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Streams and Environmental Change

Climate change and variability, along with adjacent land use, can affect stream conditions and health. The USGS is providing science on changes in stream flows and temperatures on habitats important for fisheries. The findings will help address the Chesapeake Bay Program (CBP) Goals for fisheries, habitat, and water quality.

Filter Total Items: 18

Study reveals importance of groundwater for stability of freshwater fish populations and resilience to climate change

Issue: Climate change is warming streams and rivers of the Chesapeake Bay watershed, and this is a critical concern for fisheries management and conservation. To address this issue, the Chesapeake Bay Program (CBP) recently identified four actions: • address the threats of climate change in all aspects of the partnership’s work; • prioritize communities, working lands, and most vulnerable habitats...
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Study reveals importance of groundwater for stability of freshwater fish populations and resilience to climate change

Issue: Climate change is warming streams and rivers of the Chesapeake Bay watershed, and this is a critical concern for fisheries management and conservation. To address this issue, the Chesapeake Bay Program (CBP) recently identified four actions: • address the threats of climate change in all aspects of the partnership’s work; • prioritize communities, working lands, and most vulnerable habitats...
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Enhanced understanding of factors affecting stream condition can improve restoration outcomes

Issue: The Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement has an outcome to improve stream health. Current restoration approaches have led to mixed improvements in stream conditions, indicating that some major stressors and their sources were likely overlooked. Managers could benefit from synthesized information on most reported stressors responsible for aquatic community impairment and their linkages to...
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Enhanced understanding of factors affecting stream condition can improve restoration outcomes

Issue: The Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement has an outcome to improve stream health. Current restoration approaches have led to mixed improvements in stream conditions, indicating that some major stressors and their sources were likely overlooked. Managers could benefit from synthesized information on most reported stressors responsible for aquatic community impairment and their linkages to...
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A Science-Based Approach for Targeting Resources to Achieve Multiple Chesapeake Outcomes

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...
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A Science-Based Approach for Targeting Resources to Achieve Multiple Chesapeake Outcomes

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...
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Study of stream fishes provides new framework to monitor climate change in the Chesapeake Bay headwaters

Issue: The Chesapeake Bay Program (CBP) have identified four goals for actions toward change climate: • address the threats of climate change in all aspects of the partnership’s work; • prioritize communities, working lands, and most vulnerable habitats; • apply the best scientific, modeling, monitoring and planning capabilities; and • connect restoration outcomes with emerging opportunities. A...
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Study of stream fishes provides new framework to monitor climate change in the Chesapeake Bay headwaters

Issue: The Chesapeake Bay Program (CBP) have identified four goals for actions toward change climate: • address the threats of climate change in all aspects of the partnership’s work; • prioritize communities, working lands, and most vulnerable habitats; • apply the best scientific, modeling, monitoring and planning capabilities; and • connect restoration outcomes with emerging opportunities. A...
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USGS Part of New Federal Effort to Address Climate Change in the Chesapeake Watershed

Issue: The federal government will work together to implement the Chesapeake Executive Council Directive No. 21-1 Collective Action for Climate Change, recognizing that urgent attention is needed to confront the challenges that a changing climate poses to the Chesapeake Bay region. The Directive emphasizes the importance of the “…resiliency of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, including its living...
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USGS Part of New Federal Effort to Address Climate Change in the Chesapeake Watershed

Issue: The federal government will work together to implement the Chesapeake Executive Council Directive No. 21-1 Collective Action for Climate Change, recognizing that urgent attention is needed to confront the challenges that a changing climate poses to the Chesapeake Bay region. The Directive emphasizes the importance of the “…resiliency of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, including its living...
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Unique 20-year study assesses ecosystem response to different types of stormwater management

Issue: Managing stormwater runoff in developing areas
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Tracking Status and Trends in Seven Key Indicators of River and Stream Condition in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed

Identifying and tracking the status of, and trends in, stream health within the Chesapeake Bay watershed is essential to understanding the past, present, and future trajectory of the watershed’s resources and ecological condition. A team of USGS ecosystem scientists is meeting this need with an initiative to track the status of, and trends in, key indicators of the health of non-tidal freshwater...
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Tracking Status and Trends in Seven Key Indicators of River and Stream Condition in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed

Identifying and tracking the status of, and trends in, stream health within the Chesapeake Bay watershed is essential to understanding the past, present, and future trajectory of the watershed’s resources and ecological condition. A team of USGS ecosystem scientists is meeting this need with an initiative to track the status of, and trends in, key indicators of the health of non-tidal freshwater...
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Time marches on, but do factors driving instream habitat and biology remain consistent?

