river sections. Selection patterns for depth slope and velocity 

gradient are similar among river sections, with data indicating 

disproportionate use of high slope and high velocity gradient 

areas.

More robust analysis of sturgeon habitat selection is 

based on the comparison of each sturgeon relocation to the 

range of values available in the local reach. As described in 
32 Assessment of Lower Missouri River Physical Aquatic Habitat and Its Use by Adult Sturgeon (Genus Scaphirhynchus), 2005–07

Table 3. Data for sturgeon individuals that were relocated within 7 days and 10 percent discharge of a reach map.—Continued 

[Sturgeon data from Aaron J. DeLonay and Diana M. Papoulias, unpub. data, 2008. PLS, pallid sturgeon; --, no data; SNS, shovelnose sturgeon; 

*, inferred nonreproductive based on reproductive condition of previous year]

Sturgeon 

identification 

code

Species Sex

Reproductive 

condition 

(year)

Relocations on habitat maps within 7 days and 10 percent discharge

2005 2006 2007

PLS04-001 PLS Male -- 2 -- --

PLS04-002 PLS Male -- 2 -- --

PLS04-003 PLS Male -- 2 -- --

PLS05-001 PLS Female -- 1 -- --

PLS05-002 PLS Female -- 1 -- --

PLS05-003 PLS Female -- 1 -- --

PLS05-004 PLS Female -- 1 -- --

PLS05-006 PLS Female -- -- 2 --

PLS06-001 PLS Male Reproductive (2006) -- 3 --

PLS06-003 PLS Female Nonreproductive (2006) -- 1 --

PLS06-004 PLS Male Nonreproductive (2006) -- 4 --

PLS06-006 PLS Male Nonreproductive (2006) -- 3 --

PLS07-003 PLS Male Nonreproductive (2007) -- -- 1

PLS07-004 PLS Female Reproductive (2007) -- -- 4

PLS07-008 PLS Male Reproductive (2007) -- -- 10

SNS05-003 SNS Female Reproductive (2005) 1 -- --

SNS05-006 SNS Female Reproductive (2005) 1 -- --

SNS05-007 SNS Female Reproductive (2005) 2 -- --

SNS05-015 SNS Female Reproductive (2005) 1 -- --

SNS05-017 SNS Female Reproductive (2005) 2 -- --

SNS05-019 SNS Female Reproductive (2005) 1 -- --

SNS05-021 SNS Female Reproductive (2005) 1 -- --

SNS05-022 SNS Female Reproductive (2005) 1 -- --

SNS05-026 SNS Female Reproductive (2005) 1 -- --

SNS05-027 SNS Female Reproductive (2005) 1 -- --

SNS05-028 SNS Female Reproductive (2005) 1 -- --

SNS05-031 SNS Female Reproductive (2005) 2 -- --

SNS05-034 SNS Female Reproductive (2005) 1 -- --

SNS05-037 SNS Female Reproductive (2005) 1 -- --

SNS05-040 SNS Female Reproductive (2005) 1 -- --

SNS05-041 SNS Female Reproductive (2005) 1 -- --

SNS05-042 SNS Female Reproductive (2005) 1 -- --

SNS05-043 SNS Female Reproductive (2005) 2 -- --

SNS05-052 SNS Female Reproductive (2005) 2 -- --

SNS05-053 SNS Female Reproductive (2005) 1 -- --

SNS05-054 SNS Female Reproductive (2005) 1 -- --

SNS05-056 SNS Female Reproductive (2005) 1 -- --

SNS05-057 SNS Female Reproductive (2005) 2 -- --

SNS05-058 SNS Female Reproductive (2005) 2 -- --

SNS05-060 SNS Female Reproductive (2005) 1 -- --

SNS05-061 SNS Female Reproductive (2005) 6 -- --

SNS05-062 SNS Female Reproductive (2005) 2 -- --

SNS05-063 SNS Female Reproductive (2005) 2 -- --

SNS05-064 SNS Female Reproductive (2005) 2 -- --

SNS05-066 SNS Female Reproductive (2005) 1 -- --

SNS05-068 SNS Female Reproductive (2005) 3 -- --

SNS05-069 SNS Female Reproductive (2005) 1 -- --

SNS05-070 SNS Female Reproductive (2005) 2 -- --

SNS05-071 SNS Female Reproductive (2005) 4 -- --

SNS05-072 SNS Female Reproductive (2005) 3 -- --

SNS05-073 SNS Female Reproductive (2005) 2 -- --

SNS05-074 SNS Female Reproductive (2005) 3 -- --
Habitat Characteristics at Sturgeon Relocations 33

Table 3. Data for sturgeon individuals that were relocated within 7 days and 10 percent discharge of a reach map.—Continued 

[Sturgeon data from Aaron J. DeLonay and Diana M. Papoulias, unpub. data, 2008. PLS, pallid sturgeon; --, no data; SNS, shovelnose sturgeon; 

*, inferred nonreproductive based on reproductive condition of previous year]

Sturgeon Reproductive Relocations on habitat maps within 7 days and 10 percent discharge

2005 2006 2007

identification 

code

Species Sex condition 

(year)

SNS05-075

SNS05-076

SNS05-077

SNS05-082

SNS05-083

SNS05-084

SNS05-085

SNS05-087

SNS05-089

SNS05-094

SNS05-095

SNS05-096

SNS05-097

SNS05-098

SNS05-099

SNS05-100

SNS05-101

SNS06-010

SNS06-011

SNS06-012

SNS06-028

SNS06-034

SNS06-038

SNS06-044

SNS06-047

SNS06-051

SNS06-057

SNS06-058

SNS06-060

SNS06-060

SNS06-067

SNS06-072

SNS06-075

SNS06-076

SNS06-077

SNS06-083

SNS06-084

SNS06-085

SNS06-089

SNS06-092

SNS07-009

SNS07-010

SNS07-019

SNS07-021

SNS07-025

SNS07-030

SNS07-033

SNS07-034

SNS07-035

SNS07-040

SNS07-042

SNS07-045

SNS

SNS

SNS

SNS

SNS

SNS

SNS

SNS

SNS

SNS

SNS

SNS

SNS

SNS

SNS

SNS

SNS

SNS

SNS

SNS

SNS

SNS

SNS

SNS

SNS

SNS

SNS

SNS

SNS

SNS

SNS

SNS

SNS

SNS

SNS

SNS

SNS

SNS

SNS

SNS

SNS

SNS

SNS

SNS

SNS

SNS

SNS

SNS

SNS

SNS

SNS

SNS

Female

Female

Female

Female

Female

Female

Female

Female

Female

Female

Female

Female

Female

Female

Female

Female

Female

Female

Female

Female

Female

Female

Female

Female

Female

Female

Female

Female

Female

Female

Female

Female

Female

Female

Female

Female

Female

Female

Female

Female

Female

Female

Female

Female

Female

Female

Female

Male

Female

Female

Intersex

Female

Reproductive (2005)

Reproductive (2005)

Reproductive (2005)

Reproductive (2005)

Reproductive (2005)

Reproductive (2005)

Reproductive (2005)

Reproductive (2005)

Reproductive (2005)

Reproductive (2005)

Reproductive (2005)

Reproductive (2005)

Reproductive (2005)

Reproductive (2005)

Reproductive (2005)

Reproductive (2005)

Reproductive (2005)

Reproductive (2006)

Reproductive (2006)

Reproductive (2006)

Reproductive (2006)

Reproductive (2006)

Reproductive (2006)

Reproductive (2006)

Reproductive (2006)

Reproductive (2006)

Nonreproductive (2007)*

Reproductive (2006)

Reproductive (2006)

Nonreproductive (2007)*

Reproductive (2006)

Reproductive (2006)

Nonreproductive (2007)*

Reproductive (2006)

Reproductive (2006)

Reproductive (2006)

Reproductive (2006)

Reproductive (2006)

Reproductive (2006)

Nonreproductive (2007)*

Nonreproductive (2007)

Reproductive (2007)

Reproductive (2007)

Reproductive (2007)

Reproductive (2007)

Reproductive (2007)

Reproductive (2007)

Nonreproductive (2007)

Reproductive (2007)

Reproductive (2007)

Intersex (2007)

Reproductive (2007)

2

4

2

3

2

5

1

1

2

2

2

1

2

2

1

1

4

--

--

--

--

--

--

--

--

--

--

--

--

--

--

--

--

--

--

--

--

--

--

--

--

--

--

--

--

--

--

--

--

--

--

--

--

--

--

--

--

--

--

--

--

--

--

--

--

--

--

--

--

1

2

1

1

1

2

2

3

1

--

2

1

1

2

3

--

3

1

4

1

6

2

--

--

--

--

--

--

--

--

--

--

--

--

--

--

--

--

--

--

--

--

--

--

--

--

--

--

--

--

--

--

--

--

--

--

--

--

--

--

--

1

--

1

1

--

--

1

--

--

--

--

--

--

1

2

3

1

2

3

3

1

3

3

5

1

1
34 Assessment of Lower Missouri River Physical Aquatic Habitat and Its Use by Adult Sturgeon (Genus Scaphirhynchus), 2005–07

Table 3. Data for sturgeon individuals that were relocated within 7 days and 10 percent discharge of a reach map.—Continued 

[Sturgeon data from Aaron J. DeLonay and Diana M. Papoulias, unpub. data, 2008. PLS, pallid sturgeon; --, no data; SNS, shovelnose sturgeon; 

*, inferred nonreproductive based on reproductive condition of previous year]

Sturgeon Reproductive Relocations on habitat maps within 7 days and 10 percent discharge

2005 2006 2007

identification 

code

Species Sex condition 

(year)

SNS07-046

SNS07-055

SNS07-057

SNS07-059

SNS07-066

SNS07-072

SNS07-073

SNS07-075

SNS07-076

SNS07-077

SNS07-079

SNS07-080

SNS07-081

SNS07-084

SNS07-085

SNS07-088

SNS07-089

SNS07-092

SNS07-093

SNS07-094

SNS07-098

SNS07-100

SNS07-104

SNS07-106

SNS07-107

SNS07-109

SNS07-111

SNS07-115

SNS07-116

SNS07-118

SNS07-122

SNS07-123

SNS07-124

SNS07-126

SNS07-127

SNS07-129

SNS07-132

SNS07-133

SNS07-135

SNS07-137

SNS07-138

SNS07-139

SNS07-141

SNS07-143

SNS07-144

SNS07-145

SNS07-147

SNS07-149

SNS07-150

SNS07-153

SNS07-154

SNS07-155

SNS

SNS

SNS

SNS

SNS

SNS

SNS

SNS

SNS

SNS

SNS

SNS

SNS

SNS

SNS

SNS

SNS

SNS

SNS

SNS

SNS

SNS

SNS

SNS

SNS

SNS

SNS

SNS

SNS

SNS

SNS

SNS

SNS

SNS

SNS

SNS

SNS

SNS

SNS

SNS

SNS

SNS

SNS

SNS

SNS

SNS

SNS

SNS

SNS

SNS

SNS

SNS

Female

Female

Female

Female

Male

Female

Female

Female

Female

Female

Female

Male

Female

Female

Female

Female

Female

Female

Female

Female

Female

Female

Female

Female

Female

Female

Female

Male

Female

Female

Female

Intersex

Female

Female

Female

Female

Female

Female

Female

Female

Female

Female

Male

Male

Male

Male

Male

Female

Male

Female

Female

Female

Reproductive (2007) --

Reproductive (2007) --

Reproductive (2007) --

Reproductive (2007) --

Reproductive (2007) --

Reproductive (2007) --

Reproductive (2007) --

Reproductive (2007) --

Reproductive (2007) --

Reproductive (2007) --

Reproductive (2007) --

Reproductive (2007) --

Reproductive (2007) --

Nonreproductive (2007) --

Reproductive (2007) --

Reproductive (2007) --

Reproductive (2007) --

Reproductive (2007) --

Reproductive (2007) --

Reproductive (2007) --

Reproductive (2007) --

Nonreproductive (2007) --

Reproductive (2007) --

Nonreproductive (2007) --

Nonreproductive (2007) --

Nonreproductive (2007) --

Reproductive (2007) --

Reproductive (2007) --

Reproductive (2007) --

Reproductive (2007) --

Reproductive (2007) --

Intersex (2007) --

Reproductive (2007) --

Reproductive (2007) --

Reproductive (2007) --

Reproductive (2007) --

Nonreproductive (2007) --

Reproductive (2007) --

Reproductive (2007) --

Reproductive (2007) --

Reproductive (2007) --

Nonreproductive (2007) --

Reproductive (2007) --

Reproductive (2007) --

Reproductive (2007) --

Reproductive (2007) --

Reproductive (2007) --

Nonreproductive (2007) --

Reproductive (2007) --

Reproductive (2007) --

Reproductive (2007) --

Reproductive (2007) --

-- 4

-- 3

-- 1

-- 6

-- 1

-- 3

-- 3

-- 3

-- 1

-- 2

-- 6

-- 1

-- 1

-- 2

-- 1

-- 1

-- 3

-- 2

-- 5

-- 2

-- 3

-- 4

-- 2

-- 3

-- 5

-- 3

-- 3

-- 1

-- 1

-- 2

-- 1

-- 2

-- 4

-- 1

-- 2

-- 2

-- 3

-- 2

-- 2

-- 1

-- 3

-- 2

-- 2

-- 2

-- 2

-- 1

-- 2

-- 2

-- 3

-- 2

-- 4

-- 3
Patterns of Sturgeon Habitat Use Considered in Map Context 35

the “Analysis Approach” section, we determined within which 

decile range each sturgeon relocation fell. Each decile range 

represents an equal area on the map, so if sturgeon are distributed randomly with respect to a given variable, then a similar 

number of relocations should fall within each decile range. 

Results presented in table 5 have been compiled by river section and sturgeon attributes (species, sex, and reproductive 

condition). For completeness, this table includes all categories of species, sex, and reproductive condition, even though 

the number of relocations in many categories is smaller than 

needed to draw robust conclusions. 

For reproductive female shovelnose sturgeon, plots of the 

percent of relocations in each decile range show several trends 

that are consistent among all river sections (fig. 21). Reproductive female shovelnose sturgeon frequently were observed 

in areas of high depth slope, low velocity, high velocity 

gradient, and/or low Froude number. Relations with depth are 

somewhat more complex and inconsistent among river sections. In the Downstream Channelized section, sturgeon select 

the shallowest decile of depths while avoiding this decile in 

the Minimally Engineered section. 

Examined by year in addition to river section (table 6), 

the results among years are relatively similar (if less definitive, 

given the smaller numbers of relocations). Patterns of depth 

slope, velocity gradient, and Froude number are particularly 

robust and consistent between years and river sections, with 

typically greater proportions of reproductive female shovelnose sturgeon at high depth slope, high velocity gradient, and/

or low Froude number.

Table 7 documents the proportion of each categorical 

variable represented in each reach and number of relocations 

within each categorical value; table 8 contains a summary of 

the categorical data by river section. Examination of categorical variable summaries (table 8) indicates use of some habitat 

categories in greater proportion than their availability. In 

particular, sturgeon seem to select for the engineered structure and bedrock category (12.2 percent of the relocations 

in 3.4 percent of the area). This category is dominated by 

engineered structures (wing dikes and revetment). Sturgeon 

appear to avoid areas of high sediment transport. Given that 

high sediment transport occurs in areas of high velocity and 

Froude number, these results show consistency with the results 

from continuous variable analysis. Results from the terrain 

classification analysis show selection for sloping terrain units 

(7.5 percent of relocations in 2.1 percent of area), a result that 

is consistent with the findings from the analysis of depth slope 

as a continuous variable. Table 8 contains summary data for 

shallow-water habitat; however, these results should be interpreted with caution because maps tend to err somewhat on the 

side of under representing shallow-water habitat as a result of 

depth limitations on boat navigation. These tentative results 

suggest little selection or avoidance for shallow-water habitat. 

Patterns of Sturgeon Habitat Use 

Considered in Map Context

The results from the decile analysis demonstrate a nonrandom distribution of sturgeon in relation to various environmental variables. As a visualization exercise, we explored the 

spatial distribution of the decile ranges that sturgeon tended to 

select to address some basic questions: Where do these values 

occur? How do the different variables interact in a spatial context? How do the patterns differ by river section?

We reclassified cells in the map for each variable such 

that a “1” represented the 2 most selected deciles and a “0” 

represented the remaining deciles. Because relations between 

habitat use and depth are inconsistent in the existing dataset, 

we omitted depth from this exploratory model. Furthermore, 

because velocity and Froude number are highly correlated, 

and the relations of habitat use appear to be more strongly 

associated with Froude number than with velocity, we omitted 

velocity.

Table 3. Data for sturgeon individuals that were relocated within 7 days and 10 percent discharge of a reach map.—Continued 

[Sturgeon data from Aaron J. DeLonay and Diana M. Papoulias, unpub. data, 2008. PLS, pallid sturgeon; --, no data; SNS, shovelnose sturgeon; 

*, inferred nonreproductive based on reproductive condition of previous year]

Sturgeon Reproductive Relocations on habitat maps within 7 days and 10 percent discharge

2005 2006 2007

identification 

code

Species Sex condition 

(year)

SNS07-157

SNS07-159

SNS07-162

SNS07-164

SNS07-165

SNS07-166

SNS07-169

SNS07-170

SNS07-171

SNS07-175

SNS07-176

SNS

SNS

SNS

SNS

SNS

SNS

SNS

SNS

SNS

SNS

SNS

Male

Male

Female

Female

Female

Female

Male

Female

Male

Female

Female

Reproductive (2007) --

Reproductive (2007) --

Reproductive (2007) --

Reproductive (2007) --

Nonreproductive (2007) --

Nonreproductive (2007) --

Reproductive (2007) --

Reproductive (2007) --

Nonreproductive (2007) --

Reproductive (2007) --

Reproductive (2007) --

-- 6

-- 1

-- 4

-- 4

-- 2

-- 3

-- 3

-- 6

-- 5

-- 6

-- 3
36 Assessment of Lower Missouri River Physical Aquatic Habitat and Its Use by Adult Sturgeon (Genus Scaphirhynchus), 2005–07

Figure 14. Histograms of depth maps for each reach with points representing sturgeon relocations. Each 

“x” represents the depth value at a sturgeon relocation with respect to the x-axis. Histograms are ordered in 

descending order by river mile. The identification code includes the last two digits of the year, the two-digit month, 

and two-digit day of the month, plus a boat identifier (b or f); this information is sufficient to uniquely identify each 

map and to cross-reference with the tables of Reuter and others (2008).

