Chesapeake Bay Activities Newsletter October 2023-March 2024
Evaluation and review of best management practices for the reduction of polychlorinated biphenyls to the Chesapeake Bay
Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) continue to impact the environment due to historic and ongoing anthropogenic sources (for example, industrial and agricultural), despite their ban. Contaminated stormwater has been identified as a vector for PCB transport to many estuaries impaired by PCBs. Management of these regulated discharges is typically achieved by best management practices (BMPs). This revi
Scientists ponder: How well are ag practices helping the Chesapeake Bay?
Bay Journal — by Karl Blankenship — January 23, 2024
Using geospatial analysis to guide marsh restoration in Chesapeake Bay and beyond
Coastal managers are facing imminent decisions regarding the fate of coastal wetlands, given ongoing threats to their persistence. There is a need for objective methods to identify which wetland parcels are candidates for restoration, monitoring, protection, or acquisition due to limited resources and restoration techniques. Here, we describe a new spatially comprehensive data set for Chesapeake B
Your land, your water—Using research to guide conservation practices on local farms in the Chesapeake Bay watershed
Agricultural lands are an important part of the economy and heritage of the Chesapeake Bay watershed and are a focus of conservation activities. Streams and rivers around farms provide communities with drinking water and recreational opportunities, but these local benefits can be impaired by elevated nutrient and sediment concentrations. Compared to inputs from the atmosphere, wastewater, and urba
Keeping it Green with Winter Cover Crops
Winter cover crops, which can include cereal grains, legumes, or brassicas, are planted in the autumn following harvest of summer row crops such as corn and soybeans, and are terminated in the spring, prior to planting of the subsequent summer crop.
Using local monitoring results to inform the Chesapeake Bay Program’s Watershed Model
The Chesapeake Bay Program’s Watershed Model (CBWM) has been used as an accounting tool for the Chesapeake Bay Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL). However, some of the fundamental parameters that underpin the watershed model may not represent local watershed characteristics at all scales. Significant investments have been made by state and local governments, and other local stakeholders, who are int