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Data

The USGS collects multiple types of data in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. The Data Catalog contains a list and links of all the types of Chesapeake information from USGS. Some of the most relevant data related to streams and rivers is highlighted in the “tracking status and trends indicators of stream health”. Land cover, use, and change data are also highlighted.

USGS Chesapeake Bay Studies - Data Catalog

New High-Resolution, Land-Use and Change Data Improves Decision-Making

Three side-by-side panels to show land-use-land-change in Charles County, MD

With support from the CBP, the USGS, Chesapeake Conservancy and the University of Vermont developed an improved 1-meter resolution land use/land cover (LULC) data set for the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

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Freshwater Flow into Chesapeake Bay

The USGS provides estimates of the monthly and annual amounts of freshwater flow into the Bay so scientists and managers can better understand effects on ecosystem conditions.

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Tracking Status and Trends in Seven Key Indicators of Stream Health

Identifying and tracking the status of, and trends in, stream health within the Chesapeake Bay watershed is essential to understanding the past, present, and future trajectory of the watershed’s resources and ecological condition.

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Filter Total Items: 112

Attribution of stream habitat assessment data to NHDPlus V2 and NHDPlus HR catchments within the Chesapeake Bay Watershed

This data release links habitat assessment sites to both the NHDPlus Version 2 and NHDPlus High Resolution Region 02 networks using the hydrolink methodology. Linked habitat sites are those compiled by the Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin (ICPRB) during creation of the Chesapeake Bay Basin-wide Index of Biotic Integrity (Chessie BIBI) for benthic macroinvertebrates (https://datahub

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Chesapeake Bay Activities, Eastern Ecological Science Center

Fish communities in PA and MD Piedmont mixed agricultural streams, 2023

From 2-27 June, 2023, a Virginia Tech team of 5 sampled the fish community in 30 Piedmont streams (lower Susquehanna River and upper Chesapeake Bay tributaries, Pennsylvania and Maryland, USA) spanning a gradient of agricultural intensity as part of a larger stream-health study including other teams who surveyed geomorphology, water quality, flow, temperature, and macroinvertebrates at the same 30
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Chesapeake Bay Activities, Florence Bascom Geoscience Center

Attribution of fish sampling data to NHDPlus HR catchments within the Chesapeake Bay Watershed

This data release links fish survey data from a suite of programs in the Chesapeake Bay watershed to the NHDPlus High Resolution Region 02 networks, hereafter referred to as NHDPlusHR. The data set contains site name, survey program, coordinates of sample, ancillary information such as sample date and site location information where available, and HR Permanent Identifier. It also includes a confid
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Chesapeake Bay Activities, Eastern Ecological Science Center

Discharge measurements, air temperature, water temperature, and gage height data for select stream monitoring locations across Delmarva Peninsula (2022)

As part of a larger study examining stream conditions and the effect of Best Management Practices in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, thirty small streams on the Delmarva Peninsula were instrumented and monitored for gage height (water level), water temperature, and air temperature using Onset HOBO sensors from March to September 2022. In addition, two discrete discharge measurements were made at bas
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Chesapeake Bay Activities, Maryland-Delaware-D.C. Water Science Center

Data for Statewide Reconnaissance of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in Rivers and Streams of Virginia, 2022-2023

These data were collected in cooperation with the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (VADEQ) to document the occurrence of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) in streams and rivers of Virginia. Specifically, this effort was initiated to: 1. Collect and analyze samples for PFAS at USGS-sampling stations in the Chesapeake Bay River Input Monitoring Network and Non-Tidal Network; 2
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Chesapeake Bay Activities, Virginia and West Virginia Water Science Center

Basin characteristics data for the Washington, D.C. StreamStats application

This data was created to support the Washington D.C. StreamStats project funded by the Washington D.C. Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE). The data release contains high-resolution (1-meter) land cover data layers for Washington D.C. and its tributaries that represent canopy cover, canopy cover with building and road coverage removed (“pervious canopy”), impervious cover, slope (in units
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Chesapeake Bay Activities, Maryland-Delaware-D.C. Water Science Center

Biological Indicators and Mercury Concentrations in Smallmouth Bass

Biological indicators including morphometric (length, weight), age, sex and health indicators including organismal (health assessment index, condition factor), organ (hepatosomatic index, gonadosomatic index), cellular (intersex, parasite density, macrophage aggregate density), subcellular (plasma vitellogenin, estradiol, testosterone, 11-keto testosterone) and molecular (hepatic transcript abunda
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Chesapeake Bay Activities, Eastern Ecological Science Center

Depth grids for floodplain flood attenuation baseline and counterfactual scenarios in the Schuylkill River watershed, Pennsylvania

As part of a study to quantify floodplain flood attenuation ecosystem services, datasets were developed representing a baseline (current floodplain condition) and counterfactual (floodplain flood storage removed) scenario for 18 sites in the Schuylkill River Watershed, Pennsylvania. This data release contains rasters (3-m resolution) of baseline and counterfactual flood depth grids for the 0.5, 0.
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Chesapeake Bay Activities, Pennsylvania Water Science Center, South Atlantic Water Science Center (SAWSC)

“ChesBay 24k – LU": Land Use/Land Cover Related Data Summaries for the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Within NHD Plus HR catchments

These tabular data are summaries of land use/land cover related variables within catchments of the Chesapeake Bay watershed using the Xstrm methodology at 1:24,000 scale. Variables being counted as land use/land cover related contain all land use and land cover data including datasets that are split off or combined from those data (eg. agriculture or impervious classes only datasets). Outputs cons
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Chesapeake Bay Activities, Eastern Ecological Science Center

“ChesBay 24k – NE": Natural Environment Related Data Summaries for the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Within NHD Plus HR catchments

These tabular data are summaries of natural environment related variables within catchments of the Chesapeake Bay watershed using the Xstrm methodology at 1:24,000 scale. Variables being counted as natural environment related include topography, soils/geology, hydrology/geomorphology, and other physical aspects of surface waters (temperature, flow, etc.). Outputs consist of tabular comma-separated
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Chesapeake Bay Activities, Eastern Ecological Science Center

“ChesBay 24k – CL": Climate Related Data Summaries for the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Within NHD Plus HR catchments

These tabular data are summaries of climate related variables within catchments of the Chesapeake Bay watershed using the Xstrm methodology at 1:24,000 scale. Variables being counted as climate related include temperature and precipitation by both annual and monthly values. Outputs consist of tabular comma-separated values files (CSVs) for the local catchment and network summaries linked to the Na
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Chesapeake Bay Activities, Eastern Ecological Science Center

Fish communities in Delmarva Peninsula streams, 2022

From 31 May to 29 June, 2022, a Virginia Tech team of 4-5 sampled the fish community in 30 Delmarva Peninsula streams (Maryland and Delaware, USA) as part of a larger stream-health study including other teams who surveyed geomorphology, water quality, flow, temperature, macroinvertebrates, and fish health at the same 30 streams. These 30 Chesapeake Bay Watershed tributaries had upstream drainage a
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Chesapeake Bay Activities, Florence Bascom Geoscience Center