Action is needed now to stem not only the drivers of climate change but also to prepare for the inevitable consequences. With over 3,000 miles of coastline, Maryland is extremely vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Historic tide-gauge records reveal that sea levels along Maryland's extensive coastline have risen approximately one foot over the past one hundred years. This relative sea level rise is due to a combination of global sea-level rise and localized land subsidence.

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This is Chapter 5 of the Climate Action Plan, Governor Martin O'Malley's appointed Maryland Commission on Climate Change report. It makes recommendations to state lawmakers and policy makers to mitigate the effects of sea-level rise and storm by taking action and committing resources to protect Maryland's future economic well-being, environmental heritage, and public safety.

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This richly illustrated book provides personal accounts derived from interviews with Riverprize recipients over the past 10 years.

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This is Chapter 2 of the Climate Action Plan, Governor Martin O'Malley's appointed Maryland Commission on Climate Change report on the impacts and recommended actions to protect Maryland's property and people from the effects of climate change.

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Coastal lagoon ecosystems across the Delmarva Peninsula are rapidly evolving due to changing land use patterns and shifts towards intensive agriculture, particularly poultry production, and intensive rural-resi­dential development. These changes in the coastal lagoon seascape are especially evident in the northern Coastal Bays watershed of St. Martin River.

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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 newsletter introduces the first Chester River ecosystem health report card. This report card summarizes the 2007 water quality of two major parts of the Chester River ecosystem: the estuary (tidal regions) and the creeks (non-tidal) flowing into the estuary. Creek water quality is based on data collected by the Chester River Association and their Chester Tester volunteers. Health of the estuarine regions is based on data collected by the Chesapeake Bay Program partners.

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The report card aims to inform citizens on the progress Chesapeake Bay is making toward becoming a healthy ecosystem. This year's report card shows that the health of the Bay improved slightly in 2007 when compared to 2006. While the overall health of the Bay and most regions of the Bay improved, the health of some regions of the Bay declined.

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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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Intensive sampling of the Maryland Coastal Bays in May and July of 2007 served to further assess spatial patterns in nutrients, responses of biological indicators, seasons, land use, and nutrient cycling. Trends indicated degraded water quality, high tubidity, increasing total nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations, high natural isotope abundance (δ15N), and low dissolved oxygen. The abundance of crop agriculture and development of the St.

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