Publications

This work contains the following themes as they relate to the Chesapeake Bay: The Living Natural Bay/Ecosystems

The hydrologic calibration of the phase 5 watershed model was evaluated through 9 published acceptable criteria used in HSPF Expert system. The specific flow characteristics evaluated are: Error in total volume; Error in low flow or base flow recession; Error in 50% lowest flow; Error in 10% highest flow; Error in storm volumes; Summer volume error; Winter volume error; Summer storm volume error; and Storm peaks simulated verses observed for selected storms in inches. One Phase 5 base flow statistic was also used.

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The Chesapeake Bay Contaminated Sediment Critical Issue Forum was structured to seek a technical consensus on a series of questions related to the magnitude and extent of contaminated sediments within the Bay; and how that affects the Chesapeake Bay as compared to other coastal systems.

Second report to Congress on the atmospheric deposition of pollutants to the Great Waters. This report documents findings since the First Report to Congress and describes recent progress in these issues. This report places emphasis on local and federal activities, including many that support section 112(m) directives, taking place at specific waterbodies including the Chesapeake Bay.

This report documents the calculations and procedures for the preparation of the input data to the Watershed Model - HSPF Phase 5. These calculations are used for creating the calibration data as well as scenario data. They form the basis of the Nutrient and Sediment Scenario Builder tool. The data created in this tool include: manure and chemical fertilizer applications by each nutrient type, land use in acres, plant uptake (the monthly amount of total nitrogen and total phosphorus taken into the entire plant -- roots, and all above-ground parts), nitrogen fixation (the amount of N fixed by leguminous plants each month), area of soil that is not covered by residue or leaves and is available to be eroded, and the amount of nitrogen from septic system drainage fields.

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In this report, a comparison data set with helix and block results for the same samples was analyzed to estimate the magnitude of the low bias of the helix method compared to the block method.

The report includes methods, interpretation of results, results for the Watershed, results by State, wetland loss hotspots, discussion and conclusions and recommendations.

This report examines the cost effectiveness of control options which reduce nitrate deposition to the Chesapeake watershed and the tidal Bay. The object of the analysis is to determine the sources of atmospheric nitrate deposited to the Bay, the loads from each major source, the load reduction amount brought about by controls, and the cost of reductions.

Water quality in Chesapeake Bay has degraded over the past 50 years with respect to oxygen depletion and reduced light attenuation. While the causes are numerous, sediment resuspension from wave and tidal action cloud the water column and reduce light attenuation thereby negatively affecting submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) beds. Sediments on the Bay bottom come from upland runoff and shoreline erosion, each of which has significant contributions to the loading of sediments into estuary. The purpose of this report is to assess the present methods used to calculate sediment loading from tidal shoreline erosion that is input to the Chesapeake Bay Water Quality Model (WQM).

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The Significance of Ammonia to Coastal and Estuarine Areas is a report on the third Shared Resources workshop on Airsheds & Watersheds. The report covers the potential detrimental effects of ammonia to air quality' the role ammonia plays as a form of nutrient enrichment of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems; the sources, airborne transport and fate of ammonia emissions; and the need to manage ammonia emissions to protect human health and the environment.

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