Publications

The State of the Chesapeake Bay and Its Watershed provides current information on the conditions and challenges that face the Chesapeake Bay today. Through an intricate suite of environmental indicators, Bay scientists assess both the state of the Bay and the state of the Bay’s restoration. Chesapeake Bay Program partners track some 100 indicators of Bay health – 89 are based on environmental monitoring and tracking data, while 11 employ computer model forecasts to project future water quality conditions resulting from today’s restoration initiatives. This suite provides us the most comprehensive look at the current state of the Bay while allowing Bay scientists to predict likely future conditions.

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On April 18, 2007, the Chesapeake Bay Program released its Chesapeake Bay 2006 Health and Restoration Assessment. The report gives watershed residents a clear and concise synopsis of Bay health and on-the-ground restoration efforts taking place across its vast watershed. The report is divided into two parts: Ecosystem Health and Restoration Efforts. This format of reporting, first used to detail the condition of the Bay in 2005, allows the Bay Program partnership to look at the effectiveness of clean-up actions across the entire watershed and allocate restoration efforts appropriately.

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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

Bay Barometer: A Health and Restoration Assessment of the Chesapeake Bay and Watershed in 2009 provides detailed results on many aspects of the ecosystem and the restoration of the Chesapeake Bay.

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2011 Milestones to Reduce Nitrogen and Phosphorus

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Despite increased restoration efforts throughout the watershed, the overall health of the Chesapeake Bay did not improve in 2008. The Chesapeake Bay Program, however, exceeded its goal for land preservation with 7.3 million acres permanently protected from development. Bay Barometer: A Health and Restoration Assessment of the Chesapeake Bay and Watershed in 2008 provides detailed results on many aspects of the ecosystem and for the first time includes overall scores for both health and restoration.

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Bay Barometer: A Health and Restoration Assessment of the Chesapeake Bay and Watershed in 2008 provides detailed results on many aspects of the ecosystem and the restoration of the Chesapeake Bay.

The U.S. EPA’s Chesapeake Bay Program charged the Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee (STAC) with reviewing the current understanding of climate change impacts on the tidal Chesapeake Bay and identifying critical knowledge gaps and research priorities. This report addresses that charge and provides the basis for incorporating climate change considerations into resource management decisions.

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