060711_f 070516_f 070524_f 070510_f 070601_f 070518_f

070530_f 050615_f 070521_f

070523_f 060622_f 060620_f 050610_f 070525_f 060712_f

070502_f 070509_f

070503_f 070612_f 050616_f 070615_f 070504_f 060523_f

070602_f 070609_f 060607_f 070613_f 070515_f 070607_f

050603_f 050609_f 050617_f 070519_f 070517_f 050518_f

050624_f 050510_f 050602_f 060601_f 060606_f 050608_f

070512_f 050519_f 050507_f 050525_f 050623_f 070608_f

070501_f 050614_f 070614_f 050812_f 060518_f 070616_f

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14

050505_f 050601_f

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14

050622_f

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14

050512_f

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14

050621_f

1.0

0.8

0.6

0.4

0.2

0

1.0

0.8

0.6

0.4

0.2

0

1.0

0.8

0.6

0.4

0.2

0

1.0

0.8

0.6

0.4

0.2

0

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14

050428_f

1.0

0.8

0.6

0.4

0.2

0

1.0

0.8

0.6

0.4

0.2

0

1.0

0.8

0.6

0.4

0.2

0

1.0

0.8

0.6

0.4

0.2

0

1.0

0.8

0.6

0.4

0.2

0

1.0

0.8

0.6

0.4

0.2

0

1.0

0.8

0.6

0.4

0.2

0

DEPTH, IN METERS

GAVINS POINT PONCA SIOUX
Patterns of Sturgeon Habitat Use Considered in Map Context 37

Figure 14. Histograms of depth maps for each reach with points representing sturgeon relocations. Each 

“x” represents the depth value at a sturgeon relocation with respect to the x-axis. Histograms are ordered in 

descending order by river mile. The identification code includes the last two digits of the year, the two-digit month, 

and two-digit day of the month, plus a boat identifier (b or f); this information is sufficient to uniquely identify each 

map and to cross-reference with the tables of Reuter and others (2008).—Continued

050506_f 050605_f 050508_f 050429_f 050604_f

050509_f 050522_f

050611_f 050523_f

050504_b 050525_b

050427_b 050505_b 050616_f 060706_b 060613_b 060504_b

060608_b 050610_b

050603_f 050609_f 050617_f 070519_f 070517_f 050518_f

050624_f 050510_f 050602_f 060601_f 060606_f 050608_f

050519_f

050809_b

050602_b 050419_b

050812_f

050708_b

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14

060509_b 050426_b

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14

060630_b

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14

050503_b

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14

050706_b

1.0

0.8

0.6

0.4

0.2

0

1.0

0.8

0.6

0.4

0.2

0

1.0

0.8

0.6

0.4

0.2

0

1.0

0.8

0.6

0.4

0.2

0

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14

050707_b

1.0

0.8

0.6

0.4

0.2

0

1.0

0.8

0.6

0.4

0.2

0

1.0

0.8

0.6

0.4

0.2

0

1.0

0.8

0.6

0.4

0.2

0

1.0

0.8

0.6

0.4

0.2

0

1.0

0.8

0.6

0.4

0.2

0

1.0

0.8

0.6

0.4

0.2

0

DEPTH, IN METERS

SIOUX PLATTE KANSAS

050517_f

060713_f 050524_f

060620_b 050429_b 060524_b 050511_b

GRAND OSAGE

0750526_b

060602_b 050506_b 050415_b 050519_b 050627_b 050428_b

050407_b 050408_b

050601_b 050701_b 060621_b 050510_b 050810_b

060707_b 050527_b 050412_b 060510_b
38 Assessment of Lower Missouri River Physical Aquatic Habitat and Its Use by Adult Sturgeon (Genus Scaphirhynchus), 2005–07

Figure 15. Histograms of depth slope maps for each reach with points representing sturgeon relocations. Histograms 

are ordered in descending order by river mile. The identification code includes the last two digits of the year, the twodigit month, and two-digit day of the month, plus a boat identifier (b or f).

060711_f 070516_f 070524_f 070510_f 070601_f 070518_f

070530_f 050615_f 070521_f

070523_f 060622_f 060620_f 050610_f 070525_f 060712_f

070502_f 070509_f

070503_f 070612_f 050616_f 070615_f 070504_f 060523_f

070602_f 070609_f 060607_f 070613_f 070515_f 070607_f

050603_f 050609_f 050617_f 070519_f 070517_f 050518_f

050624_f 050510_f 050602_f 060601_f 060606_f 050608_f

070512_f 050519_f 050507_f 050525_f 050623_f 070608_f

070501_f 050614_f 070614_f 050812_f 060518_f 070616_f

050505_f 050601_f 050622_f 050512_f 050621_f

1.0

0.8

0.6

0.4

0.2

 0

1.0

0.8

0.6

0.4

0.2

 0

1.0

0.8

0.6

0.4

0.2

 0

1.0

0.8

0.6

0.4

0.2

 0

050428_f

1.0

0.8

0.6

0.4

0.2

 0

1.0

0.8

0.6

0.4

0.2

 0

1.0

0.8

0.6

0.4

0.2

 0

1.0

0.8

0.6

0.4

0.2

 0

1.0

0.8

0.6

0.4

0.2

 0

1.0

0.8

0.6

0.4

0.2

0 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35

1.0

0.8

0.6

0.4

0.2

 0

DEPTH SLOPE, IN DEGREES

GAVINS POINT PONCA SIOUX
Patterns of Sturgeon Habitat Use Considered in Map Context 39

Figure 15. Histograms of depth slope maps for each reach with points representing sturgeon relocations. Histograms 

are ordered in descending order by river mile. The identification code includes the last two digits of the year, the twodigit month, and two-digit day of the month, plus a boat identifier (b or f).—Continued

050506_f 050605_f 050508_f 050429_f 050604_f

050509_f 050522_f

050611_f 050523_f

050504_b 050525_b

050427_b 050505_b 050616_f 060706_b 060613_b 060504_b

060608_b 050610_b

050603_f 050609_f 050617_f 070519_f 070517_f 050518_f

050624_f 050510_f 050602_f 060601_f 060606_f 050608_f

050519_f

050809_b

050602_b 050419_b

050812_f

050708_b

060509_b 050426_b 060630_b 050503_b 050706_b 050707_b

DEPTH SLOPE, IN DEGREES

SIOUX PLATTE KANSAS

050517_f

060713_f 050524_f

060620_b 050429_b 060524_b 050511_b

GRAND OSAGE

0750526_b

060602_b 050506_b 050415_b 050519_b 050627_b 050428_b

050407_b 050408_b

050601_b 050701_b 060621_b 050510_b 050810_b

060707_b 050527_b 050412_b 060510_b

1.0

0.8

0.6

0.4

0.2

 0

1.0

0.8

0.6

0.4

0.2

 0

1.0

0.8

0.6

0.4

0.2

 0

1.0

0.8

0.6

0.4

0.2

 0

1.0

0.8

0.6

0.4

0.2

 0

1.0

0.8

0.6

0.4

0.2

 0

1.0

0.8

0.6

0.4

0.2

 0

1.0

0.8

0.6

0.4

0.2

 0

1.0

0.8

0.6

0.4

0.2

 0

1.0

0.8

0.6

0.4

0.2

0

1.0

0.8

0.6

0.4

0.2

 0

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
40 Assessment of Lower Missouri River Physical Aquatic Habitat and Its Use by Adult Sturgeon (Genus Scaphirhynchus), 2005–07

Figure 16. Histograms of velocity maps for each reach with points representing sturgeon relocations. Histograms are 

ordered in descending order by river mile. The identification code includes the last two digits of the year, the two-digit 

month, and two-digit day of the month, plus a boat identifier (b or f).

060711_f 070516_f 070524_f 070510_f 070601_f 070518_f

070530_f 050615_f 070521_f

070523_f 060622_f 060620_f 050610_f 070525_f 060712_f

070502_f 070509_f

070503_f 070612_f 050616_f 070615_f 070504_f 060523_f

070602_f 070609_f 060607_f 070613_f 070515_f 070607_f

050603_f 050609_f 050617_f 070519_f 070517_f 050518_f

050624_f 050510_f 050602_f 060601_f 060606_f 050608_f

070512_f 050519_f 050507_f 050525_f 050623_f 070608_f

070501_f 050614_f 070614_f 050812_f 060518_f 070616_f

050505_f 050601_f 050622_f 050512_f 050621_f 050428_f

VELOCITY, IN METERS PER SECOND

GAVINS POINT PONCA SIOUX 5

4

3

2

1

0

5

4

3

2

1

0

5

4

3

2

1

0

5

4

3

2

1

0

5

4

3

2

1

0

5

4

3

2

1

0

5

4

3

2

1

0

5

4

3

2

1

0

5

4

3

2

1

0

5

4

3

2

1

0

5

4

3

2

1

0

0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5
Patterns of Sturgeon Habitat Use Considered in Map Context 41

Figure 16. Histograms of velocity maps for each reach with points representing sturgeon relocations. Histograms 

are ordered in descending order by river mile. The identification code includes the last two digits of the year, the twodigit month, and two-digit day of the month, plus a boat identifier (b or f).—Continued

050506_f 050605_f 050508_f 050429_f 050604_f

050509_f 050522_f

050611_f 050523_f

050504_b 050525_b

050427_b 050505_b 050616_f 060706_b 060613_b 060504_b

060608_b 050610_b

050603_f 050609_f 050617_f 070519_f 070517_f 050518_f

050624_f 050510_f 050602_f 060601_f 060606_f 050608_f

050519_f

050809_b

050602_b 050419_b

050812_f

050708_b

060509_b 050426_b 060630_b 050503_b 050706_b 050707_b

VELOCITY, IN METERS PER SECOND

SIOUX PLATTE KANSAS

050517_f

060713_f 050524_f

060620_b 050429_b 060524_b 050511_b

GRAND OSAGE

0750526_b

060602_b 050506_b 050415_b 050519_b 050627_b 050428_b

050407_b 050408_b

050601_b 050701_b 060621_b 050510_b 050810_b

060707_b 050527_b 050412_b 060510_b

5

4

3

2

1

0

5

4

3

2

1

0

5

4

3

2

1

0

5

4

3

2

1

0

5

4

3

2

1

0

5

4

3

2

1

0

5

4

3

2

1

0

5

4

3

2

1

0

5

4

3

2

1

0

5

4

3

2

1

0

5

4

3

2

1

0

0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5
42 Assessment of Lower Missouri River Physical Aquatic Habitat and Its Use by Adult Sturgeon (Genus Scaphirhynchus), 2005–07

Figure 17. Histograms of velocity gradient maps for each reach with points representing sturgeon relocations. 

Histograms are ordered in descending order by river mile. The identification code includes the last two digits of the 

year, the two-digit month, and two-digit day of the month, plus a boat identifier (b or f).

060711_f 070516_f 070524_f 070510_f 070601_f 070518_f

070530_f 050615_f 070521_f

070523_f 060622_f 060620_f 050610_f 070525_f 060712_f

070502_f 070509_f

070503_f 070612_f 050616_f 070615_f 070504_f 060523_f

070602_f 070609_f 060607_f 070613_f 070515_f 070607_f

050603_f 050609_f 050617_f 070519_f 070517_f 050518_f

050624_f 050510_f 050602_f 060601_f 060606_f 050608_f

070512_f 050519_f 050507_f 050525_f 050623_f 070608_f

070501_f 050614_f 070614_f 050812_f 060518_f 070616_f

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16

050505_f 050601_f

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16

050622_f

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16

050512_f

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16

050621_f

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16

050428_f

VELOCITY GRADIENT, IN PERCENT PER METER

GAVINS POINT PONCA SIOUX 2.0

1.5

1.0

0.5

0

2.0

1.5

1.0

0.5

0

2.0

1.5

1.0

0.5

0

2.0

1.5

1.0

0.5

0

2.0

1.5

1.0

0.5

0

2.0

1.5

1.0

0.5

0

2.0

1.5

1.0

0.5

0

2.0

1.5

1.0

0.5

0

2.0

1.5

1.0

0.5

0

2.0

1.5

1.0

0.5

0

2.0

1.5

1.0

0.5

0
Patterns of Sturgeon Habitat Use Considered in Map Context 43

Figure 17. Histograms of velocity gradient maps for each reach with points representing sturgeon relocations. 

Histograms are ordered in descending order by river mile. The identification code includes the last two digits of the 

year, the two-digit month, and two-digit day of the month, plus a boat identifier (b or f).—Continued

050506_f 050605_f 050508_f 050429_f 050604_f

050509_f 050522_f

050611_f 050523_f

050504_b 050525_b

050427_b 050505_b 050616_f 060706_b 060613_b 060504_b

060608_b 050610_b

050603_f 050609_f 050617_f 070519_f 070517_f 050518_f

050624_f 050510_f 050602_f 060601_f 060606_f 050608_f

050519_f

050809_b

050602_b 050419_b

050812_f

050708_b

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16

060509_b 050426_b

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16

060630_b

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16

050503_b

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16

050706_b

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16

050707_b

VELOCITY GRADIENT, IN PERCENT PER METER

SIOUX PLATTE KANSAS

050517_f

060713_f 050524_f

060620_b 050429_b 060524_b 050511_b

GRAND OSAGE

0750526_b

060602_b 050506_b 050415_b 050519_b 050627_b 050428_b

050407_b 050408_b

050601_b 050701_b 060621_b 050510_b 050810_b

060707_b 050527_b 050412_b 060510_b

2.0

1.5

1.0

0.5

0

2.0

1.5

1.0

0.5

0

2.0

1.5

1.0

0.5

0

2.0

1.5

1.0

0.5

0

2.0

1.5

1.0

0.5

0

2.0

1.5

1.0

0.5

0

2.0

1.5

1.0

0.5

0

2.0

1.5

1.0

0.5

0

2.0

1.5

1.0

0.5

0

2.0

1.5

1.0

0.5

0

2.0

1.5

1.0

0.5

0
44 Assessment of Lower Missouri River Physical Aquatic Habitat and Its Use by Adult Sturgeon (Genus Scaphirhynchus), 2005–07

Figure 18. Histograms of Froude number maps for each reach with points representing sturgeon relocations. 

Histograms are ordered in descending order by river mile. The identification code includes the last two digits of the 

year, the two-digit month, and two-digit day of the month, plus a boat identifier (b or f).

060711_f 070516_f 070524_f 070510_f 070601_f 070518_f

070530_f 050615_f 070521_f

070523_f 060622_f 060620_f 050610_f 070525_f 060712_f

070502_f 070509_f

070503_f 070612_f 050616_f 070615_f 070504_f 060523_f

070602_f 070609_f 060607_f 070613_f 070515_f 070607_f

050603_f 050609_f 050617_f 070519_f 070517_f 050518_f

050624_f 050510_f 050602_f 060601_f 060606_f 050608_f

070512_f 050519_f 050507_f 050525_f 050623_f 070608_f

070501_f 050614_f 070614_f 050812_f 060518_f 070616_f

050505_f 050601_f 050622_f 050512_f 050621_f 050428_f

FROUDE NUMBER

GAVINS POINT PONCA SIOUX 25

20

15

10

5

0

25

20

15

10

5

0

25

20

15

10

5

0

25

20

15

10

5

0

25

20

15

10

5

0

25

20

15

10

5

0

25

20

15

10

5

0

25

20

15

10

5

0

25

20

15

10

5

0

25

20

15

10

5

0

25

20

15

10

5

0

0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0 0.2 0.4 0.6
Patterns of Sturgeon Habitat Use Considered in Map Context 45

Figure 18. Histograms of Froude number maps for each reach with points representing sturgeon relocations. 

Histograms are ordered in descending order by river mile. The identification code includes the last two digits of the 

year, the two-digit month, and two-digit day of the month, plus a boat identifier (b or f).—Continued

050506_f 050605_f 050508_f 050429_f 050604_f

050509_f 050522_f

050611_f 050523_f

050504_b 050525_b

050427_b 050505_b 050616_f 060706_b 060613_b 060504_b

060608_b 050610_b

050603_f 050609_f 050617_f 070519_f 070517_f 050518_f

050624_f 050510_f 050602_f 060601_f 060606_f 050608_f

050519_f

050809_b

050602_b 050419_b

050812_f

050708_b

060509_b 050426_b 060630_b 050503_b 050706_b 050707_b

FROUDE NUMBER

SIOUX PLATTE KANSAS

050517_f

060713_f 050524_f

060620_b 050429_b 060524_b 050511_b

GRAND OSAGE

0750526_b

060602_b 050506_b 050415_b 050519_b 050627_b 050428_b

050407_b 050408_b

050601_b 050701_b 060621_b 050510_b 050810_b

060707_b 050527_b 050412_b 060510_b

25

20

15

10

5

0

25

20

15

10

5

0

25

20

15

10

5

0

25

20

15

10

5

0

25

20

15

10

5

0

25

20

15

10

5

0

25

20

15

10

5

0

25

20

15

10

5

0

25

20

15

10

5

0

25

20

15

10

5

0

25

20

15

10

5

0

0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0 0.2 0.4 0.6
46 Assessment of Lower Missouri River Physical Aquatic Habitat and Its Use by Adult Sturgeon (Genus Scaphirhynchus), 2005–07

DEPTH BIN, IN METERS

0 2 4 6 8 10 12

0

0.05

0.10

0.15

0.20

0.25

0.30

0.35

0.40

DEPTH SLOPE BIN, IN DEGREES

0 5 10 15 20 25 30

0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

Reach map data

Sturgeon relocation data

VELOCITY BIN, IN METERS PER SECOND

0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1.0

1.2

1.4

1.6

1.8

VELOCITY GRADIENT BIN, IN PERCENT PER METER

0 2 4 6 8 10

0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1.0

1.2

FROUDE NUMBER BIN

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

FREQUENCY

EXPLANATION

0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5

0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5

Figure 19. Composite histograms of reach map data and values at qualifying sturgeon relocations (within 7 days and 10 percent 

discharge of the map from which values were obtained). Histograms for reach maps are based on the set of maps that included 

qualifying sturgeon relocations. All histograms have been normalized to have equal area. These histograms represent a composite of 

reach map data and sturgeon relocation data from all river sections and should be interpreted with caution.
Figure 20. Histograms and Ivlev’s selectivity coefficients for reach maps and qualifying sturgeon relocations, subdivided by river section. Histograrelocations (within 7 days and 10 percent discharge of the map from which values were obtained) with overall compiled histograms for all maps, suhistograms have been normalized to have equal area. Selectivity coefficients are shown for bins with at least one sturgeon relocation.

