Nutrient, Sediment, and Flow

Issue: The Chesapeake Bay Program (CBP) nontidal network (NTN) consists of more than 100 stations throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Monitoring of nutrients, sediment, and flow is conducted to provide estimates of loads and trends in the watershed. The CBP uses the results to focus restoration strategies and track progress towards meeting nutrients and suspended-sediment reduction goals.

The U.S Geological Survey (USGS) reports that freshwater flow into the Chesapeake Bay during water year (WY) 2019 was the highest flow on record (fig. 1). The record freshwater flow washes more pollutants into the Chesapeake Bay and affects dissolved oxygen and habitat conditions for oysters, crabs, and finfish. The 2019 water year is the period from October 1, 2018, through September 30, 2019...

Chesapeake Bay Program video on Sediment

Chesapeake Bay Program video on Monitoring and Modeling the Chesapeake Bay

Explore resources here describing estimates of freshwater flow entering Chesapeake Bay. The health of the Chesapeake Bay is greatly affected by freshwater flow from rivers draining its watershed. The amount of freshwater flow (also called streamflow) will: • Change salinity levels in the Bay, which affect oysters, crabs, and finfish. • Influence the amounts of nutrients, sediment, and contaminants...

Estuarine processes, hazards, and ecosystems describes several interdisciplinary projects that aim to quantify and understand estuarine processes through observations and numerical modeling. Both the spatial and temporal scales of these mechanisms are important, and therefore require modern instrumentation and state-of-the-art hydrodynamic models. These projects are led from the U.S. Geological...

Issue: The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) provides cost-share funding and technical assistance to support the implementation of agricultural conservation practices on farms throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Farmer participation in USDA conservation programs is voluntary and the implementation data are privacy protected.

Prepared by the U.S. Geological Survey and Chesapeake Bay Program, Updated September 17, 2018.

As the Mid-Atlantic states' super-soaker summer draws to a close, record amounts of rainwater have flowed off the land and into Chesapeake Bay, with potential consequences for the nation's largest estuary. USGS measurements show freshwater flows into the bay in August 2018 were the highest ever recorded for that month by a wide margin. River flows into the bay have been unusually high since May.

USGS Chesapeake Bay studies are carried out by integrated teams of scientists located across the watershed. The leaders of these teams are listed below. Click on a scientist's name to be taken to their staff profile.

A list of Chesapeake Bay Program videos highlighting USGS Chesapeake Bay Activities.

The health of the Chesapeake Bay, and streams in the watershed, are affected by changes in surface-water flows. Runoff from storms carries pollutants, such as nutrients, sediments, and toxic contaminants, into streams throughout the 64,000 square-mile watershed, which drain to the Bay. The changes of stream flow, and associated pollutant loads, influence habitat conditions for fisheries and safe...