Baddoch Burn | UKCEH UWMN

UWMN_27

Location: Cairngorm Mountains, eastern Highlands, Scotland
Type: Stream
Catchment area: 2260 ha
Annual rainfall: 860 mm
Sampling station altitude: 415 m
Maximum altitude: 975 m

The Baddoch Burn has been monitored by Marine Scotland Science Freshwater Fisheries Laboratory since 1988. The site was added to the UK UWMN in 2013, extending the alkalinity gradient of sites within the Network as well as providing long-term high-quality chemistry and fish records that are directly compatible with measurements performed in other monitoring sites.

Catchment Characteristics

The Baddoch Burn lies in the Cairngorm Mountains of Scotland and forms part of the headwaters of the River Dee. The catchment area is 2260 ha and rises from 415m altitude at the long-term chemistry sampling and fish trap location to 975m at the summit of Carn a Gheodh. The 9.3 ha Loch Vrotachan lies in the southern section and the outflow feeds into Allt Loch Vrotachan before reaching the Baddoch Burn. Bedrock geology consists of Socach Quartzite and Schists (Tulaichean, Lochsie Calcareous and Clunie Graphitic) with areas of alkaline intrusions. Soils are predominantly blanket peats but range from rankers and subalpine podzols at high elevations down to humus-iron podzols in lower regions and a small area of brown earth at the bottom of the catchment.

There is a very small amount of commercial coniferous forestry at the lowest end of the catchment. Other land-use consists of extensive grouse-moor, with associated muirburn, and grazing by red deer. Loch Vrotachan is fished for Brown Trout.

The Burn forms the top of the River Dee Special Area of Conservation and the catchment lies within both the Cairngorms Massif Special Protection Area and the Cairngorm National Park.

Rainfall, recorded from nearby Braemar, is ca. 860 mm annually.

Site Characteristics

The altitude range is 560 m from the long-term sampling station to the headwaters. The 50m channel section utilised for diatom and macrophyte sampling is around 6m wide comprising shallow riffles with a small section of rapids at the bottom. Within the 50m diatom and macrophyte sampling section the upper stream bed substrate consists largely of boulders, cobbles and pebbles with the lower section rapids on bedrock. The Upper and Lower electrofishing sites are broadly characterised by boulders and cobbles, the Middle site is commonly used by spawning Atlantic salmon and is characterised primarily by gravel and cobble substrate.