DEPTH BIN, IN METERS

0

0.050.10

0.150.200.250.300.350.40

DEPTH SLOPE BIN, IN DEGREES

0

0.10.20.30.40.50.6

VELOCITY BIN,

IN METERS PER SECOND

 0 0.51.01.52.0

VELOCITY GR

ADIENT BIN,

IN PERCENT PER METER

 00.20.40.60.81.01.2

02468

10121416

0

0.050.10

0.150.200.250.300.350.40

0

0.10.20.30.40.50.6

 00.51.01.52.0

 00.20.40.60.81.01.2

02468

10121416

0

0.050.100.15

0.200.250.300.350.40

0

0.10.20.30.40.50.6

 00.51.01.52.0

 00.20.40.60.81.01.2

02468

10121416

FREQUENCY FREQUENCY FREQUENCY SELECTIVITY

COEFFICIENT

MINIMALLY ENG NI EERED SECTION UPSTREAM CHANNELIZED SECTION DOWNSTREAM CHANNELIZED SECTION

SELECTIVITY

COEFFICIENT

SELECTIVITY

COEFFICIENT

-1

01

-1

01

-1

01

-1

01

-1

01

-1

01

-1

01

-1

0

1

-1

01

-1

01

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14

-1

01

0 5 10 15 20 25 30

-1

01

-1

01

0 2 4 6 8 10

-1

01

-1

01

Reach map

data

Sturgeon

relocationdata

Reach map

data

Sturgeon

relocationdata

Reach map

data

Sturgeon

relocationdata

0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 0

Selectivity coefficient

Selectivity coefficient

Selectivity coefficient
Table 5. Number of relocations by decile for continuous and categorical variables compiled by sturgeon species, sex, reproductive condition, and [Only river sections with data for a given combination of species, sex, and reproductive condition are shown. Repro., reproductive; Nonrepro., nonreproductive; Min. Eng., MiUp Chan., Upstream Channelized section; Down Chan., Downstream Channelized section] Number of locations for pallid sturgeon Number of locations for shovelnose stu

Female Male Female Intersex 

Repro. Decile range Repro. Non- Pallid 

Repro. un- Nonrepro. Repro. Nonrepro. Repro. Intersex Nonrepro

or category unknown repro. sturgeon 

known total 

Min. Down Down Min. Up Down Up Down Up Down Min. Up Min. Up Down Min. Up Min. Up 

Eng. Chan. Chan. Eng. Chan. Chan. Chan. Chan. Chan. Chan. Eng. Chan. Eng. Chan. Chan. Eng. Chan. Eng. Chan

Depth decile Minimum to 1 -- 1 -- -- -- 1 -- -- -- -- 2 1 4 2 18 9 -- -- -- -- 

1 to 2 -- 1 1 -- 2 -- -- -- -- -- 4 3 1 4 23 4 -- 1 -- 2 

2 to 3 -- -- -- -- -- -- 1 -- 2 1 4 2 2 2 15 6 -- -- -- 1 

3 to 4 -- -- -- -- -- 2 -- 1 -- 1 4 2 3 3 4 4 -- -- -- -- 

4 to 5 -- -- -- -- -- -- 1 1 2 -- 4 1 1 2 12 5 -- -- -- -- 

5 to 6 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 1 4 13 1 -- -- -- 2 

6 to 7 1 1 -- -- -- -- -- -- 1 -- 3 2 -- 5 14 1 -- -- 1 1 

7 to 8 -- 1 -- 1 -- 1 -- 1 5 -- 9 -- 1 7 15 2 -- -- -- -- 

8 to 9 1 -- -- -- -- -- 2 -- -- -- 3 2 -- 8 19 2 -- -- -- -- 

9 to maximum -- -- -- 1 -- 2 -- 1 -- 1 5 5 4 20 39 2 2 -- -- 1 

Depth slope decile Minimum to 1 -- 1 -- -- -- 1 -- -- 1 -- 3 -- 1 -- 6 -- -- -- -- -- 

1 to 2 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 2 -- 2 1 2 2 7 1 -- -- -- -- 

2 to 3 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 1 1 4 2 4 8 2 -- 1 -- -- 

3 to 4 1 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 1 2 2 5 5 3 -- -- -- 1 

4 to 5 -- -- -- 1 -- 1 -- -- 6 -- 8 2 -- 2 9 4 -- -- -- -- 

5 to 6 1 -- -- -- -- -- 1 1 -- -- 3 -- -- 3 8 4 -- -- -- -- 

6 to 7 -- -- -- 1 -- -- -- 1 -- -- 2 3 3 5 21 4 -- -- 1 -- 

7 to 8 -- 1 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 1 3 2 8 15 3 -- -- -- -- 

8 to 9 -- 2 -- -- 1 1 -- -- -- -- 4 -- -- 12 21 8 -- -- -- 2 

9 to maximum -- -- 1 -- 1 3 3 2 1 2 13 3 5 16 72 7 2 -- -- 4 

Terrain class category Flat 2 -- -- 1 -- 2 -- -- 7 1 13 7 5 15 34 8 -- -- -- 1 

Slope -- -- -- -- -- -- 1 1 1 -- 3 -- -- 4 16 2 -- -- -- 2 

Crest -- 2 1 -- 2 2 1 2 2 1 13 4 8 6 51 21 -- 1 -- 2 

Depression -- 2 -- 1 -- 2 2 1 -- 1 9 7 4 32 71 5 2 -- 1 2 
Table 5. Number of relocations by decile for continuous and categorical variables compiled by sturgeon species, sex, reproductive condition, and r[Only river sections with data for a given combination of species, sex, and reproductive condition are shown. Repro., reproductive; Nonrepro., nonreproductive; Min. Eng., MinUp Chan., Upstream Channelized section; Down Chan., Downstream Channelized section]

Number of locations for pallid sturgeon Number of locations for shovelnose stu

Female Male Female Intersex 

Repro. Decile range Repro. Non- Pallid 

Repro. un- Nonrepro. Repro. Nonrepro. Repro. Intersex Nonrepro

or category unknown repro. sturgeon 

known total 

Min. Down Down Min. Up Down Up Down Up Down Min. Up Min. Up Down Min. Up Min. Up 

Eng. Chan. Chan. Eng. Chan. Chan. Chan. Chan. Chan. Chan. Eng. Chan. Eng. Chan. Chan. Eng. Chan. Eng. Chan

Velocity decile

Minimum to 1 -- -- 1 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 1 2 5 9 42 5 -- 1 -- -- 

1 to 2 -- 1 -- -- 2 3 -- -- 1 1 8 -- 2 7 41 11 -- -- -- 1 

2 to 3 -- 1 -- 1 -- 1 1 1 -- -- 5 5 3 7 37 9 1 -- -- 3 

3 to 4 1 -- -- -- -- 1 -- 2 -- -- 4 2 -- 8 11 6 1 -- -- 1 

4 to 5 -- -- -- -- -- -- 1 -- -- -- 1 2 2 7 7 1 -- -- -- -- 

5 to 6 -- 2 -- 1 -- -- -- -- -- 2 5 1 -- 3 2 4 -- -- -- 1 

6 to 7 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 2 -- 2 3 3 5 11 -- -- -- 1 1 

7 to 8 1 -- -- -- -- -- 1 1 1 -- 4 1 -- 2 5 -- -- -- -- -- 

8 to 9 -- -- -- -- -- 1 -- -- -- -- 1 2 1 4 7 -- -- -- -- -- 

9 to maximum -- -- -- -- -- -- 1 -- 6 -- 7 -- 1 4 8 -- -- -- -- -- 

Velocity gradient decile

Minimum to 1 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 2 -- 1 6 1 -- -- -- -- 

1 to 2 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 2 1 5 3 -- -- -- -- -- 

2 to 3 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 1 1 2 3 1 3 6 1 -- -- -- -- 

3 to 4 -- 2 -- -- -- -- -- 1 -- -- 3 -- 2 3 6 3 -- -- -- -- 

4 to 5 -- -- -- -- -- -- 1 -- -- -- 1 3 1 4 7 5 -- -- -- -- 

5 to 6 1 -- -- -- -- 2 -- 1 7 -- 11 2 -- 5 7 3 1 -- 1 -- 

6 to 7 -- -- -- 2 -- -- -- -- 1 -- 3 1 1 7 13 4 -- -- -- 2 

7 to 8 1 -- 1 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 2 -- -- 7 26 6 1 -- -- -- 

8 to 9 -- 1 -- -- 2 -- 1 -- -- -- 4 1 5 8 41 5 -- 1 -- -- 

9 to maximum -- 1 -- -- -- 4 2 2 1 2 12 4 6 13 56 8 -- -- -- 5 

Froude number decile

Minimum to 1 -- -- 1 -- -- 1 -- -- 1 -- 3 1 5 17 66 9 1 1 -- -- 

1 to 2 -- -- -- 1 -- 2 -- 1 -- 1 5 6 3 14 39 7 1 -- -- 5 

2 to 3 1 2 -- 1 1 2 2 1 -- 1 11 2 2 5 11 8 -- -- -- -- 

3 to 4 1 1 -- -- 1 -- -- 1 -- -- 4 3 1 6 7 4 -- -- -- -- 

4 to 5 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 5 10 3 -- -- 1 -- 

5 to 6 -- 1 -- -- -- 1 -- -- -- -- 2 1 -- 2 10 2 -- -- -- 1 

6 to 7 -- -- -- -- -- -- 1 -- -- 1 2 -- -- 4 6 3 -- -- -- -- 

7 to 8 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 7 -- 7 1 -- 3 7 -- -- -- -- -- 

8 to 9 -- -- -- -- -- -- 1 1 1 -- 3 2 4 -- 8 -- -- -- -- 1 

9 to maximum -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 1 -- 1 2 2 -- 5 -- -- -- -- -- 
Table 5. Number of relocations by decile for continuous and categorical variables compiled by sturgeon species, sex, reproductive condition, and [Only river sections with data for a given combination of species, sex, and reproductive condition are shown. Repro., reproductive; Nonrepro., nonreproductive; Min. Eng., MiUp Chan., Upstream Channelized section; Down Chan., Downstream Channelized section] Number of locations for pallid sturgeon Number of locations for shovelnose stu

Female Male Female Intersex 

Repro. Decile range Repro. Non- Pallid 

Repro. un- Nonrepro. Repro. Nonrepro. Repro. Intersex Nonrepro

or category unknown repro. sturgeon 

known total 

Min. Down Down Min. Up Down Up Down Up Down Min. Up Min. Up Down Min. Up Min. Up 

Eng. Chan. Chan. Eng. Chan. Chan. Chan. Chan. Chan. Chan. Eng. Chan. Eng. Chan. Chan. Eng. Chan. Eng. Chan

Substrate category Sand (dunes) -- -- -- -- 2 1 2 4 9 3 21 12 9 22 105 11 1 -- -- 5 

Revetment, -- -- -- -- -- -- 1 -- -- -- 1 3 4 3 9 1 1 -- -- 2 

gravel, hard sand Fine sediment -- -- 1 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 1 -- -- 2 7 1 -- -- -- -- 

(mud, silt) Transporting -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 1 1 1 10 -- -- 1 1 -- 

sand Engineered -- -- -- -- -- 1 1 -- 1 -- 3 -- 1 2 25 -- -- -- -- -- 

structures (rock) Shallow-water habitat category Shallow-water -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 1 3 4 1 2 -- -- -- -- 

habitat Other 2 4 1 2 2 6 4 4 10 3 38 17 14 52 165 34 2 1 1 7 
Patterns of Sturgeon Habitat Use Considered in Map Context 51

DECILE RANGE FOR DEPTH

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

0

10

20

30

40

DECILE RANGE FOR DEPTH SLOPE

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

0

10

20

30

40

DECILE RANGE FOR VELOCITY

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

PERCENT OF RELOC

ATIONS

0

10

20

30

40

DECILE RANGE FOR VELOCITY GRADIENT

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

0

10

20

30

40

DECILE RANGE FOR FROUDE NUMBER

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

0

10

20

30

40

Mimimally Engineered section,

 based on 56 to 57 relocations

Upstream Channelized section,

 based on 169 to 172 relocations

Downstream Channelized section,

 based on 36 relocations

EXPLANATION

avoidance selection avoidance selection avoidance selection

avoidance selection avoidance selection

Figure 21. Plots of percentage of reproductive female shovelnose sturgeon in each decile range, by river section, for each continuous 

variable.
Table 6. Number of relocations by decile for continuous variables for only reproductive female shovelnose sturgeon compiled by year. [Min. eng., Minimally Engineered section; Up Chan., Upstream Channelized section; Down Chan., Downstream Channelized section; --, no data] Decile range Number of female, reproductive shovelnose sturgeon relocations Depth Depth slope Velocity Velocity gradient Fro

Min. Eng. Up Chan. Down Chan. Total Min. Eng. Up Chan. Down Chan. Total Min. Eng. Up Chan. Down Chan. Total Min. Eng. Up Chan. Down Chan. Total Min. Eng. 

Ch

2005 Minimum to 1 1 12 6 19 0 0 0 0 2 27 1 30 0 0 1 1 2 

1 to 2 0 11 4 15 0 3 1 4 0 16 9 25 0 0 0 0 0 2 to 3 0 7 2 9 0 5 2 7 0 14 6 20 0 3 0 3 0 3 to 4 0 1 2 3 1 2 1 4 0 4 3 7 0 1 3 4 0 4 to 5 0 5 2 7 0 4 4 8 0 3 1 4 0 2 4 6 0 5 to 6 0 2 1 3 0 0 2 2 0 0 3 3 0 3 3 6 0 6 to 7 1 5 1 7 0 7 3 10 0 3 0 3 0 4 1 5 0 7 to 8 0 5 2 7 0 8 1 9 0 1 0 1 0 13 3 16 0 8 to 9 0 5 2 7 0 8 4 12 0 2 0 2 0 15 3 18 0 9 to maximum 0 18 1 19 1 34 5 40 0 1 0 1 2 30 5 37 0 

2006 Minimum to 1 0 1 3 4 0 0 0 0 3 5 4 12 0 0 0 0 7 

1 to 2 2 2 0 4 0 1 0 1 3 8 2 13 0 0 0 0 2 2 to 3 1 2 4 7 1 1 0 2 1 0 3 4 0 0 1 1 0 3 to 4 0 1 2 3 0 0 2 2 2 0 3 5 0 0 0 0 1 4 to 5 1 1 3 5 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 2 0 5 to 6 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 3 1 1 1 3 1 1 0 2 0 6 to 7 1 1 0 2 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 2 0 3 5 0 7 to 8 2 2 0 4 0 0 2 2 0 0 0 0 1 2 3 6 0 8 to 9 0 3 0 3 4 1 4 9 0 0 0 0 1 5 2 8 0 9 to maximum 4 2 1 7 6 10 2 18 0 0 0 0 4 7 3 14 0 

2007 Minimum to 1 1 5 -- 6 0 6 -- 6 4 10 -- 14 1 6 -- 7 8 

1 to 2 2 10 -- 12 2 3 -- 5 4 17 -- 21 5 3 -- 8 12 2 to 3 1 6 -- 7 3 2 -- 5 6 23 -- 29 3 3 -- 6 5 3 to 4 3 2 -- 5 4 3 -- 7 6 7 -- 13 3 5 -- 8 5 4 to 5 1 6 -- 7 2 4 -- 6 7 4 -- 11 3 5 -- 8 5 5 to 6 4 11 -- 15 3 7 -- 10 2 1 -- 3 4 3 -- 7 2 6 to 7 3 8 -- 11 5 14 -- 19 5 7 -- 12 5 9 -- 14 4 7 to 8 5 8 -- 13 8 7 -- 15 2 4 -- 6 6 11 -- 17 3 8 to 9 8 11 -- 19 8 12 -- 20 4 5 -- 9 7 21 -- 28 0 9 to maximum 16 19 -- 35 9 28 -- 37 4 7 -- 11 7 19 -- 26 0 
Table 7. Categorical variables summarized by reach, including numbers of qualifying sturgeon relocations within 10 percent discharge and 7 days date.—Continued[SWH, shallow-water habitat; --, no data]

Map 

identification

Reach 

center 

river 

mile

Substrate Shallow-water habitat Terrain 

Percent of map area Number of relocations Percent of map area Number of relocations Percent of map area 

Sand (dunes)

Revetment, gravel, 

hard sand

Fine sediment (mud, 

silt)

Transporting sand

Engineered struc-

tures, bedrock

Sand (dunes)

Revetment, gravel, 

hard sand

Fine sediment (mud, 

silt)

Transporting sand

Engineered struc-

tures, bedrock

SWH

Not SWH

SWH

Not SWH

Flat

Slope

Crest

20060711_f 807.9 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 5.8 94.2 0 2 36.0 1.2 31.2 20070516_f 806.9 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 14.3 85.7 0 2 45.0 1.0 27.5 20070524_f 806.6 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 14.9 85.1 0 3 43.5 0.8 26.8 20070510_f 801.9 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 35.6 64.4 0 1 68.8 0.6 15.6 20070601_f 797.1 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 34.1 65.9 0 3 58.9 0.9 19.9 20070518_f 782.5 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 13.0 87.0 0 2 68.2 0.6 17.7 20070530_f 775.1 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 10.0 90.0 1 6 46.3 1.7 28.4 20050615_f 759.8 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 12.7 87.3 1 0 54.3 1.0 24.5 20070521_f 759.6 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 1.0 99.0 0 2 49.8 2.6 25.3 20070523_f 752.7 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 7.8 92.2 1 8 44.6 1.7 28.0 20060622_f 751.8 85.8 9.0 0.3 0.7 4.1 1 0 0 0 0 2.7 97.3 0 1 44.1 1.8 27.9 20060620_f 749.3 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 5.8 94.2 1 5 40.3 1.9 33.5 20050610_f 746.3 78.1 5.1 0.6 15.6 0.6 1 0 0 0 0 0.8 99.2 0 1 29.4 2.3 39.4 20070525_f 745.0 79.7 17.1 0.4 2.6 0.4 1 0 0 0 0 6.8 93.2 0 1 30.3 2.0 40.5 20060712_f 743.7 80.1 13.0 1.6 2.2 3.1 2 1 0 0 0 5.4 94.6 0 3 27.9 3.1 41.1 20070502_f 738.2 81.7 5.5 5.7 5.6 1.6 6 1 2 0 0 7.9 92.1 0 9 44.4 2.1 30.8 20070509_f 736.6 85.8 4.9 4.4 4.0 0.8 4 0 1 0 0 16.1 83.9 0 5 40.8 1.9 33.4 20070612_f 734.2 84.7 3.1 1.1 8.3 2.8 11 1 0 1 3 1.5 98.5 1 14 36.1 2.3 35.8 20070503_f 734.2 77.7 5.9 8.4 5.0 3.0 41 10 0 4 1 9.3 90.7 0 58 37.2 2.5 35.1 20050616_f 732.4 80.2 2.1 1.2 13.2 3.4 0 0 0 0 0 0.3 99.7 0 0 48.2 2.6 23.8 20070615_f 729.5 83.4 3.4 0.6 8.9 3.7 9 1 0 0 7 1.9 98.1 2 16 44.8 2.2 25.8 20070504_f 726.5 79.6 4.5 0.7 11.8 3.4 11 1 0 0 2 1.1 98.9 0 14 48.6 2.2 25.1 20060523_f 725.0 72.4 7.1 1.1 12.5 6.9 0 0 0 1 0 1.2 98.8 0 1 40.4 3.0 27.6 20070602_f 724.6 81.8 2.0 0.5 10.2 5.5 5 0 0 0 6 1.2 98.8 0 11 49.5 2.0 22.1 20070609_f 717.8 80.6 5.9 0.2 11.4 1.9 3 2 0 1 0 2.2 97.8 0 6 31.8 3.0 31.2 20060607_f 709.3 81.7 3.5 1.3 8.6 4.9 2 0 0 0 0 1.9 98.1 0 2 33.9 2.8 32.4 20070613_f 707.5 79.8 5.2 0.2 12.6 2.2 7 0 0 1 0 1.9 98.1 0 8 44.9 2.4 25.9 20070515_f 706.2 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 1.5 98.5 0 4 33.9 3.2 31.2 20070607_f 702.2 76.3 9.3 0.6 9.5 4.4 3 0 0 0 0 1.3 98.7 0 3 29.2 2.4 37.4 
Table 7. Categorical variables summarized by reach, including numbers of qualifying sturgeon relocations within 10 percent discharge and 7 days date.—Continued[SWH, shallow-water habitat; --, no data]

Substrate Shallow-water habitat Terrain 

Percent of Number of Percent of map area Number of relocations Percent of map area 

map area relocations

Reach 

Map center 

Sand (dunes) identification river mile

Revetment, gravel, 

hard sand

Fine sediment (mud, 

20050603_f 697.8 80.5 6.0 1.8 9.2 2.4 0 0 1 0 0 1.0 99.0 0 1 36.3 3.2 31.2 2

silt)

20050609_f 693.4 79.8 3.6 0.3 11.5 4.9 1 0 0 0 0 1.0 99.0 0 1 31.9 3.1 29.6 320050617_f 693.0 74.3 4.0 2.2 14.4 5.1 1 0 0 0 0 0.7 99.3 0 1 34.1 3.0 30.4 3

