Chesapeake Bay Activities Newsletter March-April 2021
The USGS provides research and monitoring to better understand and restore the Chesapeake Bay and its watershed. Our technical reports and journal articles, which we translate into science summaries, provide the findings used by federal, state, and local decisionmakers to inform restoration and conservation decisions. Here are some recent highlights.
Learn more about USGS Chesapeake Bay activitie
Occurrence of toxic contaminant mixtures in surface water and groundwater in agricultural watersheds of the Chesapeake Bay
Issue
The widespread use of pesticides and fertilizers, application of biosolids and manure, and large-scale animal feeding operations result in contaminant mixtures occurring in streams and rivers (figure 1). These nonpoint sources are affected by multiple processes (such as stream discharge, seasonality and management practices) that influence contaminant occurrence in surface and groundwater water. Exposure to these contaminant mixtures can negatively affect fish and wildlife and their habitats. The Chesapeake Bay Program (CBP) has a goal to reduce the effects of toxic contaminants on living resources within the Bay and its watershed. The USGS leads the CBP toxic contaminant outcome designed to increase our understanding of the effects and mitigation options for toxic contaminants.
Land use tied to ‘intersex’ smallmouth bass in Bay rivers
Bay Journal — By Timothy Wheeler — February 25, 2021
USGS Releases First-of-its-Kind Survey of PFAS in Pennsylvania Surface Waters
USGS Pennsylvania Water Science Center in cooperation with Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP) released a first-of-its-kind Per- and Polyfluorinated Alkyl Substances (PFAS) dataset.
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 associated organisms. The Chesapeake Bay Program (CBP) has an outcome to restore stream health throughout the watershed. Information is needed on the factors degrading the health of streams, including altered flows, to help identify potential places and management actions to improve their condition.
USGS Contributes to New Chesapeake Bay Barometer
Issue: The Chesapeake Bay Program (CBP) released the 2019-2020 Bay Barometer, an annual report on progress made toward the goals and selected outcomes of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement. The Watershed Agreement, which was signed in 2014, has 10 and 31 outcomes, most with a target date of 2025. This year’s Bay Barometer has highlights for all 10 goals and reported progress on 12 outcomes.
Atmospheric nitrogen deposition in the Chesapeake Bay watershed: A history of change
Issue: Atmospheric deposition is one of the principal sources of nitrogen to the Chesapeake watershed with implications for patterns of nutrient loading, anoxia, and eutrophication in the Bay.