Connecting Conservation Practices to Local Stream Health in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed
Impact of Current and Historic Land Use on Stream Incision in Maryland Piedmont Headwaters
New Insights for Reducing Nutrient and Sediment Loads
In Agricultural Watersheds Prioritized for Management Activities
In Agricultural Watersheds Prioritized for Management Activities
Wastewater reuse may be detrimental to smallmouth bass abundance in the Shenandoah River Watershed
Chesapeake Publication Receives National Award for Outstanding Technology Paper
Newsletter: April-June 2024
Publications
Discover Chesapeake related science in reports and journal articles authored by USGS scientists
Discover Chesapeake related science in reports and journal articles authored by USGS scientists
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.
Role of wastewater and landscape sources contributing to pesticide contamination
Role of wastewater and landscape sources contributing to pesticide contamination
POTOMAC RIVER WATERSHED—Wastewater treatment plant discharges can be a source of organic contaminants, including pesticides, to rivers. Pesticide concentrations were predicted based on wastewater percentages in stream water using a modeling tool, and verified with measured concentrations to identify other potential landscape sources.
PFAS found in Smallmouth Bass throughout the mid-Atlantic United States
PFAS found in Smallmouth Bass throughout the mid-Atlantic United States
PFAS are a large group of chemicals that have been recognized as concerns for both human and ecosystem health. There is a need to understand the effects of PFAS on fish health and populations.
Quick Links
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
Chesapeake Bay sees slight improvement in water quality
Chesapeake Bay sees slight improvement in water quality
Invasive flathead catfish impacting Susquehanna’s food chain, researchers find
Invasive flathead catfish impacting Susquehanna’s food chain, researchers find
Scientists document osprey nest failures across the Chesapeake, tie it to lack of menhaden for food
Scientists document osprey nest failures across the Chesapeake, tie it to lack of menhaden for food
Publications
The state of the science and practice of stream restoration in the Chesapeake: Lessons learned to inform better implementation, assessment and outcomes
The Chesapeake Bay Program’s (CBP) Science and Technical Advisory Committee (STAC) organized and led a workshop on the science and practice of stream restoration in order to summarize the state of knowledge in order to identify ways to improve stream restoration outcomes. The workshop identified a general framework for explaining the main factors leading to stream restoration outcomes: stream degr
Predictive modeling reveals elevated conductivity relative to background levels in freshwater tributaries within the Chesapeake Bay watershed, USA
Elevated conductivity (i.e., specific conductance or SC) causes osmotic stress in freshwater aquatic organisms and may increase the toxicity of some contaminants. Indices of benthic macroinvertebrate integrity have declined in urban areas across the Chesapeake Bay watershed (CBW), and more information is needed about whether these declines may be due to elevated conductivity. A predictive SC model
Tissue distribution and temporal and spatial assessment of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) in the mid-Atlantic United States
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have become an environmental issue worldwide. A first step to assessing potential adverse effects on fish populations is to determine if concentrations of concern are present in a region and if so, in which watersheds. Hence, plasma from adult smallmouth bass Micropterus dolomieu collected at 10 sites within 4 river systems in the mid-Atlantic region of t
Science
Coastal Wetland Vulnerability to Climate Change and Sea-Level Rise: Understanding Ecological Thresholds and Ecosystem Transformations
Eighteen USGS coastal scientists from all four coasts of the conterminous United States are working together to advance the understanding of climate change and sea-level rise impacts to coastal wetlands.
By
California Water Science Center, Chesapeake Bay Activities, Eastern Ecological Science Center, Florence Bascom Geoscience Center, Great Lakes Science Center, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center, Western Ecological Research Center (WERC), Western Geographic Science Center, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center , Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center
New study highlights the role of wastewater and landscape sources contributing to pesticide contamination in the Potomac River watershed
Wastewater treatment plant discharges can be a source of organic contaminants, including pesticides, to rivers. Pesticide concentrations were predicted based on wastewater percentages in stream water using a modeling tool, and verified with measured concentrations to identify other potential landscape sources.
Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) found in Smallmouth Bass (Micropterus dolomieu) throughout the mid-Atlantic United States
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a large group of chemicals that have been recognized as concerns for both human and ecosystem health. There is a need to understand the effects of PFAS on fish health and populations.