Chesapeake Bay Activities
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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. See our Science page to learn about our themes and topics being addressed.
Trends Updated for River Input Monitoring Stations
The Chesapeake Bay River Input Monitoring network consists of nine stations located near the nontidaltidal interface of the nine largest rivers in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
Find out moreEndocrine-Disrupting Compounds in the Chesapeake Watershed
Studies in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed have documented the exposure of fish to toxic contaminants including endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDCs) - compounds which can alter normal hormonal function in organisms.
Read moreQuick Links
Learn more about USGS science activities in the Bay from our Science Strategy. Additional summaries of the USGS Chesapeake Bay Activities are available in the science topics section.
Science Summaries, Features, and Videos
News
USGS Responding to High Water Caused By Ida Across Multiple States
To learn more about USGS’s role in providing science to decision-makers before, during and after Hurricane Ida, visit www.usgs.gov/ida.
For information on what the Department of Homeland Security and FEMA are doing, visit: https://www.fema.gov/hurricane-ida.
For more on what the U.S. Government is Doing, visit: https://www.usa.gov/hurricane-ida or https://gobierno.usa.gov/huracan-ida for Spanish.
Chesapeake Bay Activities Newsletter May-June 2021
The USGS provides research and monitoring to better understand and restore the Chesapeake Bay and its watershed. Our technical reports and journal articles, which we translate into science summaries, provide the findings used by federal, state, and local decisionmakers to inform restoration and conservation decisions. Here are some recent highlights.
For the second year in a row, smaller Chesapeake Bay dead zone forecast for the summer
Chesapeake Bay Program — Press Release — June 21, 2021
Publications
USGS Chesapeake Science Strategy 2021-2025
The Chesapeake Bay ecosystem is a national treasure that provides almost $100 billion annually of goods and services. The Chesapeake Bay Program (CBP), is one of the largest federal-state restoration partnerships in the United States and is underpinned by rigorous science. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has a pivotal role as a science provider...
Hyer, Kenneth E.; Phillips, Scott W.
U.S. Geological Survey landscape science strategy 2020–2030
Across our Nation, multiple Federal, State, Tribal, and local governments are working with stakeholders and landowners to restore, conserve, and manage lands and resources to benefit fish, wildlife, and people. One of the largest Federal efforts is led by the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI), with multiple DOI agencies working to conserve and...
Jenni, Karen E.; Carter, Sarah K.; Aumen, Nicholas G.; Bowen, Zachary H.; Bradford, John B.; Chotkowski, Michael A.; Hsu, Leslie; Murdoch, Peter S.; Phillips, Scott W.; Pope, Kevin L.; Schuster, Rudy; Steinkamp, Melanie J.; Weltzin, Jake; Xian, George Z.
Nutrient trends and drivers in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed
The Chesapeake Bay Program maintains an extensive nontidal monitoring network, measuring nitrogen and phosphorus (nutrients) at more than 100 locations on rivers and streams in the watershed. Data from these locations are used by United States Geological Survey to assess the ecosystem’s response to nutrient-reduction efforts. This fact sheet...
Hyer, Kenneth E.; Phillips, Scott W.; Ator, Scott W.; Moyer, Douglas L.; Webber, James S.; Felver, Rachel; Keisman, Jennifer L.; McDonnell, Lee A.; Murphy, Rebecca; Trentacoste, Emily M.; Zhang, Qian; Dennison, William C.; Swanson, Sky; Walsh, Brianne; Hawkey, Jane; Taillie, Dylan