Life cycle modeling framework for Chinook salmon spawning in the Sacramento River

Here, we introduce the Sacramento River Chinook salmon life cycle model (SRCLCM), an LCM framework for winter-run (listed as endangered under the federal Endangered Species Act) and fall-run Chinook salmon spawning in the Sacramento River. The SRCLCM is a network of interconnected models, and relies on flow and water temperature data, hydraulic models, habitat capacity models, and an early life-history model that uses relationships linking in-river water temperature and/or streamflow to smolt production and ocean indicators to predict early marine survival rates and adult abundance. In this document, we describe the framework of the SRCLCM, including the model structure, the stage transition equations, and the required data inputs for the SRCLCM.