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Innovative Technology Continues to Advance Chesapeake Bay Restoration

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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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New Study Shows Importance of Streambank Erosion and Floodplain Deposition

Maps of predicted (A) streambank, (B) floodplain, and (C) stream net sediment flux balance for each NHDPlusV2 reach

As Chesapeake Bay Program partners work to reduce pollution, knowing sources of sediment, phosphorus, and nitrogen transported to the Bay is critical for effective and efficient management. Streams and their associated floodplains have an important influence on the transport of nutrients and sediment through the Chesapeake watershed and into tidal waters.

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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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Potomac Environmental Flows Workshop Summary Report

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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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Publications

Bedrock depth influences spatial patterns of summer baseflow, temperature and flow disconnection for mountainous headwater streams

In mountain headwater streams, the quality and resilience of summer cold-water habitat is generally regulated by stream discharge, longitudinal stream channel connectivity and groundwater exchange. These critical hydrologic processes are thought to be influenced by the stream corridor bedrock contact depth (sediment thickness), a parameter often inferred from sparse hillslope borehole information,
By
Ecosystems, Water Resources, Chesapeake Bay Activities, Eastern Ecological Science Center, New England Water Science Center, Washington Water Science Center

Thirteen novel ideas and underutilized resources to support progress towards a range-wide American eel stock assessment

A robust assessment of the American eel (Anguilla rostrata) stock, required to guide conservation efforts, is challenged by the species’ vast range, high variability in demographic parameters and data inadequacies. Novel ideas and underutilised resources that may assist both analytic assessments and spatially oriented modelling include (1) species and environmental databases; (2) mining of data fr
By
Chesapeake Bay Activities, Pennsylvania Water Science Center

A water quality barometer for Chesapeake Bay: Assessing spatial and temporal patterns using long-term monitoring data

This paper develops a barometer that indexes water quality in the Chesapeake Bay and summarizes quality over spatial regions and temporal periods. The barometer has a basis in risk assessment and hydrology, and is a function of three different metrics of water quality relative to numerical criteria: relative frequency of criterion attainment; magnitude of deviation from a numerical criterion; and
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Chesapeake Bay Activities, Maryland-Delaware-D.C. Water Science Center
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Science

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Image Collage of Landsat, pollinator, and volcanologist

USGS nutrient and sediment trends show mixed results throughout the Chesapeake Watershed

Issue: The Chesapeake Bay Program (CBP) nontidal network (NTN) consists of 123 stations throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Monitoring of nutrients, sediment, and river flow is conducted to provide estimates of loads and trends in the watershed. The CBP partnership uses the results to help assess the water-quality response to nutrient and sediment restoration efforts.
By
Chesapeake Bay Activities
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USGS nutrient and sediment trends show mixed results throughout the Chesapeake Watershed

Issue: The Chesapeake Bay Program (CBP) nontidal network (NTN) consists of 123 stations throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Monitoring of nutrients, sediment, and river flow is conducted to provide estimates of loads and trends in the watershed. The CBP partnership uses the results to help assess the water-quality response to nutrient and sediment restoration efforts.
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link
Map of 68 field sites and their upstream drainage areas of the Chesapeake and Delaware watersheds

New study shows importance of streambank erosion and floodplain deposition on sediment, phosphorus, and nitrogen sources and transport in the Chesapeake watershed

Issue: As Chesapeake Bay Program partners work to reduce pollution, knowing sources of sediment, phosphorus, and nitrogen transported to the Bay is critical for effective and efficient management. Streams and their associated floodplains have an important influence on the transport of nutrients and sediment through the Chesapeake watershed and into tidal waters. The USGS is conducting...
By
Chesapeake Bay Activities, Florence Bascom Geoscience Center
link

New study shows importance of streambank erosion and floodplain deposition on sediment, phosphorus, and nitrogen sources and transport in the Chesapeake watershed

Issue: As Chesapeake Bay Program partners work to reduce pollution, knowing sources of sediment, phosphorus, and nitrogen transported to the Bay is critical for effective and efficient management. Streams and their associated floodplains have an important influence on the transport of nutrients and sediment through the Chesapeake watershed and into tidal waters. The USGS is conducting...
Learn More
link
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
link

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...
Learn More
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