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Chesapeake Bay Activities

The Chesapeake Bay is our Nation’s largest estuary and provides over $100 billion in annual economic value. The USGS works with Federal, State, local, and academic partners to provide research and monitoring and to communicate results to inform management for the Chesapeake and other important landscapes across the Nation.

News

Scientists ponder: How well are ag practices helping the Chesapeake Bay?

Scientists ponder: How well are ag practices helping the Chesapeake Bay?

Chesapeake Bay Activities Newsletter July-September 2023

Chesapeake Bay Activities Newsletter July-September 2023

PFAS chemicals detected in many rivers and streams across Pennsylvania

PFAS chemicals detected in many rivers and streams across Pennsylvania

Publications

The effects of wastewater reuse on smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) relative abundance in the Shenandoah River Watershed, USA

Municipal and industrial wastewater effluent is an important source of water for lotic systems, especially during periods of low flow. The accumulated wastewater effluent flows—expressed as a percentage of total streamflow (ACCWW%)—contain chemical mixtures that pose a risk to aquatic life; fish may be particularly vulnerable when chronically exposed. Although there has been considerable focus on
Authors
Tyler Wagner, Paul McLaughlin, Kaycee E. Faunce, Samuel H. Austin, Kelly Smalling

Evaluation and review of best management practices for the reduction of polychlorinated biphenyls to the Chesapeake Bay

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) continue to impact the environment due to historic and ongoing anthropogenic sources (for example, industrial and agricultural), despite their ban. Contaminated stormwater has been identified as a vector for PCB transport to many estuaries impaired by PCBs. Management of these regulated discharges is typically achieved by best management practices (BMPs). This revi
Authors
Trevor P. Needham, Emily Majcher, Ellie Foss, Olivia H. Devereux

Planning hydrological restoration of coastal wetlands: Key model considerations and solutions

The hydrological restoration of coastal wetlands is an emerging approach for mitigating and adapting to climate change and enhancing ecosystem services such as improved water quality and biodiversity. This paper synthesises current knowledge on selecting appropriate modelling approaches for hydrological restoration projects. The selection of a modelling approach is based on project-specific factor

Authors
Alice Twomey, Karinna Nunez, Joel A. Carr, Steve Crooks, Daniel A. Friess, William Glamore, Michelle Orr, Ruth Reef, Kerrylee Rogers, Nathan Waltham, Catherine E. Lovelock

Science

USGS Chesapeake Publication Receives National Award for Outstanding Technology Paper

The paper, Ephemeral Stream Network Extraction from Lidar-Derived Elevation and Topographic Attributes in Urban and Forested Landscapes, describes a new method of remotely mapping ephemeral headwater streams using wetness index and topographic openness derived from lidar. This work is part of a long-term USGS study assessing the impacts of suburban development on a range of ecosystem functions...
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USGS Chesapeake Publication Receives National Award for Outstanding Technology Paper

The paper, Ephemeral Stream Network Extraction from Lidar-Derived Elevation and Topographic Attributes in Urban and Forested Landscapes, describes a new method of remotely mapping ephemeral headwater streams using wetness index and topographic openness derived from lidar. This work is part of a long-term USGS study assessing the impacts of suburban development on a range of ecosystem functions...
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USGS Publications Summarize Water-Quality Trends and Drivers in Urban Streams After 10 Years of Monitoring in Fairfax County, Virginia

Issue : Degraded water quality and ecology in urban streams has been widely documented, but explanations of changing conditions over time are often unavailable. A 15-year collaborative urban stream monitoring effort between the Fairfax County Stormwater Planning Division and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is ongoing and has begun to shed light on this complex issue. In a new USGS report by...
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USGS Publications Summarize Water-Quality Trends and Drivers in Urban Streams After 10 Years of Monitoring in Fairfax County, Virginia

Issue : Degraded water quality and ecology in urban streams has been widely documented, but explanations of changing conditions over time are often unavailable. A 15-year collaborative urban stream monitoring effort between the Fairfax County Stormwater Planning Division and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is ongoing and has begun to shed light on this complex issue. In a new USGS report by...
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Floodplains provide millions of dollars in benefits every year to people in the Chesapeake Bay and Delaware River watersheds

Issue: Floodplains provide important services to people by retaining sediments, nutrients, and floodwaters, thereby improving water quality and reducing flooding impacts. Having information on how the monetary benefit that floodplains provide varies across the Chesapeake Bay and Delaware River watersheds helps resource managers describe the benefits that floodplains provide in their current state...
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Floodplains provide millions of dollars in benefits every year to people in the Chesapeake Bay and Delaware River watersheds

Issue: Floodplains provide important services to people by retaining sediments, nutrients, and floodwaters, thereby improving water quality and reducing flooding impacts. Having information on how the monetary benefit that floodplains provide varies across the Chesapeake Bay and Delaware River watersheds helps resource managers describe the benefits that floodplains provide in their current state...
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