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: 954
Relation of lead exposure to sediment ingestion in mute swans on the Chesapeake Bay, USA Relation of lead exposure to sediment ingestion in mute swans on the Chesapeake Bay, USA
Although wildlife risk assessments are generally based on the accumulation of environmental contaminants through food chains, wildlife may also ingest contaminants incidentally with sediment. Forty-two mute swans (Cygnus olor) were collected from unpolluted portions of central Chesapeake Bay, Maryland, USA, in spring 1995, and their intestinal digesta were analyzed for 13 metals...
Authors
W. N. Beyer, Daniel D. Day, Alexandra Morton, Y. Pachepsky
Status yields and trends of nutrients and sediment and methods of analysis for nontidal data-collection programs, Chesapeake Bay basin, 1985-96 Status yields and trends of nutrients and sediment and methods of analysis for nontidal data-collection programs, Chesapeake Bay basin, 1985-96
Data from more than 200 sites in nontidal portions of the Chesapeake Bay were compiled to document annual nutrient and sediment loads and trends for the period 1985 through 1996 as part of the 1997 Reevaluation of the Chesapeake Bay Program goal of reducing nutrient loads 40 percent by the year 2000. Annual loads were estimated by use of the Minimum Variance Unbiased Estimator (MVUE)...
Authors
Michael J. Langland, Robert E. Edwards, Linda C. Darrell
Natural processes for managing nitrate in ground water discharged to Chesapeake Bay and other surface waters: More than forest buffers Natural processes for managing nitrate in ground water discharged to Chesapeake Bay and other surface waters: More than forest buffers
Ground-water discharge is a significant source of nitrate load to tidal creeks, coastal estuaries, and Chesapeake Bay. Different studies have found that forest buffers greater than 200 feet wide remove most of the nitrate from passing ground water. These buffers are commonly included in regional nutrient-management strategies. Results of a U.S. Geological Survey study on the Eastern...
Authors
Gary K. Speiran, Pixie A. Hamilton, Michael D. Woodside
Changes in sediment and nutrient storage in three reservoirs in the lower Susquehanna River Basin and implications for the Chesapeake Bay Changes in sediment and nutrient storage in three reservoirs in the lower Susquehanna River Basin and implications for the Chesapeake Bay
The Susquehanna River contributes nearly 50 percent of the freshwater discharge to the Chesapeake Bay in a year of normal or average streamflow. The river also transports the greatest amount of nutrients (estimates of nearly 66 percent of the nitrogen and 40 percent of the phosphorus load) from all nontidal areas in the Chesapeake Bay Basin. Excessive nutrients in the Bay result in algal...
Authors
Michael J. Langland
The seventy-fourth Christmas bird count. 315. Southern Dorchester County, Md The seventy-fourth Christmas bird count. 315. Southern Dorchester County, Md
Because limited information is available regarding preferences for nocturnal habitat during winter, we studied use of nocturnal habitats by American woodcock (Scolopax minor) wintering in the Georgia Piedmont (1994-95). During the evening crepuscular period, woodcock on the wintering grounds move from forested to field habitats, presumably to feed, conduct courtship displays, roost, and...
Authors
C.S. Robbins
Comparison of hydrochemical tracers to estimate source contributions to peak flow in a small, forested, headwater catchment Comparison of hydrochemical tracers to estimate source contributions to peak flow in a small, forested, headwater catchment
Three-component (throughfall, soil water, groundwater) hydrograph separations at peak flow were performed on 10 storms over a 2-year period in a small forested catchment in north-central Maryland using an iterative and an exact solution. Seven pairs of tracers (deuterium and oxygen 18, deuterium and chloride, deuterium and sodium, deuterium and silica, chloride and silica, chloride and...
Authors
Karen C. Rice, George M. Hornberger
Preliminary estimates of residence times and apparent ages of ground water in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, and water-quality data from a survey of springs Preliminary estimates of residence times and apparent ages of ground water in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, and water-quality data from a survey of springs
Knowledge of the residence times of the ground-water systems in Chesapeake Bay watershed helps resource managers anticipate potential delays between implementation of land-management practices and any improve-ments in river and estuary water quality. This report presents preliminary estimates of ground-water residence times and apparent ages of water in the shallow aquifers of the...
Authors
Michael J. Focazio, Niel Plummer, John K. Bohlke, Eurybiades Busenberg, L. Joseph Bachman, David S. Powars
Water quality in the Potomac River basin, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia, 1992-96 Water quality in the Potomac River basin, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia, 1992-96
No abstract available.
Authors
Scott W. Ator, Joel D. Blomquist, John W. Brakebill, Janet M. Denis, Matthew J. Ferrari, Cherie V. Miller, Humbert Zappia
Ground-water discharge and base-flow nitrate loads of nontidal streams, and their relation to a hydrogeomorphic classification of the Chesapeake Bay watershed, middle Atlantic Coast Ground-water discharge and base-flow nitrate loads of nontidal streams, and their relation to a hydrogeomorphic classification of the Chesapeake Bay watershed, middle Atlantic Coast
Existing data on base-flow and groundwater nitrate loads were compiled and analyzed to assess the significance of groundwater discharge as a source of the nitrate load to nontidal streams of the Chesapeake Bay watershed. These estimates were then related to hydrogeomorphic settings based on lithology and physiographic province to provide insight on the areal distribution of ground-water...
Authors
L. Joseph Bachman, Bruce D. Lindsey, John W. Brakebill, David S. Powars
Yields and trends of nutrients and total suspended solids in nontidal areas of the Chesapeake Bay basin, 1985-96 Yields and trends of nutrients and total suspended solids in nontidal areas of the Chesapeake Bay basin, 1985-96
Excessive concentrations of nutrients and suspended solids in water adversely affect water quality in the Chesapeake Bay. High levels of nutrients in the Bay result in algal blooms and suspended solids reduce water clarity, both of which decrease the amount of light reaching submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV). The die off and decomposition of algae and SAV deplete oxygen supplies in the...
Authors
Michael J. Langland
Use of geochemical mass balance modelling to evaluate the role of weathering in determining stream chemistry in five mid-Atlantic watersheds on different lithologies Use of geochemical mass balance modelling to evaluate the role of weathering in determining stream chemistry in five mid-Atlantic watersheds on different lithologies
No abstract available.
Authors
Anne K. O’Brien, Karen C. Rice, Owen P. Bricker, Margaret M. Kennedy, R. Todd Anderson
Nutrient and suspended solids loads, yields, and trends in the non-tidal part of five major river basins in Virginia, 1985-96 Nutrient and suspended solids loads, yields, and trends in the non-tidal part of five major river basins in Virginia, 1985-96
No abstract available.
Authors
H.M. Johnson, D.L. Belval