Data summaries

Useful links

Bibliography

Baddoch Burn Bibliography

Humphreys, E. M., Gillings, S., Musgrove, A., Marchant, J. & Calladine, J. (2016) An update of the review on the impacts of piscivorous birds on salmonid populations and game fisheries in Scotland. 1-68. Scottish Natural Heritage Commissioned Report No. 884. Scottish Natural Heritage, Inverness.
Millar, C. P., Fryer, R. J., Millidine, K. J. & Malcolm, I. A. (2016) Modelling capture probability of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) from a diverse national electrofishing dataset: Implications for the estimation of abundance. Fisheries Research, 177, 1-12.
Orpwood, J. E., Mackay, F., Smith, G. W., Stewart, D. C., Henry, J. I., Anderson, J. M., Morgan, T., Millar, C. P., Malcolm, I. A., Cauwelier, E., Counter, S. L., Gilbey, J., Sampayo, J., Stradmeyer, L., Simpson, I., Downie, H. K., Wyndham, M., Middlemas, S. J., MacLean, J. C. & Armstrong, J. D. (2016) Spring salmon on the River South Esk, Scotland. 1-88. ISSN: 2043-7722. Marine Scotland, Pitlochry.
Shilland, E. M., Monteith, D. T., Millidine, K. & Malcolm, I. A. (2016) The United Kingdom Upland Waters Monitoring Network Data Report for 2014-2015 (year 27). Report to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Contract EPG 1/3/160). 1-290. ENSIS Ltd. Environmental Change Research Centre, University College London, London.
Shilland, E. M., Monteith, D. T., Millidine, K. & Malcolm, I. A. (2016) UK Upland Waters Monitoring Network (UKUWMN) - Scottish Sites. Annual Summary Progress Report to SEPA. 1-139. ENSIS Ltd, Environmental Change Research Centre, University College London, London.
Anon. (2015) Status of Scottish Salmon and Sea Trout Stocks 2014. Marine Scotland Science Report, No. 01/15, 1-23. Marine Scotland Science, Pitlochry.
Malcolm, I. A., Millar, C. P. & Millidine, K. J. (2015) Spatio-temporal variability in Scottish smolt emigration times and sizes. Scottish Marine and Freshwater Science. Volume 6 Number 2, 1-15. Marine Scotland Science, Pitlochry.
Millar, C. P., Millidine, K. J., Middlemas, S. J. & Malcolm, I. A. (2015) Development of a Model for Predicting Large Scale Spatio-Temporal Variability in Juvenile Fish Abundance from Electrofishing Data. Scottish Marine and Freshwater Science Report. Volume 6 Number 6, 1-48. ISSN: 2043-7722. Marine Scotland Science, Pitlochry.
Anon. (2014) Status of Scottish Salmon and Sea Trout Stocks 2013. Marine Scotland Science Report, No. 03/14, 1-20. Marine Scotland Science, Pitlochry.
Shilland, E. M., Monteith, D. T., Millidine, K. & Malcolm, I. A. (2014) The United Kingdom Upland Waters Monitoring Network Data Report for 2013-2014 (year 26). Report to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Contract EPG 1/3/160). 1-282. ENSIS Ltd. Environmental Change Research Centre, University College London, London.
Imholt, C., Soulsby, C., Malcolm, I. A., Hrachowitz, M., Gibbins, C. N., Langan, S. & Tetzlaff, D. (2013) Influence of Scale on Thermal Characteristics in a Large Montane River Basin. River Research and Applications, 29, 403-419.
Bacon, P., Malcolm, I., MacLean, J., McLaren, I. & Thorne, A. (2012) Female Length and Mass Quantify the Difference between Atlantic Salmon Ova Fecundity and Ova Deposition. North American Journal of Fisheries Management, 32, 491-498.
Hrachowitz, M., Soulsby, C., Imholt, C., Malcolm, I. A. & Tetzlaff, D. (2010) Thermal regimes in a large upland salmon river: a simple model to identify the influence of landscape controls and climate change on maximum temperatures. Hydrological Processes, 24, 3374-3391.
Youngson, A. F., MacLean, J. C., Bacon, P. J., Godfrey, J. W., Smith, G. W. & Thorley, J. L. (2007) Salmon Assessment in Scotland: Bringing Information Resources into Line with Recent Research on Methods. Scottish Fisheries Research Report No. 68, 1-24. The Scottish Executive Environment and Rural Affairs Department, Edinburgh.
Jordan, W. C., Cross, T. F., Crozier, W. W., Ferguson, A., Galvin, P., Hurrell, R. H., McGinnity, P., Martin, S. A. M., Moffett, I. J. J., Price, D. J., Youngson, A. F. & Verspoor, E. (2005) Allozyme variation in Atlantic salmon from the British Isles: associations with geography and the environment. Journal of Fish Biology, 67, 146-168.
Potter, E. C. E. & Dare, P. J. (2003) Research on migratory salmonids, eel and freshwater fish stocks and fisheries. Science Series Technical Report No. 119, 1-64. CEFAS, Lowestoft.
Cunningham, P. D., Brown, L. J. & Harwood, A. J. (2002) Predation and scavenging of salmon carcasses along spawning streams in the Scottish Highlands. 1-38. Wester Ross Fisheries Trust, Gairloch.
Soulsby, C., Gibbins, C., Wade, A. J., Smart, R. & Helliwell, R. (2002) Water quality in the Scottish uplands: a hydrological perspective on catchment hydrochemistry. The Science of The Total Environment, 294, 73-94.
Webb, J. H., Fryer, R. J., Taggart, J. B., Thompson, C. E. & Youngson, A. F. (2001) Dispersion of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) fry from competing families as revealed by DNA profiling. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 58, 2386-2395.
Johnston, I. A., Mclay, H. A., Abercromby, M. & Robins, D. (2000) Phenotypic plasticity of early myogenesis and satellite cell numbers in Atlantic salmon spawning in upland and lowland tributaries of a river system. Journal of Experimental Biology, 203, 2539-2552.
Johnston, I. A., Mclay, H. A., Abercromby, M. & Robins, D. (2000) Early thermal experience has different effects on growth and muscle fibre recruitment in spring- and autumn-running Atlantic salmon populations. Journal of Experimental Biology, 203, 2553-2564.
Aitkenhead, J. A., Hope, D. & Billett, M. F. (1999) The relationship between dissolved organic carbon in stream water and soil organic carbon pools at different spatial scales. Hydrological Processes, 13, 1289-1302.
Stead, S. M., Houlihan, D. F., McLay, H. A. & Johnstone, R. (1999) Food consumption and growth in maturing Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar). Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 56, 2019-2028.
Fleming, I. A. (1998) Pattern and variability in the breeding system of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar), with comparisons to other salmonids. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 55, 59-76.
Hope, D., Billett, M. F. & Cresser, M. S. (1997) Exports of organic carbon in two river systems in NE Scotland. Journal of Hydrology, 193, 61-82.
Verspoor, E. (1997) Genetic diversity among Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) populations. ICES Journal of Marine Science: Journal du Conseil, 54, 965-973.
Youngson, A. F., Webb, J. H., MacLean, J. C. & Whyte, B. M. (1997) Frequency of occurrence of reared Atlantic salmon in Scottish salmon fisheries. ICES Journal of Marine Science: Journal du Conseil, 54, 1216-1220.
Nielsen, E. E., Hansen, M. M. & Loeschcke, V. (1996) Genetic structure of European populations of Salmo salar L. (Atlantic salmon) inferred from mitochondrial DNA. Heredity, 77, 351-358.
Soulsby, C., Turnbull, D., Langan, S. J., Owen, R. & Hirst, D. (1995) Long-term trends in stream chemistry and biology in North-East Scotland: Evidence for recovery. Water Air Soil Pollut, 85, 689-694.
Turnbull, D., Soulsby, C., Langan, S., Owen, R. & Hirst, D. (1995) Macroinvertebrate status in relation to critical loads for freshwaters: A case study from N.E. Scotland. Water Air Soil Pollut, 85, 2461-2466.
Billett, M. F. & Cresser, M. S. (1992) Predicting stream-water quality using catchment and soil chemical characteristics. Environmental Pollution, 77, 263-268.
Shackley, P. E. & Donaghy, M. J. (1992) The Distribution and Growth of Juvenile Salmon and Trout in the Major Tributaries of the River Dee Catchment (Grampian Region). Scottish Fisheries Report, 51, 1-18. SOAFD Freshwater Fisheries Laboratory, Pitlochry.