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: 961
The state of the science and practice of stream restoration in the Chesapeake: Lessons learned to inform better implementation, assessment and outcomes 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...
Authors
Gregory B. Noe, Neely Law, Joel Berger, Solange Filoso, Sadie Drescher, L. Fraley-McNeal, Ben Hayes, Paul Mayer, Chris Ruck, Bill Stack, Rich Starr, Scott Stranko, Tess Thompson
The LTAR cropland Common Experiment at Lower Chesapeake Bay The LTAR cropland Common Experiment at Lower Chesapeake Bay
The Lower Chesapeake Bay (LCB) Long-Term Agroecosystem Research (LTAR) Common Experiment (CE) located in Beltsville, MD, focuses on research of concern to producers of the major regional crops, which are corn (Zea mays L.), soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.], wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), and various forage species. Livestock production in the region includes broiler and laying chickens...
Authors
Gwen Bagley, Victoria E.P. Ackroyd, Michelle A. Cavagielli, K. E. White, Harry H. Schomberg, E.P. Law, K. Bejleri, W. Dean Hively, M.H.H. Fischel, Jude E. Maul, Cathleen J. Hapeman, Gregory W. McCarty, Wayne Dulaney, Dennis J. Timlin, Steven B. Mirsky
Predictive modeling reveals elevated conductivity relative to background levels in freshwater tributaries within the Chesapeake Bay watershed, USA 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...
Authors
Rosemary M. Fanelli, Joel Moore, Charles C. Stillwell, Andrew J. Sekellick, Richard Walker
Tissue distribution and temporal and spatial assessment of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) in the mid-Atlantic United States 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...
Authors
Vicki S. Blazer, Heather L. Walsh, Cheyenne R. Smith, Stephanie E. Gordon, Brandon J. Keplinger, Timothy Wertz
Rappahannock tributary summary: A summary of trends in tidal water quality and associated factors, 1985-2022 Rappahannock tributary summary: A summary of trends in tidal water quality and associated factors, 1985-2022
The Rappahannock Tributary Summary outlines change over time for a suite of monitored tidal water quality parameters and associated potential drivers of those trends for the period of 1985 to 2022, and provides a brief description of the current state of knowledge explaining these observed changes. Water quality parameters described include surface (above pycnocline) total nitrogen (TN)...
Authors
Breck Maura Sullivan, Kaylyn Gootman, Alex Gunnerson, Sarah Betts, Cindy Johnson, Christopher A. Mason, Elgin Perry, Gopal Bhatt, Jennifer L. Keisman, James S. Webber, Jon Harcum, Michael F. Lane, Olivia Devereux, Qian Zhang, Rebecca Murphy, Renee Karrh, Thomas Butler, Vanessa Van Note, Angie Wei
Discerning sediment provenance in the Outer Banks (USA) through detrital zircon geochronology Discerning sediment provenance in the Outer Banks (USA) through detrital zircon geochronology
Detrital zircon data from modern barrier island and estuarine environments in the Outer Banks (Atlantic Coast, USA) were statistically compared to sands from nearby rivers to assist in determining source-to-sink pathways. Fluvial samples, collected from near the Fall Line contact between the Appalachian Orogen and sediments of the coastal plain, all have age unique distributions, making...
Authors
John W. Counts, Jared T. Gooley, Joshua Long, William H. Craddock, Paul O’Sullivan
Factors contributing to pesticide contamination in riverine systems: The role of wastewater and landscape sources Factors contributing to pesticide contamination in riverine systems: The role of wastewater and landscape sources
Wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) discharges can be a source of organic contaminants, including pesticides, to rivers. An integrated model was developed for the Potomac River watershed (PRW) to determine the amount of accumulated wastewater percentage of streamflow (ACCWW) and calculate predicted environmental concentrations (PECs) for 14 pesticides in non-tidal National Hydrography...
Authors
Samuel Adam Miller, Kaycee E. Faunce, Larry B. Barber, Jacob Fleck, Daniel Walter Burns, Jeramy Roland Jasmann, Michelle L. Hladik
Temporal analysis of water chemistry and smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) health at two sites with divergent land use in the Susquehanna River watershed, Pennsylvania, USA Temporal analysis of water chemistry and smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) health at two sites with divergent land use in the Susquehanna River watershed, Pennsylvania, USA
Monitoring wild fish health and exposure effects in impacted rivers and streams with differing land use has become a valuable research tool. Smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) are a sensitive, indicator species that exhibit signs of immunosuppression and endocrine disruption in response to water quality changes and contaminant exposure. To determine the impact of agriculture and...
Authors
Heather L. Walsh, Geoffrey Smith, Megan Schall, Stephanie E. Gordon, Vicki S. Blazer
Feeding habits and ecological implications of the invasive Flathead Catfish in the Susquehanna River basin, Pennsylvania Feeding habits and ecological implications of the invasive Flathead Catfish in the Susquehanna River basin, Pennsylvania
Objective
Authors
Sydney Stark, Megan K. Schall, Geoffrey D. Smith, Aaron Maloy, Jason A. Coombs, Tyler Wagner, Julian Avery
Invasive blue catfish in the Chesapeake Bay: A risk to realizing Bay restoration investments Invasive blue catfish in the Chesapeake Bay: A risk to realizing Bay restoration investments
Authors
Ellen Robertson, Jenn Malpass, Christopher Ottinger, John Griffin, Christine Densmore, Kenneth Hyer
Connecting conservation practices to local stream health in the Chesapeake Bay watershed Connecting conservation practices to local stream health in the Chesapeake Bay watershed
The Chesapeake Bay Partnership is implementing conservation practices (CPs) throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed to reduce nutrient and sediment delivery to the Bay. This study intends to provide an integrated and detailed understanding of how local streams respond to these CP-driven management efforts. Key issue: To what extent do CPs positively affect the health of local streams in...
Authors
Gregory B. Noe, Paul L. Angermeier, Larry B. Barber, Joe Buckwalter, Matthew J. Cashman, Olivia Devereux, Thomas Rossiter Doody, Sally Entrekin, Rosemary Margaret Fanelli, Nathaniel P. Hitt, Molly Elizabeth Huber, Jeramy Roland Jasmann, Kelly O. Maloney, Tristan Gregory Mohs, Sergio Sabat-Bonilla, Kelly L. Smalling, Tyler Wagner, John C. Wolf, Kenneth Hyer
Rising seas could cross thresholds for initiating coastal wetland drowning within decades across much of the United States Rising seas could cross thresholds for initiating coastal wetland drowning within decades across much of the United States
Accelerated sea-level rise is an existential threat to coastal wetlands, but the timing and extent of wetland drowning are debated. Recent data syntheses have clarified future relative sea-level rise exposure and sensitivity thresholds for drowning. Here, we integrate these advances to estimate when and where rising sea levels could cross thresholds for initiating wetland drowning across...
Authors
Michael Osland, Bogdan Chivoiu, James B. Grace, Nicholas Enwright, Glenn R. Guntenspergen, Kevin J. Buffington, Karen M. Thorne, Joel A. Carr, William V. Sweet, Brady Couvillion