Publications

A comprehensive overview of the geology and waters of the Chesapeake Bay and its habitats, biological communities and living resources. The Living Natural Bay/Ecosystems, Watersheds, Environmental Stewardship and Sustainability of the Bay/Stewardship

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Carl F. Cerco, Lewis Linker, Jeffrey Sweeney, Gary Shenk, and Arthur J. Butt, 2002. "Nutrient and Solids Controls in Virginia’s Chesapeake Bay Tributaries" Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management, Vol. 128, Issue 3. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9496(2002)128:3(179).

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A series of refinements were added to a previously-completed three-dimensional eutrophication model of Chesapeake Bay. Refinements included increased grid resolution in the western tributaries and in shallow littoral areas, extension of the grid onto the continental shelf, extension of the validation period to 1985-1994, and addition of living resources. Computations of zooplankton, submerged aquatic vegetation, and benthos compared successfully with observations aggregated over annual time scales and at spatial scales on the order of 100 km2.

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This report summaries the key findings shared at a conference held in November 1999 and provides a set of recommendation targeted at various sectors of society that can influence public policy aimed at mitigating the negative aspects of forest fragmentation.

This study recommends the adoption of forest landscape policy goals and recommends a variety of specific improvements and additions to existing tax, acquisition, forest management, land use and urban forest programs that would improve the forests for the benefit of the public, landowners, and the environment.

Documents 1996 levels of monitoring carried out by Bay jurisdictions for the purpose of tracking forestry Best Management Practices implementation and effectiveness.

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State and federal agencies have been engaged in restoration and creation of wetlands for many years, generally as part of programs focused on habitat and water quality management. In the late 1990s recognition of the growing cumulative loss of wetland resources, spurred Chesapeake Bay Program partners to make commitments to seek not only no net loss of the resources, but an effective net resource gain. A goal of restoring 25,000 acres of wetlands within the Chesapeake watershed by 2010 was adopted as part of the Chesapeake 2000 agreement. The Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee (STAC) developed this workshop to afford practitioners and interested parties from the Chesapeake Bay Program partners an opportunity to exchange information, discuss emerging ideas, and suggest future directions. The workshop outcomes are presented in this report and grouped into four general areas: 1.) what is currently going on in Chesapeake Bay wetlands restoration; 2.) what the state of the science is to guide wetlands restoration in the Bay; 3.) what has been learned from ongoing efforts to restore wetlands; and 4.) what should happen next in restoration of Chesapeake Bay wetlands.

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Appendix B documents the water quality calibration of the Phase IV Watershed Model. Simulated and observed concentrations are compared for 8 years of calibration (1984-1991) at 15 water quality stations. Calibration data is shown for temperature, dissolved oxygen, total suspended sediment, total phosphorus, organic and particulate phosphorus, phosphate, total nitrogen, nitrate, total ammonia, and organic nitrogen.

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The primary objectives of this report are to describe the spatial patterns in the distribution of sediment chemical contaminants in Chesapeake Bay and to compare sediment chemical contaminant concentrations in Chesapeake Bay to sediment quality guidelines in order to identify areas where sediment chemical contaminants may adversely impact

The report describes results from five sampling periods and examine the effects of atmospheric nitrogen deposition on changes in algal biomass, as well as major algal classes.