Transporting sand

20070519_f 691.9 73.2 1.6 1.1 19.0 5.2 2 0 0 1 0 1.5 98.5 0 3 36.9 2.8 30.8 220070517_f 689.2 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 1.0 99.0 0 7 33.6 2.8 32.5 3

Engineered struc20050518_f 686.6 80.9 6.3 0.6 6.5 5.7 1 0 0 0 0 1.0 99.0 0 1 34.1 2.8 34.4 2

tures, bedrock

20050624_f 683.9 82.4 2.1 0.9 9.8 4.8 2 0 0 0 1 1.6 98.4 0 3 34.1 3.4 29.9 320050510_f 673.8 79.4 4.8 1.8 9.7 4.4 1 0 1 0 0 1.0 99.0 0 2 37.8 2.7 29.8 2

Sand (dunes)

20050602_f 672.4 73.1 7.5 0.7 17.0 1.7 4 0 0 0 0 0.7 99.3 0 4 31.0 3.2 34.6 320060601_f 669.2 81.6 4.4 1.9 6.7 5.4 3 0 0 0 0 2.6 97.4 0 3 34.8 3.1 31.7 3

Revetment, gravel, 

20060606_f 665.6 79.8 3.5 1.6 10.3 4.8 3 0 1 0 1 1.1 98.9 1 4 31.7 2.6 35.5 3

hard sand

20050608_f 663.0 79.6 2.3 0.8 12.2 5.0 1 0 0 0 0 0.6 99.4 0 1 33.8 2.8 31.3 320070512_f 660.8 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 1.2 98.8 0 1 28.6 2.9 32.2 3

Fine sediment (mud, 

20050519_f 657.4 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 27.1 2.4 37.6 3

silt)

20050507_f 654.7 81.1 6.0 2.4 6.8 3.8 1 0 0 0 0 0.9 99.1 0 1 42.0 2.6 27.9 2

Transporting sand

20050525_f 652.0 80.4 3.7 2.1 8.8 5.0 1 0 0 0 2 0.0 100.0 0 3 29.5 3.4 35.2 320050623_f 650.4 75.9 5.4 1.4 13.8 3.4 1 0 0 0 1 0.5 99.5 0 2 38.5 2.5 29.3 220070608_f 650.3 86.3 3.9 0.7 4.9 4.2 7 1 0 2 0 0.8 99.2 1 9 33.0 2.7 33.1 3

Engineered structures, bedrock

20070501_f 647.6 75.8 4.8 2.1 13.8 3.5 3 0 0 0 0 1.2 98.8 0 3 36.2 3.3 31.2 220050614_f 644.8 78.2 3.1 3.1 10.2 5.5 1 0 0 0 0 0.3 99.7 0 1 41.8 2.5 26.5 220070614_f 643.6 79.2 3.3 1.5 10.8 5.3 2 0 0 1 0 0.4 99.6 0 3 48.7 2.7 23.4 2

SWH

20050812_f 642.7 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 0.4 99.6 0 1 37.0 3.3 30.3 220060518_f 641.5 84.6 2.9 1.5 6.8 4.2 1 0 0 0 0 2.1 97.9 0 1 39.3 2.6 27.8 3

Not SWH

20070616_f 641.3 87.3 7.6 0.2 0.6 4.3 6 0 0 0 0 1.3 98.7 0 6 43.5 2.8 25.6 220050505_f 640.5 85.3 5.5 2.1 3.2 3.8 2 0 0 0 1 2.1 97.9 0 0 34.7 2.8 30.4 3

SWH

20050601_f 638.9 82.1 6.1 1.8 5.9 4.1 2 1 0 0 1 0.7 99.3 0 4 39.2 2.6 28.1 320050622_f 622.8 75.8 2.8 2.5 15.1 3.9 1 0 1 0 0 0.8 99.2 0 2 30.8 2.6 35.0 3

Not SWH

20050512_f 620.1 77.4 2.6 2.7 14.3 3.0 0 0 0 0 1 0.5 99.5 0 1 27.6 3.4 35.3 320050621_f 618.6 71.6 3.1 4.2 18.6 2.6 2 0 0 0 0 0.9 99.1 0 2 32.8 3.2 29.9 320050428_f 611.6 80.7 5.0 1.0 9.9 3.4 0 0 0 0 1 0.7 99.3 0 1 35.9 2.7 29.6 3

Flat

Slope

Crest
Table 7. Categorical variables summarized by reach, including numbers of qualifying sturgeon relocations within 10 percent discharge and 7 days date.—Continued[SWH, shallow-water habitat; --, no data]

Substrate Shallow-water habitat Terrain 

Percent of Number of Percent of map area Number of relocations Percent of map area 

map area relocations

Reach 

Sand (dunes)Map center identification river mile

Revetment, gravel, 

hard sand

Fine sediment (mud, 

silt)

20050506_f 609.9 85.0 2.8 1.9 4.8 5.5 3 0 0 3 1 0.7 99.3 0 8 40.8 2.5 25.8 320050605_f 609.7 73.8 2.0 1.2 19.5 3.6 1 1 0 0 0 0.4 99.6 0 2 40.3 2.5 25.7 3

Transporting sand

20050508_f 608.5 82.1 2.2 5.3 5.1 5.4 9 2 2 1 2 0.8 99.2 0 15 38.8 3.2 27.2 320050429_f 608.2 80.1 4.3 2.4 7.6 5.6 1 0 0 0 0 0.1 99.9 0 1 43.7 3.1 25.1 2

Engineered struc20050517_f 606.8 80.9 2.3 1.7 10.0 5.1 1 0 0 0 0 0.6 99.4 0 1 38.3 3.2 27.9 3

tures, bedrock

20050604_f 604.0 81.2 3.1 2.1 10.8 2.8 1 0 1 0 0 1.4 98.6 0 2 30.9 3.0 32.6 320050509_f 602.4 84.5 2.4 2.4 6.9 3.7 1 0 0 0 1 1.3 98.7 0 2 39.7 2.7 24.4 3

Sand (dunes)

20050522_f 601.2 80.4 4.0 2.6 9.3 3.7 1 0 0 0 0 0.1 99.9 0 1 42.2 3.4 23.9 320050611_f 593.7 79.5 2.1 0.7 12.6 5.1 1 0 0 0 0 1.2 98.8 0 1 22.3 2.8 32.8 4

Revetment, gravel, 

20050523_f 588.6 77.0 5.4 2.0 11.3 4.3 1 0 0 0 0 0.0 100.0 0 1 38.2 3.6 27.6 3

hard sand

20060713_f 583.8 78.4 4.0 2.8 11.1 3.6 3 1 0 0 2 0.3 99.7 0 6 53.5 2.7 21.8 220050524_f 565.5 76.4 3.5 2.8 14.7 2.6 1 0 0 0 0 0.1 99.9 0 1 34.3 2.8 30.6 3

Fine sediment (mud, 

20050504_b 362.7 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 3.0 97.0 0 1 19.5 2.6 39.6 3

silt)

20050525_b 354.4 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 1.6 98.4 0 1 21.0 1.9 33.9 4

Transporting sand

20060620_b 331.9 79.4 9.9 6.3 2.6 1.9 0 0 1 0 0 7.0 93.0 0 1 40.1 1.6 31.2 220050429_b 330.1 -- -- -- -- -- 0 0 0 0 0 3.0 97.0 0 1 34.7 1.8 32.1 320060524_b 326.8 89.1 5.0 2.7 0.7 2.6 4 0 0 0 0 3.9 96.1 0 4 34.1 1.9 33.8 3

Engineered structures, bedrock

20050511_b 325.2 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 7.7 92.3 0 1 29.4 2.0 33.9 320050427_b 315.1 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 0.8 99.2 0 1 40.2 2.1 27.3 320050505_b 311.6 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 2.4 97.6 0 1 30.4 1.9 34.6 3

SWH

20050526_b 291.8 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 2.3 97.7 0 1 23.2 1.8 39.3 320060706_b 289.4 80.5 8.3 8.5 0.5 2.3 2 0 0 0 0 3.4 96.6 0 2 31.5 2.4 33.9 3

Not SWH

20060613_b_b 281.4 73.7 14.7 2.6 5.2 3.9 3 0 0 0 0 7.5 92.5 0 3 24.1 2.2 37.4 320060504_b 280.6 83.7 4.0 0.6 8.2 3.5 1 0 0 0 0 0.1 99.9 0 1 40.3 2.1 27.6 3

SWH

20060608_b 279.7 81.7 5.9 2.6 6.3 3.5 0 0 1 0 0 2.4 97.6 0 1 33.4 1.8 33.6 320050610_b 275.8 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 0.0 100.0 0 1 25.0 1.8 34.6 3

Not SWH

20060602_b 247.6 81.5 6.4 6.0 3.1 3.0 0 1 0 0 0 5.7 94.3 0 1 33.3 2.1 32.2 320050506_b 230.5 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 3.0 97.0 0 1 29.2 1.5 32.4 320050415_b 219.2 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 0.7 99.3 0 1 29.8 1.7 33.7 3

Flat

20060519_b 218.8 66.0 7.9 4.1 21.2 0.9 1 0 0 0 0 5.7 94.3 1 0 32.3 2.2 30.7 3

Slope

Crest
Table 7. Categorical variables summarized by reach, including numbers of qualifying sturgeon relocations within 10 percent discharge and 7 days date.—Continued[SWH, shallow-water habitat; --, no data]

Substrate Shallow-water habitat Terrain 

Percent of Number of Percent of map area Number of relocations Percent of map area 

map area relocations

Reach 

Map center 

Sand (dunes) identification river mile

Revetment, gravel, 

hard sand

Fine sediment (mud, 

20050627_b 217.4 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 2.7 97.3 0 2 16.7 2.1 43.9 3

silt)

20050428_b 203.3 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 1.0 99.0 0 1 40.0 1.4 28.5 320050407_b 201.6 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 4.6 95.4 0 2 39.7 1.6 29.9 2

Transporting sand

20050408_f 199.7 82.7 7.0 6.6 2.2 1.5 1 0 0 0 1 0.8 99.2 0 2 57.5 0.9 23.9 120060707_b 196.0 76.9 11.8 8.4 0.3 2.5 2 0 0 0 0 8.2 91.8 0 2 32.9 1.6 33.1 3

Engineered struc20050527_b 186.8 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 1.5 98.5 0 1 26.7 2.0 35.3 3

tures, bedrock

20050412_b 178.0 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 3.8 96.2 1 0 24.8 1.3 37.9 320060510_b 177.4 82.7 9.2 2.7 3.3 2.2 1 0 0 0 0 7.4 92.6 0 1 27.1 1.7 35.4 3

Sand (dunes)

20050601_b 173.5 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 2.9 97.1 0 1 35.5 1.8 32.6 320050701_b 168.0 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 1.0 99.0 0 1 35.1 1.7 32.4 3

Revetment, gravel, 

20060621_b 165.5 79.4 13.0 4.9 1.5 1.2 1 0 0 0 0 7.5 92.5 0 1 35.8 1.9 31.6 3

hard sand

20050510_b 160.5 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 3.0 97.0 0 1 26.8 1.9 35.6 320050810_b 146.5 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 5.3 94.7 0 1 42.5 1.1 30.5 2

Fine sediment (mud, 

20050809_b 142.0 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 2.3 97.7 0 1 28.9 2.4 35.3 3

silt)

20050602_b 140.8 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 7.4 92.6 0 1 22.9 2.5 34.8 3

Transporting sand

20050419_b 130.6 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 1.9 98.1 0 3 40.3 1.3 30.4 220060509_b 127.6 82.1 5.9 3.3 6.5 2.3 1 0 0 0 0 0.5 99.5 0 1 36.7 1.6 30.3 320050426_b 127.3 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 0.2 99.8 0 1 23.1 1.5 37.7 3

Engineered structures, bedrock

20060630_b 119.6 79.3 10.7 7.8 0.7 1.5 2 0 0 0 0 4.7 95.3 0 2 39.7 1.8 29.3 220050503_b 118.5 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 1.3 98.7 0 1 38.1 1.3 33.6 220050706_b 118.2 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 0.4 99.6 0 1 31.1 1.3 36.9 3

SWH

20050707_b 75.8 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 3.0 97.0 0 1 27.6 1.5 36.4 320050708_b 27.3 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 0.1 99.9 0 1 48.4 0.9 25.9 2

Not SWH

SWH

Not SWH

Flat

Slope

Crest
Table 8. Summary of categorical data by river section, including percent of map area, percent of relocations, and Ivlev’s selectivity coeffic[SWH, shallow-water habitat]

River section

Generalized substrate Shallow-water habitat Terrain classifi

Sand 

(dunes)

Revetment, 

gravel, hard 

sand

Fine 

sediment 

(mud, silt)

Transporting 

sand

Engineered 

structures 

(rock)

SWH Not SWH Flat Slope Cre

Percent of map area

Minimally Engineered 82.1 7.5 2.8 5.3 2.3 11.1 88.9 44.0 1.7 29Upstream Channelized 79.6 4.2 1.6 10.4 4.1 1.0 99.0 37.0 2.8 29Downstream Channelized 80.0 8.5 5.0 4.3 2.2 3.1 96.9 32.4 1.7 33All 80.0 5.8 2.7 8.1 3.4 3.5 96.5 35.7 2.1 31

Percent of relocations

Minimally Engineered 72.8 14.1 3.3 5.4 4.3 3.8 96.2 29.3 3.8 14Upstream Channelized 66.1 5.8 4.1 6.4 17.5 2.2 97.8 21.4 10.7 33Downstream Channelized 82.6 4.3 8.7 0.0 4.3 3.7 96.3 20.4 5.6 53All 69.6 8.4 4.2 5.6 12.2 3.0 97.0 24.1 7.5 29

Ivlev’s selectivity coefficient

Minimally Engineered -0.06 0.31 0.07 0.01 0.31 -0.49 0.04 -0.20 0.38 -0Upstream Channelized -0.09 0.17 0.43 -0.24 0.62 0.38 -0.01 -0.27 0.58 0Downstream Channelized 0.02 -0.32 0.27 -1.00 0.32 0.09 -0.00 -0.23 0.52 0All -0.07 0.18 0.22 -0.18 0.57 -0.07 0.00 -0.20 0.55 -0
58 Assessment of Lower Missouri River Physical Aquatic Habitat and Its Use by Adult Sturgeon (Genus Scaphirhynchus), 2005–07

Specifically, the reclassification was as follows: 

velocity gradient: 80–100 percentile = 1

depth slope: 80–100 percentile = 1

Froude number: 0–20 percentile = 1

After reclassifying each individual variable, we combined 

the maps by adding them together. In the resulting maps, each 

grid cell has a value from 0 to 3, representing the number of 

variables that fall within the ranges specified above. Groups of 

grid cells form selected patches.

The resulting maps show different patterns in each major 

section of river. Example reaches that illustrate some of these 

patterns are shown in figure 22. In the Minimally Engineered 

section, the areas of predicted selection form a relatively 

complex mosaic with abundant connections among selected 

patches, often forming a series of longitudinal pathways 

through the reach. In the Upstream Channelized section, the 

patches of predicted selection are strongly associated with the 

edges of the channel, and the values are often coincident with 

each other. In the Downstream Channelized section, predicted 

selected patches tend to be at the channel margins, especially 

in dike fields.

To assess whether these patches predict sturgeon relocations, we summarized the number of sturgeon relocations within each patch in each map, limiting the analysis to 

sturgeon relocations from the same year as the map. Findings 

from this simple analysis support the idea that sturgeon are 

indeed using certain patches more than others in a predictable 

way. Of 2,013 relocations in total, about 18 percent of these 

fell within about 4 percent of the map area where all three 

variables were in the predicted selection ranges; about 63 percent of the relocations fell within about 35 percent of the area 

represented by at least one variable in the predicted selection 

ranges (table 9).

Discussion

Describing habitats selected by adult Scaphirhynchus

sturgeon in the Lower Missouri River is just one step in the 

process of developing a broader understanding of how sturgeon perceive habitat, the relative value of different habitats 

to sturgeon, and what constitutes quality sturgeon habitat. 

Ultimately, the improved understanding can contribute to 

determining how and to what extent habitat alteration contributes to the decline of sturgeon species in the Lower Missouri 

River. We observed and described relations between positions 

of sturgeon and environmental characteristics. Sturgeon can go 

almost anywhere within the channel, but they show a tendency 

to select some habitats while avoiding others. These relations 

are based on observations of sturgeon habitat selection in an 

altered system, so we caution against extending these results 

to infer sturgeon habitat needs or preferences. That said, the 

relatively consistent patterns of selection for high depth slope, 

high velocity gradient, and low Froude number in geomorphically diverse river sections suggests that some sturgeon 

responses to habitat may transcend availability. In contrast, 

selection for depth appears more complex. The difference in 

depth selection may indicate interaction with other factors like 

turbidity, which could affect a sturgeon’s need to seek greater 

depths for cover or to seek prey. 

The two primary methods for the analysis of habitat 

selection in this report yielded results that were largely complementary (figs. 20, 21). The decile approach most directly 

addressed the concept of habitat selection by comparing variable values at sturgeon relocations to the range of available 

habitat that was available strictly within the reach where each 

sturgeon was found. In contrast, Ivlev’s selectivity coefficients 

yielded results in terms of the actual values of the habitat 

variables that sturgeon tend to select or avoid. Such values 

may be more readily useful from an engineering standpoint. 

The similarity of the results obtained from both methods is an 

indicator of robustness. We feel that the robustness also is a 

byproduct of ensuring that Ivlev’s selectivity coefficients were 

computed within geomorphically similar river sections under 

non-extreme flow conditions. 

The best descriptors of selected habitat that we have 

explored are depth slope, velocity gradient, and Froude number. Quantification of these variables can be used in exploratory modeling of habitat, and, therefore, in the prediction of 

how channel reconfigurations and flow changes could alter the 

distribution of identified habitat. Hydrodynamic modeling can 

help to better define how patches defined by these variables 

change as a function of discharge. Initial assessments suggest 

that selected patches may show some persistence across discharge; this may be because of the interrelation of variables in 

question: depth and velocity tend to be correlated, as do depth 

slope and velocity gradient to a lesser degree. Because depth 

slope is effectively independent of discharge if the bed is 

stable, persistence of major patterns of depth slope and velocity gradient across moderate changes in discharge is a reasonable expectation. For habitat assessments that have taken the 

approach of defining patches based on specified ranges of 

depth and velocity (for example, Jacobson and others, 2009b), 

it may be the edges, not the patches themselves, that are 

important. Analysis of habitat patch and edge structure should 

also address longitudinal and lateral connectivity, especially 

for habitats which are for migrating, reproductive adults. 

The habitat template varies by section of the Lower Missouri River. Developing an understanding of habitat selection 

and distributions may eventually provide some guidance on 

what types of habitats may need to be increased in specific 

parts of the river. Selected habitats and patch structure are 

most complex and interconnected in the Minimally Engineered section, which may be closest to a reference condition 

in a geomorphic sense. The fragmented patch structure of the 

Upstream Channelized section indicates that it could be relatively unsupportive of adult sturgeon. Conversely, recovering 

dynamism of habitats has been suggested as a restoration goal 

for the Lower Missouri River (National Research Council, 

2002). The Upstream Channelized section has active in-chan-
Discussion 59

Figure 22. Example maps from each river section showing the distribution of areas with high depth slope, high velocity 

gradient, and/or low Froude number. Sturgeon relocations from the year of mapping are also shown. Each grid cell 

represents the number of the following criteria that were met: depth slope greater than the 80th percentile in the reach, 

velocity gradient greater than the 80th percentile in the reach, and Froude number less than the 20th percentile in the reach.

