The amount of sunlight which reaches the stream is critical to the type of vegetation and plant life which can survive at your site. Your stream may not look like this. But you can still indicate the width of the riparian zone. Indicate on a topographic map each of your sites are. Take care not to touch the bulb on the thermometer.
Temperature is taken in degrees Centigrade.
You are attempting to determine the total cubic feet of water flowing past your site each second. ALL DATA IN FEET and decimal fractions of a foot. Divide extra inches by 12 to convert to decimal fraction of a foot. If water is swirling in an eddy, do not use that spot as a place to measure width. At your best site, take three readings and average them.