Join the Celebration!

   

Celebrating 100 Years of Science! | 1925-2025
  • UMCES HOME
  • DONATE

Search form

  • Work with Us
    • Science communication services
    • Environmental report card production
    • Training and capacity building
    • Stakeholder Engagement
    • Careers
  • Media Library
    • Symbols
    • Graphics
    • Photos
    • Videos
  • Report cards
  • Education
    • Professional Certificate
    • MEES Graduate Program
    • Short Courses
    • Initiatives
  • Blog
  • Enewsletter
  • Publications
    • Books
    • Report Cards
    • Newsletters
    • Reports
    • Brochures
    • Posters
    • Papers
  • Projects
  • About
    • Who we are
    • What we do
    • Our Mission
    • History
    • Partnerships
    • Contact
    • Land Acknowledgment Statement
    • Project Videos
  • Home
  • Media Library
Clear Filters

Lightbox (0)

Symbol Package
The Niobrara River is where six major biomes converge to form a rich diversity of flora and fauna. Threats to the river arise from fire exclusion leading to the expansion of ponderosa pine into grassland area, changes in microclimates, the spread of invasive plants and the high volume of visitors during peak periods.
Niobrara National Scenic River Resources and…
A map shows that land use in the Ohio River Basin is dominated by developed, forested and cropland areas. Diagram from
Ohio River Basin Land Use
A conceptual diagram illustrates the dates and locations of different Mississippi River Report Card workshops. The workshop process is used to bring different groups together to strengthen the report card and promote broad prospectives, dialogue and collaboration.
Mississippi River Report Card Workshop Timeline
The diagram lists potential indicators for the Ohio River Basin that were generated at the workshop. The goals listed in this diagram are representative of the things people value in the Ohio River Basin watershed.
Potential Indicators for the Ohio River Basin
The Lower Mississippi River Basin supports a diversity of uses, dependent upon both natural and human engineered systems. This conceptual diagram illustrates the main threats and key features of the river basin.
Threats and Features of the Lower Mississippi…
As land use in the Chilika Lake area changes from forest to settlements and paddy agriculture sewage, and fertilizer and pesticides runoff increases into the Lake. This extra nutrient input results in algae blooms that float and sit on the bottom.
Chilika Lake Pollution Pressure
While tourism provides economic benefits to local communities surrounding Chilika Lake, tourist activities can have several negative impacts on the environment including air pollution, trash, noise and wildlife disturbances.
Chilika Lake Tourism Pressure
Lower Mississippi land use is dominated by developed, forested and cropland areas, and has the largest proportion of wetlands of the entire Mississippi River Basin.
Lower Mississippi Land Cover Map
Several connections were made at the Lower Mississippi River Basin workshops. These connections will be used to develop a basin-wide report card for the watershed.
Lower Mississippi Workshop Connections
The Chesapeake Bay watershed received an above average annual amount of precipitation in 2013. This accompanied degrading conditions in some regions of the Chesapeake Bay watershed and improving conditions in others.
Chesapeake Bay Watershed Percipitation Map 2013
Unsustainable fishing and aquaculture practices have put pressure on the Chilika Lake ecosystem. Dead fish thrown back into the water contaminate the lake while shrimp pens trap sediment and kill juvenile fish.
Chilika Lake Fishing and Aquaculture Pressures
During monsoon season excess sediment is deposited in Chilika Lake, mostly from Mahanadi River tributaries, nearby settlements, and agricultural lands. As the Lake becomes more shallow and its sea outlets fill in with sediment, increased flooding occurs.
Chilika Lake Sedimentation
Native to India, introduced to Hawaii Island in 1883 (via Jamaica, where it was also introduced), then introduced to Maui, Molokai, and Oahu; none were introduced on the island of Kauai. Mongoose were imported by the sugar industry to control rats in cane fields. This infamous mistake was made without much knowledge about mongoose. Mongoose, which are active during the day, did not control the rats because the rats are primarily active at night.
Herpestes javanicus (Small Asian Mongoose)
Improvements in water quality can be counteracted by changes in nutrient sources and land-use practices. Increased nutrient loads from stormwater and intensified agriculture often overwhelm the positive effects of best management practices.
Counteracting Factors Impacting Best Management…
Emergent wetland species are planted in a buoyant matrix that floats at the water surface. The roots of these plants grow through the matrix and take up the nutrients they need to grow directly from the water, potentially decreasing nutrient concentrations.
Floating Wetlands Structure and Impact
Excess nutrients will result in increased chlorophyll and turbidity, limiting the amount of light that reaches benthic sediment. Light is essential for healthy submerged aquatic vegetation growth.
Light and Dark Conditions Impact on Submerged…
Gutters and downspouts installed onto buildings direct rainwater from roofs to rain gardens. Plants with deep root systems encourage stormwater infiltration and absorbs excess nutrient runoff.
Multiple Benefits of Rain Gardens
Osprey perched on a leafless branch.
Osprey in Tree
The Black-crowned Night Heron is found in wetland habitats used for foraging and terrestrial vegetation for cover. They nest in groups.
Nycticorax nycticorax (Black-crowned Night Heron)
The Baltimore Oriole commonly occurs in eastern North America as a migratory breeding bird. Smaller and more slender than an American Robin, Baltimore Orioles are medium-sized, sturdy-bodied songbirds with thick necks and long legs. Look for their long, thick-based, pointed bills, a hallmark of the blackbird family they belong to.
Icterus galbula (Baltimore Oriole)
Side view of truck salting the road
Road salt truck
Found on golf courses or vacant gravell parking lots, this noisy plover is best known for its
Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus) nest in busy…
This killdeer nest of nothing more than a shallow depression in the gravel, was found a busy marina parking lot. The owners of the marina placed cinder blocks around the well-camouflaged nest to prevent cars from running over the eggs. The killdeer mother was standing nearby when this photo was taken. This photo was taken in Easton, MD on May 22, 2014.
Nest and eggs of a Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus)
Newborn mockingbird nest tucked deep into thorny pyracantha hedge.
Nest of northern mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos)
  • Prev
  • 1
  • …
  • 25
  • 26
  • 27
  • 28
  • 29
  • 30
  • 31
  • 32
  • 33
  • 34
  • …
  • 322
  • Next

UMCES Links

  • Home
  • About
  • Campuses
  • News & Events
  • Directory
  • Employment
  • Research
  • Press Room

Contact Info

115 West Street, Annapolis, MD 21401

410-221-2048

Contact

Enewsletter

Subscribe to our enewsletter

Copyright 2025 UMCES | Privacy/Terms of Use | An Institution of the University System of Maryland