760

738

739

Universal Transverse Mercator projection

Zone 14

0 100 200 METERS

0 500 1,000 FEET

775

797

EXPLANATION

River miles (1960) from U.S. Army Corps of Engineers;

Sturgeon relocations from U.S. Geological Survey,

DeLonay and others, 2007b; Aaron J. DeLonay, unpub. data, 2008

Number is distance upstream

from the junction with the

Mississippi River, in miles

752

753

Minimally Engineered section

June 15, 2005

May 30, 2007

May 2, 2007

May 23, 2007

June 1, 2007

0 variables

1 variable

2 variables

3 variables

River-mile marker—

Number of the following conditions that are satisified:

Depth slope between the 80th percentile and maximum

Velocity gradient between the 80th percentile and maximum

Froude number between the minimum and 20th percentile

2005 sturgeon relocation

2006 sturgeon relocation

2007 sturgeon relocation

Sturgeon relocations from the

year of mapping

A
60 Assessment of Lower Missouri River Physical Aquatic Habitat and Its Use by Adult Sturgeon (Genus Scaphirhynchus), 2005–07

588

589

0 100 200 METERS

0 500 1,000 FEET

665

666

647

648

725

638

639

Universal Transverse Mercator projection

Zone 14

River miles (1960) from U.S. Army Corps of Engineers;

Sturgeon relocations from U.S. Geological Survey,

DeLonay and others, 2007b; Aaron J. DeLonay, unpub. data, 2008

Upstream Channelized section

June 2, 2007

June 6, 2006

May 11, 2005

April 20, 2005

May 23, 2005

B

Figure 22. Example maps from each river section showing the distribution of areas with high depth slope, high velocity 

gradient, and/or low Froude number. Sturgeon relocations from the year of mapping are also shown. Each grid cell 

represents the number of the following criteria that were met: depth slope greater than the 80th percentile in the reach, 

velocity gradient greater than the 80th percentile in the reach, and Froude number less than the 20th percentile in the 

reach.—Continued
Discussion 61

187

186

174

173

0 100 200 METERS

0 500 1,000 FEET

197

196

Universal Transverse Mercator projection

Zone 15

River miles (1960) from U.S. Army Corps of Engineers;

Sturgeon relocations from U.S. Geological Survey,

DeLonay and others, 2007b; Aaron J. DeLonay, unpub. data, 2008

290

289

128

127

Downstream Channelized section

July 6, 2006

July 7, 2006

May 27, 2005

June 1, 2005

May 9, 2006

C

Figure 22. Example maps from each river section showing the distribution of areas with high depth slope, high velocity 

gradient, and/or low Froude number. Sturgeon relocations from the year of mapping are also shown. Each grid cell 

represents the number of the following criteria that were met: depth slope greater than the 80th percentile in the reach, 

velocity gradient greater than the 80th percentile in the reach, and Froude number less than the 20th percentile in the 

reach.—Continued
62 Assessment of Lower Missouri River Physical Aquatic Habitat and Its Use by Adult Sturgeon (Genus Scaphirhynchus), 2005–07

nel dynamics that may have important ecological functions 

(Elliott and others, 2009).

This study addresses a specific cross-section of time, 

geography, discharge conditions, and portion of the sturgeon 

life cycle with a focus on reproductive female shovelnose 

sturgeon. Use of certain habitats by sturgeon in the modern 

river does not necessarily mean that those are the habitats that 

the sturgeon would have used under pre-alteration channel 

and flow conditions, nor does selection of those habitats in the 

modern river necessarily mean that individual sturgeon are or 

will be successful reproductively or otherwise. More work is 

needed to identify factors limiting reproduction and survival. 

At the outset of this project (2005), the understanding 

of Scaphirhynchus sturgeon movement and habitat use in 

the Missouri River was rudimentary, and little information 

existed to develop testable hypotheses regarding how sturgeon 

interact with and select habitat. The 2005 through 2007 data 

thus provided basic observations suitable for exploratory data 

analysis as presented in this report. We offer a series of ideas 

for future data collection and analysis. The order of this list is 

not intended to be a prioritization. Overall, the list is roughly 

ordered so that it begins with ideas that are easier to achieve 

within the existing research framework and ends with suggestions that require substantially more data and associated 

investment of resources. 

• Develop a set of informed, mathematically based, 

working hypotheses regarding habitat selection to be 

tested with an information theoretic approach using 

new data (Burnham and Anderson, 2002). Hypotheses 

should be based on results from the exploratory analysis combined with expert opinion. 

• Assess migration and energy expenditure: 

• Develop a better understanding of migratory pathways. Document migratory paths in greater detail 

with high frequency telemetry relocations within a 

reach while mapping habitat simultaneously. Assess 

the extent to which migratory paths coincide with 

hypothesized selection zones.

• Assess energy expenditure through migratory pathways through reaches with distinct geomorphic characteristics (for example, Standen and others, 2002) 

and whether this might affect spawning success. 

Consider availability and use of low-energy expenditure pathways, and how these vary by river section. 

Physiological assessments of stress or analysis of 

rates of migration through different river sections 

may also yield insight to this question.

• Assess use of natural and constructed side-channel 

chutes for migration (as observed in 2008, Aaron J. 

DeLonay, unpub. data, 2008) and the habitat conditions in chutes in comparison to the main channel.

• Document habitat in greater detail, such that available habitat is mapped at the scale of sturgeon (with 

grid cell resolution of 1 meter or less). For example, 

develop an understanding of how sturgeon interact 

with bedforms and the extent to which they move up 

and down in the water column. Multibeam bathymetric mapping and hydroacoustic imaging technologies 

could be deployed to address these questions. 

• Further assess relations between discharge, channel 

morphology, and habitat:

• Consider habitat availability as a function of discharge in a hydrodynamic model context (Jacobson 

and others, 2009b), specifically considering the 

occurrence of ranges of variables that sturgeon show 

a tendency to select. Expand spatial understanding of 

habitats in terms of patch structure and juxtaposition. 

Consider a historic context in a semiquantitative way 

by comparing a hydrodynamic model for modern 

conditions with one for pre-engineered conditions (for example, Jacobson and Galat, 2006). For 

example, how does availability of low energy habitat 

at high flow in a pre-engineered context compare to 

that in the modern channel?

• Assess the effect of discharge on habitat selection. 

Document where sturgeon go at extreme discharges, 

and attempt to make maps in close time proximity 

to relocations if discharge conditions are changing 

rapidly. At high discharge, do sturgeon continue to 

Table 9. Comparison of distribution of shovelnose sturgeon relocations to distribution of high depth slope, high velocity gradient, and/

or low Froude habitats.

Number of variables meeting 

specified criteria (high depth 

slope, high velocity gradient, 

low Froude number)

Minimally Engineered Upstream Channelized Downstream Channelized Total

Percent of 

shovelnose 

sturgeon 

relocations

Percent of 

mapped 

area

Percent of 

shovelnose 

sturgeon 

relocations

Percent of 

mapped 

area

Percent of 

shovelnose 

sturgeon 

relocations

Percent of 

mapped 

area

Percent of 

shovelnose 

sturgeon 

relocations

Percent of 

mapped 

area

All three variables 12 2 23 5 15 4 18 4

Two variables 22 7 23 10 20 11 22 10

One variable 22 29 21 15 33 24 23 21

Zero variables 43 62 34 70 32 61 37 64
References Cited 63

migrate? Do they seek refuge? How do they respond 

to high rates of sediment transport? How do available conditions in the modern channel compare to 

conditions that would have been available at similar 

discharges in a natural channel? Is sturgeon habitat 

limited or are patch dynamics significantly altered at 

low flow conditions? How does ice alter habitat during low winter discharge?

• Assess sturgeon use and selection of habitats associated with engineered channel modifications.

• Consider whether shovelnose and pallid sturgeon select 

habitat in the same way, and whether habitat use and 

availability explains patterns of distribution and rarity.

• Expand data collection and analysis of habitat use and 

selection to include full reproductive cycles extending 

over multiple years. This includes: 

• Continuation of work to document and verify specific spawning habitat patches; this remains a high 

priority for understanding spawning habitat and 

spawning success (Bergman and others, 2008).

• Comparison of habitat use based on behavior and 

context of movement history (semistationary, migrating upstream, migrating downstream). Does habitat 

use vary prior to and after spawning? 

• Study of younger life stages. Migrating adults may 

not be a bottleneck in reproductive success (Wildhaber and others, 2007a), so habitat use by larval and 

juvenile sturgeon should be considered, too. 

• Consideration of seasonal use of habitat. For 

example, in a habitat context, where do sturgeon 

overwinter?

• Expand understanding of habitat function. For example, are foraging habitats different from migratory 

habitats? When and where do sturgeon feed? 

• Expand from a species-centric focus to an ecosystemlevel understanding by addressing habitats of species 

with which sturgeon interact. What habitats are important to prey species of sturgeon? Are pallid sturgeon 

and shovelnose sturgeon competitors? How does 

habitat affect invasive species (such as Asian carp, 

Kolar and others, 2007), and to what extent do invasive 

species affect sturgeon? 

Summary

This exploratory analysis provided information about 

the longitudinal geomorphology and hydraulics of the Lower 

Missouri River, the distribution of sturgeon within the range of 

available habitat, and the distribution of habitat that appears to 

be selected by sturgeon.

The habitat structure of the river is strongly related to the 

engineering framework. The Minimally Engineered section, 

from Gavins Point Dam to Sioux City, Iowa, has the least 

engineered channel with typical reaches exhibiting shallow 

depths, high widths, and relatively low mean velocities. In the 

Upstream Channelized section of the river, from Sioux City to 

beyond the junction with the Platte River, the channel typically is narrow, deep, and relatively fast. In the Downstream 

Channelized section of the river, downstream from Kansas 

City, the channel widens and has more complexity; the navigation channel is deep and fast, but more diversity exists along 

the channel margins. The longitudinal geomorphic patterns 

indicate that choices of habitat available to sturgeon are different depending on location in the river. 

An assessment of the environmental characteristics at 

sturgeon relocations compared to each surrounding reach 

suggests that sturgeon were found in nearly the full range of 

available habitat. However, sturgeon do show a tendency to 

select some habitats while avoiding others. The patterns of 

depth availability and selection by sturgeon vary considerably among river sections. In contrast, patterns of selection 

for other variables show consistency among river sections. In 

particular, during the spring and summer months of this study, 

reproductive female shovelnose sturgeon tended to select areas 

of high velocity gradient, high depth slope, and/or low Froude 

number. 

Composite maps illustrate the spatial patterns of habitats 

characterized by high velocity gradient, high depth slope, and/

or low Froude number. Sturgeon relocations are disproportionately located in areas with these characteristics. Furthermore, 

the spatial patterns of these selected habitats show distinct 

difference among the sections of the Lower Missouri River. 

Because the patterns described in this report represent habitat 

use in the context of the available habitat in a highly altered 

river system, selection may not necessarily indicate preferred 

habitats or habitats sufficient for reproduction and survival of 

sturgeon species. 

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gorbuscha) and sockeye (Oncorhynchus nerka) salmon as 

assessed by EMG telemetry: Canadian Journal of Fisheries 

and Aquatic Sciences, v. 29, p. 1,809–1,818.

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wildlife mitigation project: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers., 

accessed on January 21, 2009, at http://www.nwk.usace.

army.mil/projects/mitigation/seis-download.htm

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 2004, Summary Missouri 

River final environmental impact statement—Master water 

control manual review and update: U.S. Army Corps of 

Engineers—Northwestern Division, 32 p., accessed on 

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U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 2007, Missouri River stage 

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U.S. Army Corps of Engineers—Northwestern Division, 

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U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 2000, Biological opinion on 

the operation of the Missouri River main stem reservoir 

system, operation and maintenance of the Missouri River 

Bank Stabilization and Navigation Project, and operation of 

the Kansas River Reservoir System: U.S. Fish and Wildlife 

Service, 296 p., accessed on January 21, 2009, at http://

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U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 2003, Amendment to the 2000 

biological opinion on the operation of the Missouri River 

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the Missouri River Bank Stabilization and Navigation Project, and operation of the Kansas River Reservoir System: 

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service., 308 p., accessed on January 

21, 2009, at http://www.nwd-mr.usace.army.mil/mmanual/

FinalBO2003.pdf

Weiss, A.D., 2001, Topographic positions and landforms analysis [abs.]: Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc. 

(ESRI) International User Conference, San Diego, Calif.

Wildhaber, M.L., DeLonay, A.J., Papoulias, D.M., Galat, D.L., 

Jacobson, R.B., Simpkins, D.G., Braaten, P.J., Korschgen, 

C.E., and Mac, M.J., 2007a, A conceptual life-history model 

for pallid and shovelnose sturgeon: U.S. Geological Survey 

Circular 1315, 19 p.

Wildhaber, M.L., Papoulias, D.M., DeLonay, A.J., Tillitt, D.E., 

Bryan, J.L., and Annis, M.L., 2007b, Physical and hormonal examination of Missouri River shovelnose sturgeon 

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Ichthyology, v. 23, p. 382–401.

Wilson, J.A., and McKinley, R.S., 2004, Distribution, habitat, 

and movements, in LeBreton, G.T.O., Beamish, F.W.H., and 

McKinley, R.S., eds., Sturgeons and paddlefish of North 

America: Dordrecht, the Netherlands, Kluwer Academic 

Publishers, p. 40–72.

Yang Yu, Yan Zhong-min, and Chang Jian-bo, 2007, Computation and analysis of the cross-section mean vorticity in Chinese sturgeon spawning area: Advances in Water Science, 

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determine habitat selection by fish: Rivers, v. 6, p. 10–18.
68 Assessment of Lower Missouri River Physical Aquatic Habitat and Its Use by Adult Sturgeon (Genus Scaphirhynchus), 2005–07
Table 4 69

Table 4
Table 4. Reach map data for sturgeon relocations on reach maps within 7 days and 10 percent discharge.—Continued [m, meter; m/s, meter per second; SWH, shallow-water habitat (depth < 1.5 m, velocity < 0.6 m/s); ft3/s, cubic foot per second; --, no data] Sturgeon identification code River mile of sturgeon relocation Relocation date Map identification Depth (m) Depth slope (degrees) Velocity (m/s) Velocity gradient (percent per meter) Froude number Substrate SWH Terrain class Estimated discharge on relocation date (ft3/s) 

PLS05-006 808.3 July 18, 2006 20060711_f 3.3 1.2 0.87 0.96 0.15 -- No Flat 25,500 PLS05-006 808.2 July 10, 2006 20060711_f 4.2 0.8 1.12 0.63 0.17 -- No Flat 25,500 SNS07-093 807.0 May 15, 2007 20070516_f 3.5 2.8 0.45 0.85 0.08 -- No Depression 8,000 SNS07-093 806.6 May 23, 2007 20070524_f 3.7 4.4 0.44 1.41 0.07 -- No Depression 11,300 SNS07-093 806.5 May 21, 2007 20070524_f 3.3 2.8 0.51 0.25 0.09 -- No Depression 11,000 SNS07-093 806.4 May 17, 2007 20070516_f 4.4 0.5 0.41 0.20 0.06 -- No Depression 8,000 SNS07-093 806.3 May 27, 2007 20070524_f 4.8 0.4 0.54 0.19 0.08 -- No Depression 12,000 SNS07-081 801.9 May 9, 2007 20070510_f 2.4 1.3 0.38 0.12 0.08 -- No Depression 8,000 SNS07-088 797.4 May 25, 2007 20070601_f 1.5 0.4 0.60 0.25 0.15 -- No Flat 21,500 SNS07-169 797.1 May 25, 2007 20070601_f 1.5 0.6 0.67 0.14 0.18 -- No Flat 21,500 SNS07-085 797.0 May 31, 2007 20070601_f 1.4 1.1 0.63 0.73 0.17 -- No Flat 20,800 SNS07-122 782.5 May 17, 2007 20070518_f 2.6 1.0 0.71 1.45 0.14 -- No Flat 20,100 SNS07-162 782.4 May 23, 2007 20070518_f 1.7 1.6 0.40 0.68 0.10 -- No Flat 18,500 SNS07-164 775.3 May 27, 2007 20070530_f 1.3 1.2 0.61 0.95 0.17 -- Yes Crest 17,700 SNS07-115 775.2 June 2, 2007 20070530_f 5.8 1.8 1.45 1.26 0.19 -- No Depression 16,500 SNS07-164 775.1 May 29, 2007 20070530_f 2.9 1.1 0.90 0.84 0.17 -- No Flat 17,700 SNS07-127 775.1 May 29, 2007 20070530_f 2.9 3.9 0.80 1.38 0.15 -- No Flat 17,700 SNS07-139 775.1 May 29, 2007 20070530_f 2.4 0.4 0.93 0.43 0.19 -- No Flat 17,700 SNS07-080 775.1 May 27, 2007 20070530_f 4.2 2.5 1.08 2.56 0.17 -- No Depression 17,700 SNS07-118 774.9 June 2, 2007 20070530_f 5.0 3.8 0.85 0.61 0.12 -- No Depression 16,500 SNS05-066 759.7 June 14, 2005 20050615_f 1.0 0.5 0.40 1.08 0.13 -- Yes Crest 27,300 PLS07-004 759.5 May 20, 2007 20070521_f 3.8 1.4 0.95 0.88 0.16 -- No Depression 23,400 PLS07-004 759.5 May 20, 2007 20070521_f 3.4 2.3 0.78 0.83 0.14 -- No Flat 23,400 SNS07-076 753.3 May 24, 2007 20070523_f 1.1 0.6 0.41 0.32 0.13 -- Yes Flat 23,500 SNS07-159 753.1 May 24, 2007 20070523_f 3.2 0.6 1.17 0.21 0.21 -- No Depression 23,500 SNS07-141 753.0 May 20, 2007 20070523_f 3.2 2.8 1.04 1.90 0.18 -- No Depression 23,400 SNS07-104 752.9 May 24, 2007 20070523_f 3.2 0.6 1.03 0.07 0.18 -- No Depression 23,500 SNS07-104 752.8 May 20, 2007 20070523_f 3.0 1.5 1.00 0.35 0.18 -- No Depression 23,400 SNS07-147 752.5 May 24, 2007 20070523_f 1.6 0.3 0.53 0.16 0.14 -- No Crest 23,500 SNS07-135 752.3 May 20, 2007 20070523_f 1.5 1.0 0.64 0.52 0.17 -- No Crest 23,400 SNS06-060 752.1 June 16, 2006 20060622_f 3.1 0.7 0.53 0.42 0.10 Sand (dunes) No Depression 27,400 SNS07-135 752.1 May 16, 2007 20070523_f 3.8 1.4 0.78 0.23 0.13 -- No Depression 26,600 SNS06-060 752.0 May 16, 2007 20070523_f 3.5 1.4 0.93 0.44 0.16 -- No Depression 26,600 SNS06-085 749.5 June 16, 2006 20060620_f 2.3 5.3 0.32 0.69 0.07 -- No Crest 27,400 SNS06-085 749.4 June 26, 2006 20060620_f 7.3 21.1 0.60 2.63 0.08 -- No Depression 26,300 SNS06-085 749.4 June 14, 2006 20060620_f 2.9 3.4 0.57 0.64 0.11 -- No Flat 26,400 SNS06-083 749.4 June 14, 2006 20060620_f 1.5 3.5 0.26 1.91 0.07 -- Yes Crest 26,400 
Table 4. Reach map data for sturgeon relocations on reach maps within 7 days and 10 percent discharge.—Continued[m, meter; m/s, meter per second; SWH, shallow-water habitat (depth < 1.5 m, velocity < 0.6 m/s); ft3/s, cubic foot per second; --, no data]

