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<br /> <br /> <br />7. Annual Temperature Ranqe <br /> <br /> <br />8. <br /> <br />Diurnal Temperature Fluctuation <br /> <br />A body of water as large as the Missouri River would be ex- <br />pected to establish a seasonal temperature and hold it with <br />only minor hour-to-hour fluctuations; but, in fact, the Mis- <br />souri demonstrates a remarkable capacitv to fluctuate sharply <br />in temperature as indicated by Table 11. The effects of light, <br />rainfall and ground water entrance all contribute to daily <br />temperature variations. One of the factors involved in this <br />fluctuation is the effect of feeder streams. For example,o <br />as shown in Table 12 the Platte River can be as much as 15 F <br />warmer or 70F cooler than the Missouri River for a given day. <br />The Little Nemaha River has been reported to enter the Mis- <br />souri River at Significantly higher temperatures in both <br />summer and fall (6). <br /> <br />~- ~ <br /> <br />.~. <br />1 <br /> <br />,~ <br />~ <br />~~ <br /> <br />~. <br /> <br />Influences of this magnitude, both in temperature and water <br />volume, expose the Missouri River biota which is affected to <br />rather marked temperature variations. <br /> <br />9. Chemistry <br /> <br />While it is true that there are widely ranging extremes in <br />chemical content throughout the year (Table 13), the biota has <br />the capacity to adapt to these changes. The chemistry pro- <br />vides no obvious limiting factors to the well-being of the <br />river's indigenous organisms. <br /> <br />u <br /> <br />~ <br /> <br />36 <br />