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USGS Updates Chesapeake Science Strategy

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USGS Chesapeake Publication Receives National Award

for Superior Communication Product

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New Federal Effort to Address Climate Change

in the Chesapeake Watershed

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Study of stream fishes provides new framework to monitor climate change in the Chesapeake Bay headwaters

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Assessing the habitat conditions to support freshwater fisheries in the Chesapeake Watershed

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20-Year Study Assesses Ecosystem Response to Different Types of Stormwater Management

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USGS Chesapeake Accomplishments for 2021

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Time marches on, but do factors driving instream habitat and biology remain consistent?

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Statistical Power to Detect Regional Temporal Trends in Riverine Contaminants in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed

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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.

Science-Based Approach for Targeting Resources

A river with green foliage on both banks and blue skies.

The Chesapeake Bay Program (CBP) needs to accelerate progress on multiple outcomes to meet deadlines in the Chesapeake Watershed Agreement. The CBP partnership spends about $1.2B annually on activities toward achieving the Watershed Agreement, with a focus on water-quality improvement.

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Innovative Technology Continues to Advance Chesapeake Bay Restoration

Missouri University of Science and Technology graduate student Paul Manley prepares an unmanned aerial system (UAS) for flight.

The Chesapeake Bay Program, in collaboration with the Chesapeake Conservancy, U.S. Geological Survey and the University of Vermont, announce the release of the Very High-Resolution Land Use/Land Cover and Change Data.

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Quick 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.

News

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Chesapeake Bay Activities Newsletter April-June 2022

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Chesapeake Bay "dead zone" predicted to be 13% lower than average

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What we’ve learned from exploring a century of nitrogen pollution

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Publications

Predicting near-term effects of climate change on nitrogen transport to Chesapeake Bay

Understanding effects of climate change on nitrogen fate and transport in the environment is critical to nutrient management. We used climate projections within a previously calibrated spatially referenced regression (SPARROW) model to predict effects of expected climate change over 1995 through 2025 on total nitrogen fluxes to Chesapeake Bay and in watershed streams. Assuming nitrogen inputs and
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Chesapeake Bay Activities

Power analysis for detecting the effects of best management practices on reducing nitrogen and phosphorus fluxes to the Chesapeake Bay watershed, USA

In 2010 the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency established the Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) which is a “pollution diet” that aims to reduce the amount of nitrogen and phosphorus entering the Chesapeake Bay, the largest estuary in the United States, by 25 and 24% percent, respectively. To achieve this goal the TMDL requires the implementation of Best Management Practices (BMPs), which are acce
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Water Resources, Cooperative Research Units, Chesapeake Bay Activities, Florence Bascom Geoscience Center, New Jersey Water Science Center, Pennsylvania Water Science Center

Lessons learned from 20 y of monitoring suburban development with distributed stormwater management in Clarksburg, Maryland, USA

Urban development is a well-known stressor for stream ecosystems, presenting a challenge to managers tasked with mitigating its effects. For the past 20 y, streamflow, water quality, geomorphology, and benthic communities were monitored in 5 watersheds in Montgomery County, Maryland, USA. This study presents a synthesis of multiple studies of monitoring efforts in the study area and new analysis o
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Water Resources, Energy Resources Program, Geology, Energy & Minerals Science Center, Chesapeake Bay Activities, Florence Bascom Geoscience Center, Maryland-Delaware-D.C. Water Science Center, New Jersey Water Science Center, South Atlantic Water Science Center (SAWSC)
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Science

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Diagram of topics - Chesapeake Bay

A Science-Based Approach for Targeting Resources to Achieve Multiple Chesapeake Outcome

Issue: The Chesapeake Bay Program (CBP) needs to accelerate progress on multiple outcomes to meet deadlines in the Chesapeake Watershed Agreement. The CBP partnership spends about $1.2B annually on activities toward achieving the Watershed Agreement, with a focus on water-quality improvement. Recent funding increases, including the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, provide additional opportunities to...
By
Chesapeake Bay Activities
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A Science-Based Approach for Targeting Resources to Achieve Multiple Chesapeake Outcome

Issue: The Chesapeake Bay Program (CBP) needs to accelerate progress on multiple outcomes to meet deadlines in the Chesapeake Watershed Agreement. The CBP partnership spends about $1.2B annually on activities toward achieving the Watershed Agreement, with a focus on water-quality improvement. Recent funding increases, including the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, provide additional opportunities to...
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link
Image Collage of Landsat, pollinator, and volcanologist

Study of stream fishes provides new framework to monitor climate change in the Chesapeake Bay headwaters

Issue: The Chesapeake Bay Program (CBP) have identified four goals for actions toward change climate: • address the threats of climate change in all aspects of the partnership’s work; • prioritize communities, working lands, and most vulnerable habitats; • apply the best scientific, modeling, monitoring and planning capabilities; and • connect restoration outcomes with emerging opportunities. A...
By
Chesapeake Bay Activities
link

Study of stream fishes provides new framework to monitor climate change in the Chesapeake Bay headwaters

Issue: The Chesapeake Bay Program (CBP) have identified four goals for actions toward change climate: • address the threats of climate change in all aspects of the partnership’s work; • prioritize communities, working lands, and most vulnerable habitats; • apply the best scientific, modeling, monitoring and planning capabilities; and • connect restoration outcomes with emerging opportunities. A...
Learn More
link
Flooded roadway

USGS Part of New Federal Effort to Address Climate Change in the Chesapeake Watershed

Issue: The federal government will work together to implement the Chesapeake Executive Council Directive No. 21-1 Collective Action for Climate Change, recognizing that urgent attention is needed to confront the challenges that a changing climate poses to the Chesapeake Bay region. The Directive emphasizes the importance of the “…resiliency of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, including its living...
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Chesapeake Bay Activities
link

USGS Part of New Federal Effort to Address Climate Change in the Chesapeake Watershed

Issue: The federal government will work together to implement the Chesapeake Executive Council Directive No. 21-1 Collective Action for Climate Change, recognizing that urgent attention is needed to confront the challenges that a changing climate poses to the Chesapeake Bay region. The Directive emphasizes the importance of the “…resiliency of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, including its living...
Learn More
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