This report card provides a transparent, timely, and geographically detailed assessment of 2009 Chesapeake Bay habitat health. The overall health of Chesapeake Bay, assessed using water quality and biotic indicators, was the best it has been since 2002. The overall grade improved from C- in 2008 to C in 2009. Eight reporting regions had improved grades in 2009, four were unchanged, and two had slightly worse grades.

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This report card provides a transparent, timely, and geographically detailed annual assessment of 2008 Chesapeake Bay habitat health. This is the third year that the report card has been released. This report card rates 15 reporting regions of the Bay using six indicators that are combined into a single overarching index of habitat health. The overall health of Chesapeake Bay was poor in 2008, obtaining a grade of C-.

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This newsletter is the second annual Patuxent River ecosystem health report card. The report card provides grades for the three tidal regions of the Patuxent River estuary. The grades are based on the frequency that the river is able to meet six ecological targets. The results show the river is generally in poor condition despite a small improvement in the health in 2008 (compared to 2007).

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This newsletter introduces the first Patuxent River ecosystem health report card. This report card provides grades for three regions within the Patuxent River estuary (i.e., the tidal portion of the river). The report card grades are based on the progress of six indicators towards ecological targets. The report card shows that the Patuxent River estuary is mostly in poor condition and that substantially more effort is needed to see measurable improvements.

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This report card provides a transparent, timely, and geographically detailed annual assessment of 2007 Chesapeake Bay habitat health. This is the second year that the report card has been released. This report card rates 15 reporting regions of the Bay using six indicators that are combined into a single overarching index of habitat health. Habitat health is defined as progress of the six indicators towards established scientifically derived ecological thresholds or goals.

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This report provides an assessment of eutrophic conditions for 141 U.S. estuaries. The report was based on data and information provided by scientists and experts from around the country. Results from the assessment show that two-thirds of the estuaries evaluated exhibited moderate to high levels of eutrophication. Report production was a collaborative effort between Suzanne Bricker (NOAA NCCOS), EcoCheck (NOAA-UMCES Partnership) and IAN. More information is available from the NEEA website.

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This report card provides a transparent, timely, and geographically detailed annual assessment of 2006 Chesapeake Bay habitat health. A report card will be released each year, in early to mid April, providing an assessment of the previous year’s habitat health. 2006 is the first year that the report card has been released. This report card rates 15 reporting regions of the Bay using six indicators that are combined into a single overarching index of habitat health.

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The Patuxent River watershed is a heavily impacted basin (2290 km(2)) and estuarine tributary (120 km(2)) of the Chesapeake Bay, USA. To assist management of the basin, we are testing a coupled modelling system composed of a watershed model (HSPF), an estuarine circulation model (CH3D), and an estuarine water-quality model (CE-QUAL-ICM).

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The Patuxent River watershed is a heavily impacted basin (2290 km(2)) and estuarine tributary (120 km(2)) of the Chesapeake Bay, USA. To assist management of the basin, we are testing a coupled modelling system composed of a watershed model (HSPF), an estuarine circulation model (CH3D), and an estuarine water-quality model (CE-QUAL-ICM).

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The Choptank and Patuxent tributaries of Chesapeake Bay have become eutrophic over the last 50-100 years. Systematic monitoring of nutrient inputs began in similar to 1970, and there have been 2-5-fold increases in nitrogen (N) and phosphor-us (P) inputs during 1970-2004 due to sewage discharges, fertilizer applications, atmospheric deposition, and changes in land use.

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