A pocket-sized SAV species identification guide that also includes a field packing list, protocol reminders, and reference photos of other macrophytes. For use in the field by volunteers participating in the Chesapeake Bay SAV Watchers Introductory and Advanced Monitoring Programs. This version is designed for double-sided printing.

Read more

In the 3rd annual IAN Report Card, IAN staff reflected back on accomplishments from 2017. The self-assessment is based on indicators in three categories: social impacts, ecological outcomes, and partner engagement. Overall, IAN received an overall grade of B- (81%) which is down from an A- (90%) in 2016.

Read more

Low dissolved oxygen (DO) conditions are a recurring issue in waters of Chesapeake Bay, with detrimental effects on aquatic living resources. The Chesapeake Bay Program partnership has developed criteria guidance supporting the definition of state water quality standards and associated assessment procedures for DO and other parameters, which provides a binary classification of attainment or impairment.

Read more

In past report card years, specific regions throughout Chesapeake Bay have shown improving trends, but this is the first year that the overall Chesapeake Bay is showing significant improvement. Overall Chesapeake Bay Health Scores have been variable in the past. However, since 2015, Chesapeake Bay Health Scores have consistently been in the high C range (53, 54, 54). These consecutive high scores have contributed to an overall positive trajectory for the first time.

Read more

To protect the aquatic living resources of Chesapeake Bay, the Chesapeake Bay Program partnership has developed guidance for state water quality standards, which include ambient water quality criteria to protect designated uses (DUs), and associated assessment procedures for dissolved oxygen (DO), water clarity/underwater bay grasses, and chlorophyll-a. For measuring progress toward meeting the respective states' water quality standards…

Read more

The response of estuarine ecosystems to long-term changes in external forcing is strongly mediated by interactions between the biogeochemical cycling of carbon, oxygen, and inorganic nutrients. Although long-term changes in estuaries are often assessed at the annual scale, phytoplankton biomass, dissolved oxygen concentrations, and biogeochemical rate processes have strong seasonal cycles at temperate latitudes.

Read more

Fort Monroe National Monument is located at the tip of the Virginia Peninsula in Hampton, Virginia. The site includes the largest stone fort built in the United States and was formally added to the National Park System in 2011, recognizing millennia of human interactions with this landscape. Natural resources within the 325-acre park boundary include an ecologically diverse and productive saltmarsh cordgrass wetlands within Mill Creek.

Read more

Chesapeake Monitoring Cooperative's Data Interpretation and Synthesis Methods Manual is a step by step comprehensive guide to interpreting and communicating data for beginner and experienced monitoring groups alike. This manual was produced to be used in tandem with a hands on workshop that guides attendees through the process of interpreting their data.

Read more

IAN staff reflected back on accomplishments from 2016 in its 2nd annual report card. The self-assessment is based on indicators in three categories: social impacts, ecological outcomes, and partner engagement. IAN received an overall grade of A- (90%) which is up from 2015's grade of B+ (88%).

Read more

Chesapeake Bay has long experienced nutrient enrichment and water clarity deterioration. This study provides new quantification of loads and yields for sediment (fine and coarse grained), organic carbon (total, dissolved, and particulate), and chlorophyll-a from the monitored nontidal Chesapeake Bay watershed (MNTCBW), all of which are expected to drive estuarine water clarity.

Read more