Publications
The USGS publishes peer-reviewed reports and journal articles which are used by Chesapeake Bay Program resource managers and policy makers to make science-based decisions for ecosystem conservation and restoration. Use the Search box below to find publications on selected topics.
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Filter Total Items: 942
Legacy sediment as a potential source of orthophosphate: Preliminary conceptual and geochemical models for the Susquehanna River, Chesapeake Bay watershed, USA Legacy sediment as a potential source of orthophosphate: Preliminary conceptual and geochemical models for the Susquehanna River, Chesapeake Bay watershed, USA
Nutrient pollution from agriculture and urban areas plus acid mine drainage (AMD) from legacy coal mines are primary causes of water-quality impairment in the Susquehanna River, which is the predominant source of freshwater and nutrients entering the Chesapeake Bay. Recent increases in the delivery of dissolved orthophosphate (PO4) from the river to the bay may be linked to long-term...
Authors
Charles A. Cravotta, Travis L. Tasker, Peter M. Smyntek, Joel Blomquist, John W. Clune, Qian Zhang, Noah Schmadel, Natalie Katrina Schmer
Your land, your water—Using research to guide conservation practices on local farms in the Chesapeake Bay watershed Your land, your water—Using research to guide conservation practices on local farms in the Chesapeake Bay watershed
Agricultural lands are an important part of the economy and heritage of the Chesapeake Bay watershed and are a focus of conservation activities. Streams and rivers around farms provide communities with drinking water and recreational opportunities, but these local benefits can be impaired by elevated nutrient and sediment concentrations. Compared to inputs from the atmosphere, wastewater...
Authors
James S. Webber, John W. Clune, Alexander M. Soroka, Kenneth Hyer
Examining the complex relations between climate and streamflow in the mid-atlantic region of the United States Examining the complex relations between climate and streamflow in the mid-atlantic region of the United States
We explored the complex relations between climate and streamflow in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. In 124 watersheds across this region, we quantified spatial and temporal variation in air temperature (AT), precipitation (P), and streamflow (Q) from 1981 through 2020. Upward directional trends in monthly values of AT, P, and Q indicated an increase of 0.27–1.9 degrees...
Authors
Karen C. Rice, Christopher A. Mason, Aaron L. Mills
Predatory impacts of invasive Blue Catfish in an Atlantic coast estuary Predatory impacts of invasive Blue Catfish in an Atlantic coast estuary
Objective Predatory invasive fishes may consume species of management interest and alter food webs. Blue Catfish Ictalurus furcatus is a large-bodied, salinity-tolerant species that exhibits broad diet breadth and preys on species of both conservation concern and fisheries management interest. To better understand the ecological consequences of the establishment of Blue Catfish fisheries...
Authors
Corbin David Hilling, Joseph Schmitt, Yan Jiao, Donald J. Orth
Using geospatial analysis to guide marsh restoration in Chesapeake Bay and beyond Using geospatial analysis to guide marsh restoration in Chesapeake Bay and beyond
Coastal managers are facing imminent decisions regarding the fate of coastal wetlands, given ongoing threats to their persistence. There is a need for objective methods to identify which wetland parcels are candidates for restoration, monitoring, protection, or acquisition due to limited resources and restoration techniques. Here, we describe a new spatially comprehensive data set for...
Authors
Neil K. Ganju, Kate Ackerman, Zafer Defne
Mapping stream and floodplain geomorphometry with the Floodplain and Channel Evaluation Tool Mapping stream and floodplain geomorphometry with the Floodplain and Channel Evaluation Tool
Broad-scale mapping of stream channel and floodplain geomorphic metrics is critical to improve the understanding of geomorphic change, biogeochemical processes, riverine habitat quality, and opportunities for management intervention. The Floodplain and Channel Evaluation Tool (FACET) was developed to provide an open-source tool for automated processing of digital elevation models (DEMs)...