Velocity Estimated 

Sturgeon River mile Depth Relocation Map Depth Velocity gradient Froude Terrain discharge on 

identification of sturgeon slope Substrate SWH date identification (m) (m/s) (percent per number class relocation date 

code relocation (degrees) meter) (ft3/s) 

SNS06-083 749.4 June 16, 2006 20060620_f 1.6 6.3 -- -- -- -- -- Crest 27,400 SNS06-085 749.4 June 20, 2006 20060620_f 5.9 9.0 0.80 1.58 0.11 -- No Depression 26,400 SNS06-083 749.4 June 20, 2006 20060620_f 5.6 7.0 0.62 1.77 0.09 -- No Depression 26,400 SNS05-063 746.3 June 9, 2005 20050610_f 3.7 6.0 0.65 2.84 0.11 Sand (dunes) No Slope 34,000 SNS07-089 745.3 May 19, 2007 20070525_f 1.8 1.3 0.80 0.22 0.19 Sand (dunes) No Flat 21,100 SNS06-083 743.8 July 11, 2006 20060712_f 3.8 15.7 0.71 0.73 0.12 Revetment, gravel, No Slope 26,200 

hard sand

SNS06-085 743.3 July 13, 2006 20060712_f 5.4 5.0 0.78 1.27 0.11 Sand (dunes) No Depression 26,100 SNS06-085 743.2 July 11, 2006 20060712_f 3.9 9.0 0.90 0.91 0.15 Sand (dunes) No Slope 26,200 SNS07-132 738.7 May 4, 2007 20070502_f 3.2 2.2 0.77 1.45 0.14 Sand (dunes) No Depression 12,700 SNS07-132 738.7 May 1, 2007 20070502_f 3.5 6.3 0.71 2.58 0.13 Revetment, gravel, No Depression 12,400 

hard sand

SNS07-137 738.4 May 4, 2007 20070502_f 1.5 1.8 0.65 0.71 0.17 Sand (dunes) No Flat 12,700 SNS07-162 738.2 May 1, 2007 20070502_f 2.1 0.8 0.65 0.55 0.14 Sand (dunes) No Flat 12,400 SNS07-162 738.2 May 2, 2007 20070502_f 3.2 1.9 0.45 0.17 0.08 Fine sediment (mud, No Depression 12,100 

silt)

SNS07-162 738.2 May 4, 2007 20070502_f 1.9 0.5 0.51 0.70 0.12 Fine sediment (mud, No Flat 12,700 

silt)

SNS07-094 738.1 May 1, 2007 20070502_f 4.1 3.6 0.82 0.59 0.13 Sand (dunes) No Depression 12,400 SNS07-169 738.1 May 1, 2007 20070502_f 4.7 3.0 0.77 1.26 0.12 Sand (dunes) No Depression 12,400 SNS07-169 738.1 May 2, 2007 20070502_f 1.3 0.4 0.74 0.47 0.20 Sand (dunes) No Crest 12,100 SNS07-132 737.3 May 8, 2007 20070509_f 1.5 0.4 0.73 0.25 0.19 Sand (dunes) No Crest 13,700 SNS07-147 737.1 May 8, 2007 20070509_f 2.7 3.0 0.37 0.37 0.07 Fine sediment (mud, No Depression 13,700 

silt)

SNS06-057 736.5 May 8, 2007 20070509_f 2.3 0.5 0.60 1.14 0.13 Sand (dunes) No Flat 13,700 SNS07-040 736.4 May 8, 2007 20070509_f 3.0 1.7 0.66 0.43 0.12 Sand (dunes) No Depression 13,700 SNS07-079 735.9 May 8, 2007 20070509_f 3.0 4.5 0.61 0.95 0.11 Sand (dunes) No Depression 13,700 SNS07-109 735.0 May 5, 2007 20070503_f 1.6 0.7 0.55 0.13 0.14 Revetment, gravel, No Flat 13,300 

hard sand

SNS07-126 735.0 June 5, 2007 20070612_f 3.3 2.9 0.86 1.12 0.15 Engineered structures No Flat 24,200 

(rock)

SNS07-107 735.0 June 9, 2007 20070612_f 3.2 2.1 0.75 0.30 0.13 Sand (dunes) No Flat 23,500 SNS07-089 734.9 May 1, 2007 20070503_f 5.8 17.4 0.48 1.06 0.06 Sand (dunes) No Depression 12,400 SNS07-109 734.9 May 1, 2007 20070503_f 1.6 0.3 0.69 0.20 0.17 Sand (dunes) No Flat 12,400 SNS07-138 734.9 May 1, 2007 20070503_f 2.6 12.5 0.44 0.37 0.09 Sand (dunes) No Slope 12,400 SNS07-089 734.9 May 1, 2007 20070503_f 7.1 15.2 0.52 1.35 0.06 Sand (dunes) No Depression 12,400 SNS07-123 734.9 May 5, 2007 20070503_f 7.5 8.5 0.58 0.72 0.07 Sand (dunes) No Depression 13,300 SNS07-109 734.9 May 2, 2007 20070503_f 5.5 5.6 0.63 0.48 0.09 Transporting sand No Depression 12,100 
Table 4. Reach map data for sturgeon relocations on reach maps within 7 days and 10 percent discharge.—Continued[m, meter; m/s, meter per second; SWH, shallow-water habitat (depth < 1.5 m, velocity < 0.6 m/s); ft3/s, cubic foot per second; --, no data]

Velocity Estimated 

Sturgeon River mile Depth Relocation Map Depth Velocity gradient Froude Terrain discharge on 

identification of sturgeon slope Substrate SWH date identification (m) (m/s) (percent per number class relocation date 

code relocation (degrees) meter) (ft3/s) 

SNS07-138 734.9 May 2, 2007 20070503_f 5.4 5.8 0.63 0.46 0.09 Transporting sand No Depression 12,100 SNS07-144 734.9 May 2, 2007 20070503_f 5.5 5.6 0.63 0.48 0.09 Transporting sand No Depression 12,100 SNS07-107 734.9 June 19, 2007 20070612_f 4.9 8.5 0.76 0.92 0.11 Sand (dunes) No Depression 23,400 SNS07-138 734.8 May 5, 2007 20070503_f 3.6 13.0 0.65 1.85 0.11 Sand (dunes) No Depression 13,300 SNS07-141 734.8 May 1, 2007 20070503_f 2.2 3.4 0.54 0.68 0.12 Sand (dunes) No Flat 12,400 SNS07-171 734.8 May 2, 2007 20070503_f 2.8 2.3 0.74 0.49 0.14 Transporting sand No Depression 12,100 SNS07-107 734.8 June 14, 2007 20070612_f 2.1 2.2 0.29 1.85 0.07 Sand (dunes) No Crest 23,800 SNS07-107 734.8 June 13, 2007 20070612_f 1.1 2.9 0.33 0.66 0.10 Revetment, gravel, Yes Crest 23,800 

hard sand

SNS07-107 734.8 June 11, 2007 20070612_f 2.8 1.2 0.90 0.31 0.17 Sand (dunes) No Flat 23,200 SNS07-073 734.7 May 1, 2007 20070503_f 5.8 2.9 1.01 0.89 0.13 Sand (dunes) No Depression 12,400 SNS07-073 734.7 May 2, 2007 20070503_f 4.3 0.8 0.91 0.60 0.14 Sand (dunes) No Depression 12,100 SNS07-154 734.6 May 5, 2007 20070503_f 4.6 7.4 0.65 0.52 0.10 Revetment, gravel, No Depression 13,300 

hard sand

SNS07-123 734.6 May 1, 2007 20070503_f 4.4 7.9 0.65 0.51 0.10 Revetment, gravel, No Depression 12,400 

hard sand

SNS07-073 734.5 May 5, 2007 20070503_f 5.3 5.1 0.63 0.73 0.09 Revetment, gravel, No Depression 13,300 

hard sand

SNS07-154 734.5 May 1, 2007 20070503_f 5.9 4.9 0.61 0.93 0.08 Sand (dunes) No Depression 12,400 SNS07-165 734.5 May 1, 2007 20070503_f 5.0 2.5 0.65 0.43 0.09 Sand (dunes) No Depression 12,400 SNS07-118 734.5 June 14, 2007 20070612_f 3.3 4.2 0.88 1.68 0.15 Engineered structures No Flat 23,800 

(rock)

SNS07-165 734.3 May 2, 2007 20070503_f 1.6 1.0 0.59 0.19 0.15 Sand (dunes) No Crest 12,100 SNS07-154 734.3 May 2, 2007 20070503_f 2.8 0.8 0.82 0.53 0.16 Sand (dunes) No Depression 12,100 SNS07-084 734.2 May 1, 2007 20070503_f 1.9 0.8 0.75 0.03 0.17 Sand (dunes) No Flat 12,400 SNS07-145 734.2 May 5, 2007 20070503_f 1.6 0.5 0.72 0.38 0.18 Sand (dunes) No Crest 13,300 SNS07-098 734.2 May 1, 2007 20070503_f 4.3 6.3 0.68 0.29 0.10 Sand (dunes) No Depression 12,400 SNS07-072 734.2 May 1, 2007 20070503_f 5.1 2.8 0.57 0.48 0.08 Sand (dunes) No Depression 12,400 SNS07-166 734.0 May 5, 2007 20070503_f 2.0 0.2 0.84 0.30 0.19 -- No Flat 4,570 SNS07-116 734.0 May 5, 2007 20070503_f 3.3 1.9 0.59 0.99 0.10 Sand (dunes) No Depression 4,570 SNS07-164 734.0 May 5, 2007 20070503_f 4.3 1.9 0.95 0.57 0.15 Sand (dunes) No Depression 4,570 SNS07-129 734.0 May 5, 2007 20070503_f 3.5 1.8 0.90 1.44 0.15 Sand (dunes) No Depression 4,570 SNS07-164 734.0 May 5, 2007 20070503_f 3.4 2.3 0.99 0.63 0.17 -- No Depression 4,570 SNS07-127 734.0 May 2, 2007 20070503_f 3.7 1.8 0.99 0.77 0.16 Sand (dunes) No Depression 5,050 SNS07-157 734.0 May 2, 2007 20070503_f 3.7 1.7 0.99 0.72 0.16 Sand (dunes) No Depression 5,050 SNS07-129 734.0 May 5, 2007 20070503_f 3.0 3.2 0.89 0.72 0.17 Sand (dunes) No Flat 13,300 SNS07-098 734.0 May 2, 2007 20070503_f 4.2 0.5 0.85 0.39 0.13 Sand (dunes) No Depression 12,100 SNS07-139 734.0 May 2, 2007 20070503_f 4.2 0.5 0.85 0.38 0.13 Sand (dunes) No Depression 12,100 
Table 4. Reach map data for sturgeon relocations on reach maps within 7 days and 10 percent discharge.—Continued[m, meter; m/s, meter per second; SWH, shallow-water habitat (depth < 1.5 m, velocity < 0.6 m/s); ft3/s, cubic foot per second; --, no data]

Velocity Estimated 

Sturgeon River mile Depth Relocation Map Depth Velocity gradient Froude Terrain discharge on 

identification of sturgeon slope Substrate SWH date identification (m) (m/s) (percent per number class relocation date 

code relocation (degrees) meter) (ft3/s) 

SNS07-150 734.0 May 2, 2007 20070503_f 4.2 0.5 0.85 0.39 0.13 Sand (dunes) No Depression 12,100 SNS07-092 733.8 May 5, 2007 20070503_f 8.4 10.7 0.58 0.58 0.06 Revetment, gravel, No Depression 17,900 

hard sand

SNS07-166 733.8 May 5, 2007 20070503_f 9.4 9.1 0.52 1.25 0.05 Sand (dunes) No Depression 17,900 SNS07-150 733.8 May 5, 2007 20070503_f 9.3 9.4 0.52 1.14 0.05 Sand (dunes) No Depression 17,900 SNS07-094 733.8 May 2, 2007 20070503_f 7.9 13.2 0.54 0.90 0.06 Revetment, gravel, No Depression 17,100 

hard sand

SNS07-092 733.8 May 2, 2007 20070503_f 7.9 13.8 0.54 0.97 0.06 Revetment, gravel, No Depression 17,100 

hard sand

SNS07-084 733.8 May 2, 2007 20070503_f 7.9 13.2 0.54 0.90 0.06 Revetment, gravel, No Depression 17,100 

hard sand

SNS07-166 733.8 May 2, 2007 20070503_f 7.9 13.2 0.54 0.90 0.06 Revetment, gravel, No Depression 17,100 

hard sand

SNS07-170 733.8 June 11, 2007 20070612_f 3.5 0.9 0.68 0.83 0.12 Sand (dunes) No Flat 25,700 SNS07-170 733.8 June 14, 2007 20070612_f 9.5 8.2 0.70 1.63 0.07 Sand (dunes) No Depression 25,900 SNS07-154 733.8 June 11, 2007 20070612_f 3.5 7.4 0.80 2.65 0.13 Sand (dunes) No Slope 25,700 SNS07-170 733.8 June 19, 2007 20070612_f 3.9 1.9 0.81 0.40 0.13 Transporting sand No Flat 25,700 SNS07-153 733.7 May 1, 2007 20070503_f 3.1 0.2 0.79 0.22 0.14 Sand (dunes) No Flat 17,800 SNS07-149 733.7 May 2, 2007 20070503_f 3.1 0.4 0.75 0.18 0.14 Sand (dunes) No Flat 17,100 SNS07-143 733.7 May 2, 2007 20070503_f 3.1 0.4 0.75 0.18 0.14 Sand (dunes) No Flat 17,100 SNS07-075 733.6 May 5, 2007 20070503_f 4.6 4.7 0.79 0.54 0.12 Sand (dunes) No Depression 17,900 SNS07-075 733.6 May 1, 2007 20070503_f 2.5 2.0 0.78 0.27 0.16 Sand (dunes) No Crest 17,800 SNS07-124 733.6 May 1, 2007 20070503_f 2.6 0.4 0.85 0.15 0.17 Sand (dunes) No Flat 17,800 SNS07-100 733.6 May 2, 2007 20070503_f 2.6 0.6 0.87 0.33 0.17 Sand (dunes) No Flat 17,100 SNS07-072 733.6 May 2, 2007 20070503_f 2.2 2.4 0.56 1.54 0.12 Revetment, gravel, No Crest 17,100 

hard sand

SNS07-153 733.6 May 2, 2007 20070503_f 2.6 0.2 0.83 0.15 0.16 Sand (dunes) No Flat 17,100 SNS07-075 733.6 May 2, 2007 20070503_f 2.6 0.2 0.83 0.14 0.17 Sand (dunes) No Flat 17,100 SNS07-170 733.6 June 9, 2007 20070612_f 1.9 6.9 Sand (dunes) -- Crest 26,200 SNS07-170 733.6 June 8, 2007 20070612_f 4.6 2.4 0.94 0.85 0.14 Sand (dunes) No Depression 26,700 SNS07-149 733.5 May 5, 2007 20070503_f 1.6 0.7 0.67 0.30 0.17 Sand (dunes) No Crest 17,900 SNS07-150 733.5 June 6, 2007 20070612_f 3.1 1.2 0.74 1.15 0.13 Sand (dunes) No Crest 27,000 SNS07-100 733.4 May 5, 2007 20070503_f 1.8 0.4 0.74 0.66 0.18 Engineered structures No Crest 17,900 

(rock)

SNS07-143 733.4 May 1, 2007 20070503_f 2.5 2.3 0.77 0.39 0.16 Sand (dunes) No Flat 17,800 SNS07-170 733.4 June 7, 2007 20070612_f 4.8 1.8 1.10 0.16 0.16 Sand (dunes) No Depression 26,800 SNS07-144 733.4 June 9, 2007 20070612_f 4.5 6.5 0.78 1.71 0.12 Engineered structures No Depression 26,200 

(rock)
Table 4. Reach map data for sturgeon relocations on reach maps within 7 days and 10 percent discharge.—Continued[m, meter; m/s, meter per second; SWH, shallow-water habitat (depth < 1.5 m, velocity < 0.6 m/s); ft3/s, cubic foot per second; --, no data]

Velocity Estimated 

Sturgeon River mile Depth Relocation Map Depth Velocity gradient Froude Terrain discharge on 

identification of sturgeon slope Substrate SWH date identification (m) (m/s) (percent per number class relocation date 

code relocation (degrees) meter) (ft3/s) 

SNS07-133 733.3 May 1, 2007 20070503_f 3.1 2.7 0.64 1.15 0.12 Sand (dunes) No Flat 17,800 SNS07-124 733.3 May 5, 2007 20070503_f 3.4 1.8 0.59 1.14 0.10 Sand (dunes) No Depression 17,900 SNS05-084 732.4 June 15, 2005 20050616_f 4.9 2.9 -- -- Depression 32,400 SNS07-079 730.2 June 22, 2007 20070615_f 4.8 13.8 0.85 3.54 0.13 Engineered structures No Depression 26,500 

(rock)

SNS07-157 730.2 June 22, 2007 20070615_f 3.7 4.1 0.75 1.99 0.12 Sand (dunes) No Flat 26,500 SNS07-079 730.2 June 9, 2007 20070615_f 3.6 11.7 0.69 2.68 0.12 Engineered structures No Slope 27,300 

(rock)

SNS07-079 730.2 June 14, 2007 20070615_f 5.0 11.1 0.83 4.48 0.13 Engineered structures No Depression 27,500 

(rock)

SNS07-079 730.1 June 20, 2007 20070615_f 5.8 10.1 1.04 3.95 0.14 Engineered structures No Depression 26,800 

(rock)

SNS07-079 730.1 June 11, 2007 20070615_f 5.9 3.6 1.14 2.88 0.15 Sand (dunes) No Depression 26,800 SNS07-157 729.8 June 20, 2007 20070615_f 4.1 3.4 0.94 1.99 0.15 Engineered structures No Flat 26,800 

(rock)

SNS07-100 729.3 June 14, 2007 20070615_f 3.6 7.7 0.96 2.46 0.17 Revetment, gravel, No Crest 27,500 

hard sand

SNS07-157 729.2 June 14, 2007 20070615_f 5.0 7.4 0.90 3.40 0.13 Sand (dunes) No Depression 27,500 SNS07-157 729.0 June 11, 2007 20070615_f 2.8 6.6 0.71 1.98 0.14 Engineered structures No Slope 26,800 

(rock)

SNS07-100 729.0 June 11, 2007 20070615_f 3.3 1.9 0.69 1.35 0.12 -- No Flat 26,800 SNS07-124 728.9 June 20, 2007 20070615_f 4.9 5.1 0.92 1.24 0.13 Sand (dunes) No Depression 26,800 SNS07-157 728.8 June 9, 2007 20070615_f 3.1 0.8 0.68 1.55 0.12 Engineered structures No Flat 27,300 

(rock)