Issue: Stream ecosystems are affected by a complex set of interacting terrestrial and aquatic stressors. With many streams experiencing degraded conditions that often correspond with increased anthropogenic activities, an important outcome of the Chesapeake Bay Program is to improve stream health. The USGS is conducting research to better understand the complex factors affecting stream health...
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Time marches on, but do factors driving instream habitat and biology remain consistent?

Issue: Stream ecosystems are affected by a complex set of interacting terrestrial and aquatic stressors. With many streams experiencing degraded conditions that often correspond with increased anthropogenic activities, an important outcome of the Chesapeake Bay Program is to improve stream health. The USGS is conducting research to better understand the complex factors affecting stream health...
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Altered flow affects the biological health of streams in the Chesapeake Bay watershed

Issue: The natural cycle of water flow, known as the flow regime, is one of the primary habitat conditions needed for healthy biological communities in streams. However, human activities have drastically altered the natural flow regime of most of the world’s rivers and streams, including those in the Chesapeake watershed, which has resulted in changes not only to the natural habitat but also...
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Altered flow affects the biological health of streams in the Chesapeake Bay watershed

Issue: The natural cycle of water flow, known as the flow regime, is one of the primary habitat conditions needed for healthy biological communities in streams. However, human activities have drastically altered the natural flow regime of most of the world’s rivers and streams, including those in the Chesapeake watershed, which has resulted in changes not only to the natural habitat but also...
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New information on chemical and physical characteristics of streams and floodplains across the Chesapeake Bay and Delaware River watersheds

Issue: Improving stream health is an important outcome of the Chesapeake Bay Program partnership. Stream conditions are important for recreational fisheries, and mitigating the amount of nutrients, sediment, and contaminants delivered to the Bay.
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New information on chemical and physical characteristics of streams and floodplains across the Chesapeake Bay and Delaware River watersheds

Issue: Improving stream health is an important outcome of the Chesapeake Bay Program partnership. Stream conditions are important for recreational fisheries, and mitigating the amount of nutrients, sediment, and contaminants delivered to the Bay.
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New dataset available on stream and floodplain geometry to inform restoration decisions

Issue: The need for stream mapping The physical shape of streams and floodplains can provide information about how water, sediment, and other matter moves through the landscape. Streams can have deep channels (tall streambanks) disconnected from the floodplain or wide shallow channels that easily spill over the banks into the floodplain during high flows. Mapping where streams fall along this...
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New dataset available on stream and floodplain geometry to inform restoration decisions

Issue: The need for stream mapping The physical shape of streams and floodplains can provide information about how water, sediment, and other matter moves through the landscape. Streams can have deep channels (tall streambanks) disconnected from the floodplain or wide shallow channels that easily spill over the banks into the floodplain during high flows. Mapping where streams fall along this...
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Projecting stream conditions under future land-use and climate scenarios

Issue: Global change, particularly changes in land use and climate, is dramatically altering stream conditions throughout the world. Healthy streams are important for freshwater fisheries, wildlife, and public recreation. The Chesapeake Bay Program (CBP) has a goal of improving the health of streams throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed, which includes an outcome of improving the condition of 10...
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Projecting stream conditions under future land-use and climate scenarios

Issue: Global change, particularly changes in land use and climate, is dramatically altering stream conditions throughout the world. Healthy streams are important for freshwater fisheries, wildlife, and public recreation. The Chesapeake Bay Program (CBP) has a goal of improving the health of streams throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed, which includes an outcome of improving the condition of 10...
Learn More