Authors
Kristina G. Hopkins, Labeeb Ahmed, Peter R. Claggett, Samuel Lamont, Marina J. Metes, Gregory E. Noe
Societal benefits of floodplains in the Chesapeake Bay and Delaware River watersheds: Sediment, nutrient, and flood regulation ecosystem services Societal benefits of floodplains in the Chesapeake Bay and Delaware River watersheds: Sediment, nutrient, and flood regulation ecosystem services
Floodplains provide critical ecosystem services to people by regulating floodwaters and retaining sediments and nutrients. Geospatial analyses, field data collection, and modeling were integrated to quantify a portfolio of services that floodplains provide to downstream communities within the Chesapeake Bay and Delaware River watersheds. The portfolio of services included floodplain...
Authors
Kristina G. Hopkins, Jacqueline Sage Welles, Emily Pindilli, Gregory E. Noe, Peter Claggett, Labeeb Ahmed, Marina J. Metes
The Chesapeake Bay Land Change Model (CBLCM): Simulating future land use scenarios and potential impacts on water quality The Chesapeake Bay Land Change Model (CBLCM): Simulating future land use scenarios and potential impacts on water quality
The Chesapeake Bay Land Change Model (CBLCM) is an open-source pseudo-cellular automata land change model tailored for loose coupling with watershed models. The CBLCM simulates infill development, residential and commercial development, natural land and agricultural land conversion, and growth served by sewer or septic wastewater treatment. The CBLCM is unique among land change models by
Authors
Peter Claggett, Labeeb Ahmed, Frederick Irani, Sarah McDonald, Renee Thompson
Water quality impacts of climate change, land use, and population growth in the Chesapeake Bay watershed Water quality impacts of climate change, land use, and population growth in the Chesapeake Bay watershed
The 2010 Chesapeake Bay Total Maximum Daily Load was established for the water quality and ecological restoration of the Chesapeake Bay. In 2017, the latest science, data, and modeling tools were used to develop revised Watershed Implementation Plans (WIPs). In this article, we examine the vulnerability of the Chesapeake Bay watershed to the combined pressures of climate change and...
Authors
Gopal Bhatt, Lewis C. Linker, Gary W. Shenk, Isabella Bertani, Richard Tian, Jessica Rigelman, Kyle E. Hinson, Peter Claggett
White perch health relative to urbanization and habitat degradation in Chesapeake Bay tributaries. II. Hepatic and splenic macrophage aggregates White perch health relative to urbanization and habitat degradation in Chesapeake Bay tributaries. II. Hepatic and splenic macrophage aggregates
Macrophage aggregate (MA) abundance in fish is a useful general biomarker of contaminant exposures and environmental stress. Hepatic and splenic MAs were evaluated in semi-anadromous white perch Morone americana (Gmelin, 1789) from the urbanized Severn River (S) and the more rural Choptank River (C), Chesapeake Bay. Fish were collected from different sites in the annual migratory circuit...
Authors
Vicki S. Blazer, Mark A Matsche, Erin L. Pulster
White perch health relative to urbanization and habitat degradation in Chesapeake Bay tributaries. I. Biliary neoplasms and hepatic lesions White perch health relative to urbanization and habitat degradation in Chesapeake Bay tributaries. I. Biliary neoplasms and hepatic lesions
White perch Morone americana (Gmelin, 1789) from the Chesapeake Bay (USA) watershed have a high incidence of liver disease, including neoplasms of bile duct origin. Fish collected seasonally from spring 2019 to winter 2020 from the urban Severn River and the more rural Choptank River were evaluated for hepatic lesions. Biliary hyperplasia (64.1%), neoplasms (cholangioma and...
Authors
Vicki S. Blazer, Mark A Matsche, Erin L. Pulster
Progress in reducing nutrient and sediment loads to Chesapeake Bay: Three decades of monitoring data and implications for restoring complex ecosystems Progress in reducing nutrient and sediment loads to Chesapeake Bay: Three decades of monitoring data and implications for restoring complex ecosystems
For over three decades, Chesapeake Bay (USA) has been the focal point of a coordinated restoration strategy implemented through a partnership of governmental and nongovernmental entities, which has been a classical model for coastal restoration worldwide. This synthesis aims to provide resource managers and estuarine scientists with a clearer perspective of the magnitude of changes in...
Authors
Qian Zhang, Joel Blomquist, Rosemary M. Fanelli, Jennifer L. Keisman, Douglas L. Moyer, Michael J. Langland