SNS07-133 728.8 June 9, 2007 20070615_f 3.2 0.3 1.18 0.14 0.21 Sand (dunes) No Flat 27,300 SNS07-106 728.6 June 14, 2007 20070615_f 1.6 1.9 0.81 3.05 0.20 Sand (dunes) No Crest 27,500 SNS07-124 728.6 June 14, 2007 20070615_f 4.0 6.7 0.69 2.87 0.11 Sand (dunes) No Depression 27,500 SNS07-106 728.6 June 20, 2007 20070615_f 1.1 3.0 0.47 1.95 0.14 Sand (dunes) Yes Crest 26,800 SNS07-106 728.6 June 22, 2007 20070615_f 1.2 2.0 0.49 1.67 0.14 Sand (dunes) Yes Crest 26,500 SNS07-155 727.1 May 1, 2007 20070504_f 2.5 3.6 0.72 1.18 0.14 Revetment, gravel, No Flat 19,600 

hard sand

PLS07-008 726.6 May 3, 2007 20070504_f 3.4 1.1 1.15 0.47 0.20 Sand (dunes) No Flat 18,600 PLS07-008 726.6 May 4, 2007 20070504_f 3.4 1.1 1.15 0.49 0.20 Sand (dunes) No Flat 19,200 PLS07-008 726.6 May 4, 2007 20070504_f 3.4 1.1 1.15 0.48 0.20 Sand (dunes) No Flat 19,200 PLS07-008 726.6 May 4, 2007 20070504_f 3.4 1.1 1.15 0.48 0.20 Sand (dunes) No Flat 19,200 PLS07-008 726.6 May 3, 2007 20070504_f 3.0 7.8 0.73 2.54 0.13 Engineered structures No Slope 18,600 

(rock)

PLS07-008 726.6 May 3, 2007 20070504_f 3.4 1.1 1.15 0.49 0.20 Sand (dunes) No Flat 18,600 
Table 4. Reach map data for sturgeon relocations on reach maps within 7 days and 10 percent discharge.—Continued[m, meter; m/s, meter per second; SWH, shallow-water habitat (depth < 1.5 m, velocity < 0.6 m/s); ft3/s, cubic foot per second; --, no data]

Velocity Estimated 

Sturgeon River mile Depth Relocation Map Depth Velocity gradient Froude Terrain discharge on 

identification of sturgeon slope Substrate SWH date identification (m) (m/s) (percent per number class relocation date 

code relocation (degrees) meter) (ft3/s) 

PLS07-008 726.6 May 3, 2007 20070504_f 3.4 1.1 1.15 0.46 0.20 Sand (dunes) No Flat 18,600 SNS07-155 726.6 May 3, 2007 20070504_f 7.0 15.8 0.39 2.74 0.05 Engineered structures No Depression 18,600 

(rock)

PLS07-008 726.5 May 4, 2007 20070504_f 2.6 0.3 1.08 0.51 0.21 Sand (dunes) No Crest 19,200 PLS07-008 726.5 May 4, 2007 20070504_f 2.6 0.4 1.07 0.78 0.21 Sand (dunes) No Crest 19,200 PLS07-008 726.5 May 5, 2007 20070504_f 2.9 0.4 1.07 0.18 0.20 Sand (dunes) No Flat 19,400 SNS07-098 726.3 May 3, 2007 20070504_f 2.4 2.0 0.91 0.64 0.19 Sand (dunes) No Crest 18,600 SNS07-155 726.2 May 5, 2007 20070504_f 2.7 2.7 0.95 0.87 0.19 Sand (dunes) No Flat 19,400 SNS06-058 724.8 May 22, 2006 20060523_f 4.6 8.3 0.62 3.10 0.09 Transporting sand No Depression 25,400 SNS07-040 724.8 May 29, 2007 20070602_f 4.1 1.3 0.99 0.41 0.16 Sand (dunes) No Flat 24,300 PLS07-003 724.8 May 29, 2007 20070602_f 4.1 6.1 1.18 2.21 0.19 Engineered structures No Slope 24,300 

(rock)

SNS07-040 724.8 May 31, 2007 20070602_f 4.3 1.0 0.90 0.55 0.14 Sand (dunes) No Flat 24,200 SNS07-040 724.7 June 7, 2007 20070602_f 9.7 5.5 0.89 2.60 0.09 Sand (dunes) No Depression 27,600 SNS07-059 724.5 June 9, 2007 20070602_f 3.1 9.5 1.02 1.12 0.18 Engineered structures No Crest 27,300 

(rock)

SNS07-059 724.5 June 6, 2007 20070602_f 4.4 4.9 1.05 1.07 0.16 Engineered structures No Flat 27,800 

(rock)

SNS07-059 724.5 May 31, 2007 20070602_f 3.6 8.1 1.03 1.13 0.17 Engineered structures No Slope 24,200 

(rock)

SNS07-059 724.5 June 8, 2007 20070602_f 3.1 9.5 1.03 0.98 0.19 Engineered structures No Crest 27,600 

(rock)

SNS07-059 724.5 May 29, 2007 20070602_f 5.1 6.2 1.05 1.72 0.15 Sand (dunes) No Depression 24,300 SNS07-059 724.4 June 7, 2007 20070602_f 3.1 8.9 0.92 1.35 0.16 Engineered structures No Crest 27,600 

(rock)

SNS07-040 724.4 June 8, 2007 20070602_f 2.1 0.6 0.77 0.97 0.17 Sand (dunes) No Crest 27,600 PLS07-004 718.2 June 9, 2007 20070609_f 2.4 4.0 0.74 1.13 0.15 Sand (dunes) No Crest 27,300 SNS07-072 717.8 June 8, 2007 20070609_f 4.0 1.2 1.07 0.41 0.17 Transporting sand No Flat 27,600 SNS07-171 717.8 June 9, 2007 20070609_f 2.7 10.2 0.97 0.70 0.18 Revetment, gravel, No Crest 27,300 

hard sand

SNS07-171 717.8 June 6, 2007 20070609_f 4.3 10.3 0.89 2.70 0.14 Sand (dunes) No Depression 27,800 SNS07-171 717.8 June 7, 2007 20070609_f 3.9 11.9 0.87 3.07 0.14 Revetment, gravel, No Slope 27,600 

hard sand

SNS07-171 717.7 June 8, 2007 20070609_f 4.1 1.2 1.04 0.77 0.17 Sand (dunes) No Flat 27,600 SNS06-051 709.8 May 31, 2006 20060607_f 3.4 1.6 0.82 1.42 0.14 Sand (dunes) No Flat 26,400 SNS06-058 708.6 May 31, 2006 20060607_f 4.6 10.1 0.67 2.00 0.10 Sand (dunes) No Slope 26,400 SNS07-111 708.2 June 12, 2007 20070613_f 4.0 1.4 1.08 0.50 0.17 Sand (dunes) No Flat 26,700 SNS07-111 708.2 June 7, 2007 20070613_f 3.5 0.4 1.09 0.23 0.19 Transporting sand No Flat 27,600 
Table 4. Reach map data for sturgeon relocations on reach maps within 7 days and 10 percent discharge.—Continued[m, meter; m/s, meter per second; SWH, shallow-water habitat (depth < 1.5 m, velocity < 0.6 m/s); ft3/s, cubic foot per second; --, no data]

Velocity Estimated 

Sturgeon River mile Depth Relocation Map Depth Velocity gradient Froude Terrain discharge on 

identification of sturgeon slope Substrate SWH date identification (m) (m/s) (percent per number class relocation date 

code relocation (degrees) meter) (ft3/s) 

SNS07-111 708.1 June 10, 2007 20070613_f 3.6 1.0 1.05 0.13 0.18 Sand (dunes) No Flat 27,000 SNS07-175 707.4 June 8, 2007 20070613_f 4.5 11.6 0.96 1.21 0.15 Sand (dunes) No Depression 27,600 SNS07-175 707.4 June 6, 2007 20070613_f 4.4 9.3 0.95 1.16 0.15 Sand (dunes) No Depression 27,800 SNS07-175 707.4 June 7, 2007 20070613_f 6.0 8.6 1.08 1.45 0.14 Sand (dunes) No Depression 27,600 SNS07-175 707.3 June 10, 2007 20070613_f 5.7 2.0 1.27 0.41 0.17 Sand (dunes) No Depression 27,000 SNS07-175 707.2 June 12, 2007 20070613_f 2.8 1.5 0.94 0.09 0.18 Sand (dunes) No Crest 26,700 SNS07-057 706.2 May 14, 2007 20070515_f 6.6 4.8 1.27 1.79 0.16 -- No Depression 33,900 SNS07-019 706.1 May 16, 2007 20070515_f 2.8 6.3 0.71 2.99 0.13 -- No Crest 33,400 SNS07-055 705.6 May 16, 2007 20070515_f 4.5 3.3 0.87 0.47 0.13 -- No Flat 33,400 SNS07-055 705.6 May 14, 2007 20070515_f 2.8 3.7 0.73 1.79 0.14 -- No Crest 33,900 SNS07-010 702.3 June 8, 2007 20070607_f 5.7 4.1 1.16 0.76 0.15 Sand (dunes) No Depression 27,600 SNS07-010 702.3 June 6, 2007 20070607_f 5.7 5.1 1.23 0.43 0.16 Sand (dunes) No Depression 27,800 SNS07-010 702.3 June 7, 2007 20070607_f 2.5 11.6 0.99 1.36 -- -- Crest 27,600 SNS07-055 702.1 June 6, 2007 20070607_f 4.5 3.7 0.73 1.28 0.11 Sand (dunes) No Depression 27,800 SNS05-084 697.7 June 2, 2005 20050603_f 1.6 9.4 0.46 2.59 0.13 Fine sediment (mud, No Crest 29,300 

silt)

SNS05-071 693.4 June 8, 2005 20050609_f 7.2 2.4 0.86 1.58 0.10 Sand (dunes) No Depression 41,900 SNS05-071 693.0 June 16, 2005 20050617_f 2.4 4.7 0.47 2.68 0.10 Sand (dunes) No Crest 34,100 PLS07-004 692.1 May 12, 2007 20070519_f 2.6 8.4 0.76 2.06 0.16 Sand (dunes) No Crest 26,000 SNS07-021 692.0 May 18, 2007 20070519_f 4.8 8.2 0.95 1.13 0.14 Sand (dunes) No Depression 28,500 SNS07-046 691.4 May 24, 2007 20070519_f 3.5 11.5 0.62 3.52 0.12 Transporting sand No Slope 29,700 SNS07-021 689.9 May 16, 2007 20070517_f 3.8 6.1 0.64 2.89 0.10 -- No Slope 33,400 SNS07-046 689.1 May 16, 2007 20070517_f 4.5 4.0 0.66 0.38 0.10 -- No Flat 33,400 SNS07-046 689.1 May 14, 2007 20070517_f 2.8 2.1 0.83 0.97 0.16 -- No Crest 33,900 SNS07-035 689.1 May 14, 2007 20070517_f 2.7 1.8 0.86 0.48 0.17 -- No Crest 33,900 SNS07-035 689.1 May 16, 2007 20070517_f 4.2 4.5 0.65 1.12 0.10 -- No Slope 33,400 SNS07-035 689.0 May 21, 2007 20070517_f 6.2 0.4 0.69 0.73 0.09 -- No Depression 28,600 SNS07-046 689.0 May 21, 2007 20070517_f 5.7 2.6 0.84 0.46 0.11 -- No Depression 28,600 SNS05-064 686.4 May 17, 2005 20050518_f 0.0 0.0 0.61 0.74 -- -- -- 24,100 SNS05-062 686.4 May 17, 2005 20050518_f 5.0 6.3 0.69 3.79 0.10 Sand (dunes) No Depression 24,100 SNS05-057 683.9 June 17, 2005 20050624_f 2.6 6.9 0.93 2.31 0.19 Engineered structures No Crest 34,200 

(rock)

SNS05-057 683.9 June 23, 2005 20050624_f 3.7 0.7 1.19 1.20 0.20 Sand (dunes) No Flat 32,500 SNS05-063 683.4 June 23, 2005 20050624_f 2.4 1.5 0.88 1.01 0.18 Sand (dunes) No Crest 32,500 SNS05-064 674.2 May 9, 2005 20050510_f 1.8 2.7 0.56 1.90 0.13 Sand (dunes) No Crest 25,700 SNS05-062 673.3 May 9, 2005 20050510_f 2.9 10.2 0.59 2.14 0.11 Fine sediment (mud, No Crest 25,700 

silt)
Table 4. Reach map data for sturgeon relocations on reach maps within 7 days and 10 percent discharge.—Continued[m, meter; m/s, meter per second; SWH, shallow-water habitat (depth < 1.5 m, velocity < 0.6 m/s); ft3/s, cubic foot per second; --, no data]

Velocity Estimated 

Sturgeon River mile Depth Relocation Map Depth Velocity gradient Froude Terrain disch 

arge on identification of sturgeon slope Substrate SWH date identification (m) (m/s) (percent per number class reloca 

tion date code relocation (degrees) meter) ft3/s)( 

SNS05-058 672.5 June 1, 2005 20050602_f 2.0 0.7 0.63 1.41 0.14 Sand (dunes) No Crest ,80028 

SNS05-074 672.3 May 26, 2005 20050602_f 7.2 1.5 1.44 0.48 0.17 Sand (dunes) No Depression ,10028 

SNS05-052 671.8 June 1, 2005 20050602_f 5.3 1.0 1.05 0.48 0.14 Sand (dunes) No Depression ,80028 

SNS05-052 671.7 May 26, 2005 20050602_f 4.3 12.2 0.91 1.21 0.15 Sand (dunes) No Depression ,10028 

SNS06-067 670.1 June 8, 2006 20060601_f 4.8 2.0 1.04 0.59 0.15 Sand (dunes) No Depression ,10028 

SNS06-067 669.4 May 31, 2006 20060601_f 2.9 0.5 1.07 0.88 0.20 Sand (dunes) No Crest ,60026 

SNS06-072 669.1 May 31, 2006 20060601_f 5.5 10.3 0.71 2.81 0.10 Sand (dunes) No Depression ,90028 

SNS06-084 666.5 June 8, 2006 20060606_f 5.3 9.8 0.58 1.50 0.08 Engineered structures No Depression ,90029 

(rock)

SNS06-072 666.0 June 8, 2006 20060606_f 4.4 0.8 0.90 1.75 0.14 Sand (dunes) No Flat ,90029 

SNS06-072 666.0 June 8, 2006 20060606_f 4.1 3.4 0.78 1.43 0.12 Sand (dunes) No Flat ,90029 

SNS06-089 665.9 June 8, 2006 20060606_f 5.8 8.5 0.92 2.03 0.12 Sand (dunes) No Depression 29,900 

SNS06-089 665.8 May 31, 2006 20060606_f 1.4 5.8 0.34 1.78 0.09 Fine sediment (mud, Yes Crest 28,900 

silt)

SNS05-074 662.8 June 7, 2005 20050608_f 4.2 2.1 1.12 1.51 0.18 Sand (dunes) No Crest 40,900 

SNS07-033 660.7 May 11, 2007 20070512_f 3.7 12.0 0.75 2.42 0.13 -- No Crest 36,300 

SNS05-071 657.9 May 18, 2005 20050519_f 3.4 2.0 -- -- Crest 31,400 SNS05-097 657.3 May 18, 2005 20050519_f 1.7 7.8 -- -- Crest 31,400 SNS05-058 654.6 May 6, 2005 20050507_f 3.8 6.5 0.96 1.12 0.16 Sand (dunes) No Slope 26,500 

SNS05-084 651.9 May 24, 2005 20050525_f 2.4 2.3 0.58 1.99 0.12 Sand (dunes) No Crest 30,400 

SNS05-061 651.8 May 24, 2005 20050525_f 2.9 13.6 0.70 3.04 0.12 Engineered structures No Crest 30,400 

(rock)

SNS05-061 651.8 May 18, 2005 20050525_f 4.0 17.5 0.80 3.02 0.12 Engineered structures No Crest 31,400 

(rock)

SNS07-030 650.8 June 1, 2007 20070608_f 3.3 1.2 0.93 0.26 0.16 Sand (dunes) No Crest 30,300 

SNS07-030 650.7 June 7, 2007 20070608_f 1.9 4.3 0.47 1.40 0.11 Sand (dunes) No Crest 31,600 

SNS05-094 650.5 June 22, 2005 20050623_f 3.4 8.2 0.85 2.03 0.15 Engineered structures No Crest 33,300 

(rock)

SNS07-025 650.4 June 13, 2007 20070608_f 4.2 1.3 1.12 0.40 0.17 Sand (dunes) No Flat 29,800 

SNS07-025 650.4 June 7, 2007 20070608_f 4.4 1.4 1.13 0.49 0.17 Sand (dunes) No Flat 31,600 

SNS07-025 650.4 June 1, 2007 20070608_f 4.3 0.3 1.09 0.21 0.17 Sand (dunes) No Flat 30,300 

SNS05-094 650.2 June 30, 2005 20050623_f 4.0 0.9 1.22 0.26 0.20 Sand (dunes) No Flat 34,700 

SNS07-009 650.2 June 7, 2007 20070608_f 1.9 7.4 0.63 1.55 0.15 Sand (dunes) Yes Crest 31,600 

SNS06-075 650.1 June 13, 2007 20070608_f 3.3 1.1 1.11 0.42 0.20 Revetment, gravel, No Crest 29,800 

hard sand

SNS07-030 650.0 June 13, 2007 20070608_f 3.9 0.9 1.22 0.80 0.20 Transporting sand No Flat 29,800 

SNS07-066 649.5 June 7, 2007 20070608_f 2.8 1.3 0.53 0.78 0.10 Sand (dunes) No Crest 31,600 

SNS07-042 649.5 June 7, 2007 20070608_f 2.8 0.9 0.63 1.39 0.12 Transporting sand No Crest 31,600 
Table 4. Reach map data for sturgeon relocations on reach maps within 7 days and 10 percent discharge.—Continued[m, meter; m/s, meter per second; SWH, shallow-water habitat (depth < 1.5 m, velocity < 0.6 m/s); ft3/s, cubic foot per second; --, no data]

Velocity Estimated 

Sturgeon River mile Depth Relocation Map Depth Velocity gradient Froude Terrain discharge on 

identification of sturgeon slope Substrate SWH date identification (m) (m/s) (percent per number class relocation date 

code relocation (degrees) meter) (ft3/s) 

