Evaluating the Effects of Stream-Restoration Practices in an Impaired Agricultural System
500 Years of Extreme Potomac Floods at Washington D.C.
Remotely mapping stormwater facility footprints and storage volumes
Evaluating the Risks of Tire-Derived Compounds to Fish in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed
Using monitoring data to measure conditions over time in Chesapeake Bay streams
Prioritizing Marsh Restoration Needs Throughout Chesapeake Bay
Publications
Discover Chesapeake related science in reports and journal articles authored by USGS scientists
Chesapeake Bay Activities
The Chesapeake Bay is our Nation’s largest estuary and provides over $100 billion in annual economic value. The USGS works with Federal, State, local, and academic partners to provide research and monitoring and to communicate results to inform management for the Chesapeake and other important landscapes across the Nation.
39 Years of Stream Conditions - Widespread Biological Changes
USGS scientists predicted stream biological conditions across the Chesapeake Bay watershed from 1985 through 2023, revealing widespread changes but only a ~1% increase in stream length classified as improved. These predicted improvements fell short of the Chesapeake Bay Program’s goal of improving the health of 10% of streams by 2025.
“Sediment Shadow” in Chesapeake Bay’s Tidal Freshwater Rivers
A new synthesis of existing long-term records of suspended-sediment concentrations suggests that only a limited amount of watershed sediment is currently transported by rivers past the tidal freshwater zone and into saltier waters of the Chesapeake Bay.
Quick Links
Learn more about USGS science activities in the Bay from our Science Strategy. Additional summaries of the USGS Chesapeake Bay Activities are available in the science topics section.
News
New Research Shows a Troubling Trend for Chesapeake Bay Osprey
Research shows Chesapeake Bay streams are getting saltier
Maryland Mainstem Tributary Summary
Publications
The effect of temperature, flow, density and disease on smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) early life growth rate The effect of temperature, flow, density and disease on smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) early life growth rate
Long-term predictive modeling of stream condition suggests wide-spread changes within the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, USA Long-term predictive modeling of stream condition suggests wide-spread changes within the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, USA
Sediment response to stream restoration in an agricultural watershed Sediment response to stream restoration in an agricultural watershed
Science
39 Years of Stream Conditions Show Widespread Biological Changes Across the Chesapeake Bay Watershed
Chesapeake Stream Team