SNS06-092 648.4 April 30, 2007 20070501_f 5.1 2.4 1.07 1.78 0.15 Sand (dunes) No Depression 29,900 SNS07-045 647.8 April 30, 2007 20070501_f 1.8 2.4 0.64 1.18 0.15 Sand (dunes) No Crest 29,900 SNS07-175 646.7 April 30, 2007 20070501_f 2.7 9.5 0.85 2.84 0.18 Sand (dunes) No Crest 29,900 SNS05-054 644.8 June 13, 2005 20050614_f 8.9 4.1 0.72 3.83 0.08 Sand (dunes) No Depression 38,000 SNS05-099 643.4 August 9, 2005 20050812_f 4.6 0.7 0.80 1.12 0.12 -- No Flat 27,100 SNS07-077 643.4 June 19, 2007 20070614_f 4.7 1.3 0.91 1.27 0.13 Sand (dunes) No Flat 28,900 SNS07-077 643.4 June 13, 2007 20070614_f 4.4 1.4 0.93 0.57 0.14 Sand (dunes) No Flat 29,800 SNS07-009 642.7 June 19, 2007 20070614_f 3.9 0.6 0.68 1.80 0.11 Transporting sand No Flat 28,900 SNS06-077 641.5 May 17, 2006 20060518_f 4.5 9.3 0.74 5.39 0.11 Sand (dunes) No Slope 35,400 SNS07-176 640.9 June 14, 2007 20070616_f 4.7 2.2 0.82 0.88 0.12 Sand (dunes) No Depression 30,100 SNS07-176 640.9 June 19, 2007 20070616_f 4.8 0.8 0.93 1.18 0.14 Sand (dunes) No Depression 28,900 SNS07-176 640.8 June 21, 2007 20070616_f 4.8 2.3 0.85 1.19 0.13 Sand (dunes) No Depression 28,700 SNS07-034 640.8 June 21, 2007 20070616_f 2.9 5.1 0.77 2.46 0.14 Sand (dunes) No Crest 28,700 SNS07-034 640.7 June 19, 2007 20070616_f 3.6 6.0 0.89 2.71 0.14 Sand (dunes) No Slope 28,900 SNS05-053 640.6 May 5, 2005 20050505_f 0.0 0.0 0.84 2.25 0.13 Sand (dunes) -- -- 27,400 SNS07-034 640.6 June 14, 2007 20070616_f 6.7 4.5 1.14 2.31 0.14 Sand (dunes) No Depression 30,100 SNS05-061 640.2 May 10, 2005 20050505_f 0.0 0.0 0.79 1.02 0.11 Engineered structures -- -- 28,300 

(rock)

SNS05-061 639.7 June 6, 2005 20050601_f 3.0 5.4 0.58 1.03 0.11 Sand (dunes) No Crest 33,800 SNS05-061 639.7 May 6, 2005 20050505_f 0.0 0.0 0.54 1.16 0.12 Sand (dunes) -- -- 26,500 SNS05-061 639.6 May 31, 2005 20050601_f 4.2 16.5 0.71 0.87 0.11 Revetment, gravel, No Slope 31,600 

hard sand

SNS05-101 638.2 June 6, 2005 20050601_f 7.7 1.9 1.03 0.89 0.12 Sand (dunes) No Depression 33,800 SNS05-101 638.2 May 31, 2005 20050601_f 5.2 15.0 0.77 3.14 0.11 Engineered structures No Slope 31,600 

(rock)

SNS05-076 622.7 June 20, 2005 20050622_f 6.5 1.0 0.89 1.09 0.11 Sand (dunes) No Depression 35,500 SNS05-060 622.2 June 28, 2005 20050622_f 4.8 17.3 0.58 4.06 0.09 Fine sediment (mud, No Slope 37,100 

silt)

SNS05-095 620.0 May 11, 2005 20050512_f 4.9 8.5 1.01 1.54 0.14 Engineered structures No Depression 32,200 

(rock)

SNS05-100 618.8 June 20, 2005 20050621_f 1.9 7.1 0.45 1.46 0.10 Sand (dunes) No Crest 35,500 SNS05-076 618.6 June 28, 2005 20050621_f 1.7 6.0 0.32 0.92 0.08 Sand (dunes) No Crest 37,100 SNS05-070 611.6 May 5, 2005 20050428_f 7.5 14.4 0.96 2.48 0.11 Engineered structures No Depression 27,700 

(rock)

SNS05-098 610.7 May 5, 2005 20050506_f 6.4 8.5 0.62 3.85 0.08 Sand (dunes) No Depression 27,700 SNS05-098 610.4 May 7, 2005 20050506_f 5.5 6.9 0.67 2.49 0.09 Transporting sand No Depression 26,800 SNS05-075 610.2 May 5, 2005 20050506_f 3.6 7.2 0.81 0.51 0.13 -- No Slope 27,700 
Table 4. Reach map data for sturgeon relocations on reach maps within 7 days and 10 percent discharge.—Continued[m, meter; m/s, meter per second; SWH, shallow-water habitat (depth < 1.5 m, velocity < 0.6 m/s); ft3/s, cubic foot per second; --, no data]

Velocity Estimated 

Sturgeon River mile Depth Relocation Map Depth Velocity gradient Froude Terrain discharge on 

identification of sturgeon slope Substrate SWH date identification (m) (m/s) (percent per number class relocation date 

code relocation (degrees) meter) (ft3/s) 

SNS05-075 610.2 May 7, 2005 20050506_f 4.4 4.3 0.83 0.76 0.13 Engineered structures No Depression 26,800 

(rock)

SNS05-072 609.9 June 3, 2005 20050605_f 3.1 2.1 0.60 1.51 0.11 Sand (dunes) No Crest 33,600 SNS05-096 609.9 May 5, 2005 20050506_f 2.6 3.6 0.84 0.74 0.17 Sand (dunes) No Crest 27,700 SNS05-097 609.8 May 7, 2005 20050506_f 5.0 4.9 0.84 3.20 0.12 Transporting sand No Depression 26,800 SNS05-068 609.7 June 3, 2005 20050605_f 6.6 7.0 0.93 1.13 0.12 Revetment, gravel, No Depression 33,600 

hard sand

SNS05-071 609.4 May 5, 2005 20050506_f 6.9 13.6 0.24 2.60 0.03 Sand (dunes) No Depression 27,700 SNS05-068 609.2 May 7, 2005 20050506_f 6.6 8.4 0.63 2.01 0.08 Transporting sand No Depression 26,800 SNS05-074 609.1 May 5, 2005 20050508_f 2.4 0.7 0.70 0.75 0.14 Sand (dunes) No Crest 27,700 SNS05-076 609.1 May 7, 2005 20050508_f 3.7 3.3 0.94 1.69 0.15 Sand (dunes) No Flat 26,800 SNS05-068 609.1 May 5, 2005 20050508_f 2.9 4.6 0.80 0.97 0.15 Sand (dunes) No Crest 27,700 SNS05-076 609.0 May 5, 2005 20050429_f 5.0 8.7 0.66 1.11 0.09 Sand (dunes) No Depression 27,700 SNS05-082 608.9 May 5, 2005 20050508_f 1.8 1.2 0.61 0.83 0.15 Sand (dunes) No Crest 27,700 SNS05-084 608.8 May 7, 2005 20050508_f 4.9 10.2 0.58 2.05 0.08 Fine sediment (mud, No Depression 26,800 

silt)

SNS05-084 608.8 May 5, 2005 20050508_f 3.7 12.1 0.71 0.81 0.12 Transporting sand No Slope 27,700 SNS05-072 608.8 May 5, 2005 20050508_f 3.3 2.9 0.64 0.61 0.11 Sand (dunes) No Crest 27,700 SNS05-072 608.8 May 7, 2005 20050508_f 2.8 7.1 0.65 0.31 0.12 Revetment, gravel, No Crest 26,800 

hard sand

SNS05-095 608.7 May 7, 2005 20050508_f 7.7 14.5 0.79 1.98 0.09 Revetment, gravel, No Depression 26,800 

hard sand

SNS05-082 608.6 May 7, 2005 20050508_f 7.0 14.2 0.51 3.15 0.06 Fine sediment (mud, No Depression 26,800 

silt)

SNS05-077 608.1 May 7, 2005 20050508_f 4.9 1.0 1.03 1.06 0.15 Sand (dunes) No Flat 26,800 SNS05-077 608.1 May 5, 2005 20050508_f 5.7 3.8 Engineered structures -- Depression 27,700 

(rock)

SNS05-101 607.6 May 7, 2005 20050508_f 6.3 9.5 0.77 3.52 0.10 Engineered structures No Depression 26,800 

(rock)

SNS05-101 607.6 May 5, 2005 20050508_f 5.1 4.2 0.89 1.39 0.12 Sand (dunes) No Depression 27,700 SNS05-083 607.5 May 7, 2005 20050508_f 3.7 2.5 0.88 1.22 0.15 Sand (dunes) No Flat 26,800 SNS05-083 607.5 May 5, 2005 20050508_f 4.7 1.6 0.97 0.44 0.14 Sand (dunes) No Depression 27,700 SNS05-082 604.6 June 3, 2005 20050604_f 4.6 8.4 0.67 2.67 0.10 Fine sediment (mud, No Depression 33,600 

silt)

SNS05-089 604.0 May 16, 2005 20050517_f 3.6 0.5 1.05 2.09 0.18 Sand (dunes) No Crest 33,300 SNS05-056 603.3 June 3, 2005 20050604_f 4.5 4.9 0.76 1.28 0.11 Sand (dunes) No Slope 33,600 SNS05-073 602.9 May 8, 2005 20050509_f 3.4 10.4 1.03 1.56 0.18 Engineered structures No Crest 28,000 

(rock)
Table 4. Reach map data for sturgeon relocations on reach maps within 7 days and 10 percent discharge.—Continued[m, meter; m/s, meter per second; SWH, shallow-water habitat (depth < 1.5 m, velocity < 0.6 m/s); ft3/s, cubic foot per second; --, no data]

Velocity Estimated 

Sturgeon River mile Depth Relocation Map Depth Velocity gradient Froude Terrain discharge on 

identification of sturgeon slope Substrate SWH date identification (m) (m/s) (percent per number class relocation date 

code relocation (degrees) meter) (ft3/s) 

SNS05-069 601.9 May 8, 2005 20050509_f 6.0 2.3 1.17 0.26 0.15 Sand (dunes) No Depression 28,000 SNS05-087 601.2 May 16, 2005 20050522_f 6.8 10.8 0.61 2.42 0.08 Sand (dunes) No Depression 33,300 SNS05-073 593.4 June 10, 2005 20050611_f 7.3 13.6 1.49 3.08 0.18 Sand (dunes) No Depression 56,700 SNS05-085 588.6 May 20, 2005 20050523_f 1.9 2.2 0.43 1.27 0.10 Sand (dunes) No Crest 43,700 SNS06-076 584.2 July 6, 2006 20060713_f 3.3 5.3 0.68 3.23 0.12 Engineered structures No Slope 30,600 

(rock)

SNS06-076 584.2 July 18, 2006 20060713_f 3.5 5.3 0.77 3.26 0.13 Engineered structures No Crest 29,200 

(rock)

SNS06-076 584.2 July 12, 2006 20060713_f 3.0 8.0 0.76 3.91 0.14 Sand (dunes) No Crest 30,500 PLS06-006 583.8 July 6, 2006 20060713_f 4.7 5.8 1.13 2.81 0.17 Sand (dunes) No Depression 30,600 PLS06-006 583.8 July 12, 2006 20060713_f 4.7 1.2 1.29 0.53 0.19 Sand (dunes) No Depression 30,500 PLS06-006 583.8 July 18, 2006 20060713_f 3.4 4.4 0.96 1.77 0.17 Revetment, gravel, No Crest 29,200 

hard sand

SNS05-070 565.3 May 20, 2005 20050524_f 2.4 2.9 0.46 0.91 0.10 Sand (dunes) No Crest 43,700 SNS05-040 362.1 May 3, 2005 20050504_b 1.7 1.5 0.63 0.24 0.15 -- No Crest 39,300 SNS05-022 354.6 May 24, 2005 20050525_b 2.6 1.5 0.75 0.90 0.15 -- No Crest 52,900 PLS06-003 331.6 June 19, 2006 20060620_b 2.3 5.8 0.21 0.79 0.04 Fine sediment (mud, No Crest 35,600 

silt)

SNS05-006 330.1 April 28, 2005 20050429_b 2.5 0.7 0.84 0.65 0.17 -- No Crest 44,400 PLS06-004 327.0 May 31, 2006 20060524_b 3.0 1.7 0.79 0.55 0.15 Sand (dunes) No Crest 40,400 PLS06-004 326.8 May 25, 2006 20060524_b 3.4 1.2 1.13 0.41 0.20 Sand (dunes) No Crest 38,000 PLS06-004 326.6 May 23, 2006 20060524_b 4.6 5.5 0.83 2.47 0.12 Sand (dunes) No Slope 38,700 PLS06-004 326.4 May 17, 2006 20060524_b 6.8 10.3 0.60 4.13 0.07 Sand (dunes) No Depression 38,200 SNS05-041 324.9 May 10, 2005 20050511_b 1.4 1.6 0.63 0.52 0.17 -- No Crest 36,600 SNS05-037 315.3 April 26, 2005 20050427_b 5.4 0.5 1.13 0.42 0.16 -- No Depression 47,500 SNS05-007 311.5 May 4, 2005 20050505_b 5.0 4.5 1.00 0.47 0.14 -- No Depression 39,400 SNS05-003 291.7 May 25, 2005 20050526_b 2.8 4.1 0.55 0.79 0.10 -- No Flat 53,000 SNS06-038 289.4 July 11, 2006 20060706_b 2.9 1.4 0.90 0.77 0.17 Sand (dunes) No Crest 35,700 SNS06-038 289.4 July 5, 2006 20060706_b 2.8 1.9 0.82 0.99 0.16 Sand (dunes) No Crest 38,000 SNS06-047 281.1 June 7, 2006 20060613_b_b 3.4 1.4 0.81 0.55 0.14 Sand (dunes) No Flat 39,600 SNS06-047 281.1 June 13, 2006 20060613_b_b 2.2 4.2 0.62 1.15 0.13 Sand (dunes) No Crest 36,700 SNS06-047 281.1 June 20, 2006 20060613_b_b 3.1 1.9 0.62 1.10 0.11 Sand (dunes) No Crest 35,900 SNS06-044 280.4 May 3, 2006 20060504_b 7.9 2.0 1.31 0.34 0.15 Sand (dunes) No Depression 67,700 SNS06-044 279.8 June 7, 2006 20060608_b 1.5 4.1 0.31 0.77 0.08 Fine sediment (mud, No Crest 39,600 

silt)

SNS05-015 275.6 June 9, 2005 20050610_b 5.5 2.3 1.22 1.20 0.17 -- No Crest 88,700 SNS06-034 248.1 June 1, 2006 20060602_b 1.6 1.9 0.37 0.60 0.09 Revetment, gravel, No Crest 45,400 

hard sand
Table 4. Reach map data for sturgeon relocations on reach maps within 7 days and 10 percent discharge.—Continued[m, meter; m/s, meter per second; SWH, shallow-water habitat (depth < 1.5 m, velocity < 0.6 m/s); ft3/s, cubic foot per second; --, no data]

Velocity Estimated 

Sturgeon River mile Depth Relocation Map Depth Velocity gradient Froude Terrain discharge on 

identification of sturgeon slope Substrate SWH date identification (m) (m/s) (percent per number class relocation date 

code relocation (degrees) meter) (ft3/s) 

SNS05-019 230.6 May 5, 2005 20050506_b 2.3 2.3 0.30 1.38 0.06 -- No Crest 43,100 SNS06-028 219.2 May 18, 2006 20060519_b 1.1 4.1 0.23 1.37 0.07 Sand (dunes) Yes Crest 40,200 PLS04-001 219.2 April 14, 2005 20050415_b 4.0 6.6 0.96 0.76 0.15 -- No Crest 72,100 SNS05-089 216.7 June 24, 2005 20050627_b 2.0 1.8 0.73 0.74 0.17 -- No Crest 70,700 SNS05-028 216.5 June 24, 2005 20050627_b 5.1 2.6 0.70 1.32 0.10 -- No Flat 70,700 SNS05-017 202.8 April 27, 2005 20050428_b 7.2 1.7 1.16 1.84 0.14 -- No Depression 57,900 SNS05-042 201.8 April 8, 2005 20050407_b 3.9 6.8 0.41 1.92 0.07 -- No Slope 40,000 SNS05-034 201.3 April 6, 2005 20050407_b 2.9 6.8 0.45 1.23 0.08 -- No Crest 38,100 PLS04-002 199.6 April 7, 2005 20050408_f 4.4 3.2 0.62 2.71 0.09 Engineered structures No Flat 38,700 

(rock)

PLS04-002 199.5 April 6, 2005 20050408_f 2.4 0.3 0.38 3.13 0.08 Sand (dunes) No Crest 38,100 SNS06-011 195.9 July 6, 2006 20060707_b 3.7 4.5 0.56 2.86 0.09 Sand (dunes) No Flat 38,500 SNS06-011 195.9 July 12, 2006 20060707_b 3.6 3.1 0.68 2.85 0.12 Sand (dunes) No Flat 36,000 SNS05-026 186.5 May 26, 2005 20050527_b 5.4 19.8 0.78 4.71 0.11 -- No Slope 61,300 SNS05-027 177.9 April 11, 2005 20050412_b 1.0 1.3 0.55 0.46 0.18 -- Yes Crest 44,100 PLS06-001 177.2 May 9, 2006 20060510_b 6.8 12.1 1.15 6.86 0.14 Sand (dunes) No Depression 55,700 SNS05-031 173.5 May 27, 2005 20050601_b 1.5 1.4 0.58 0.45 0.15 -- No Crest 59,500 PLS04-001 168.0 June 30, 2005 20050701_b 6.2 1.0 1.39 0.55 0.18 -- No Depression 62,100 SNS06-010 165.5 June 20, 2006 20060621_b 2.4 6.4 0.68 1.63 0.14 Sand (dunes) No Crest 37,700 SNS05-043 160.7 May 6, 2005 20050510_b 2.9 1.3 0.45 0.64 0.08 -- No Crest 43,600 SNS05-031 146.4 August 3, 2005 20050810_b 4.2 3.2 0.96 1.22 0.15 -- No Depression 37,600 SNS05-021 142.1 August 3, 2005 20050809_b 2.0 2.0 0.65 2.30 0.15 -- No Crest 37,600 PLS05-003 140.9 May 27, 2005 20050602_b 2.2 3.2 0.60 1.94 0.13 -- No Crest 59,500 PLS05-001 130.8 April 18, 2005 20050419_b 4.6 0.4 1.11 1.76 0.17 -- No Depression 58,300 SNS05-007 130.3 April 13, 2005 20050419_b 4.2 0.7 0.73 0.53 0.11 -- No Flat 49,700 SNS05-043 130.0 April 13, 2005 20050419_b 5.4 2.6 0.23 0.62 0.03 -- No Flat 49,700 SNS06-012 127.5 May 8, 2006 20060509_b 2.5 0.8 0.47 1.32 0.10 Sand (dunes) No Flat 74,400 PLS05-002 127.1 April 25, 2005 20050426_b 6.8 2.7 1.10 0.39 0.13 -- No Depression 92,700 PLS06-001 119.6 June 29, 2006 20060630_b 2.5 5.4 0.51 2.14 0.11 Sand (dunes) No Crest 43,300 PLS06-001 119.5 July 7, 2006 20060630_b 3.4 0.6 0.93 0.28 0.16 Sand (dunes) No Flat 40,900 PLS04-003 118.4 May 2, 2005 20050503_b 7.6 8.1 0.30 1.95 0.04 -- No Depression 55,500 PLS04-003 117.8 July 5, 2005 20050706_b 4.0 3.9 0.73 1.47 0.12 -- No Flat 71,800 PLS05-004 75.7 July 6, 2005 20050707_b 1.8 2.7 0.57 0.49 0.13 -- No Crest 67,400 SNS05-017 27.3 July 7, 2005 20050708_b 3.7 2.8 0.73 1.16 0.12 -- No Crest 68,500 
82 Assessment of Lower Missouri River Physical Aquatic Habitat and Its Use by Adult Sturgeon (Genus Scaphirhynchus), 2005–07

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Table 4 83
Reuter and others—Assessment of Lower Missouri River Physical Aquatic Habitat and Its Use by Adult Sturgeon (Genus Scaphirhynchus), 2005–07—SIR 2009–5121