On the south coast, a diverse range of seagrasses grow in habitats protected from the full force of waves by islands and headlands. South coast seagrasses grow on silica sand to a depth of about 30 m and on carbonate sand beyond 30 m depth. Many seagrasses grow in these sheltered zones, including most of the species found on the west coast. Beyond the shelter of the headlands, waves roll in from the open ocean and seagrasses are subjected to very high wave action.

This edition of Chesapeake Update provides an overview of water quality and aquatic grass conditions over the summer of 2005. An explanation as to why these conditions occurred is provided–largely a combination of a wet spring followed by a dry, calm and relatively warm summer. The observed conditions are compared to those forecast to occur before the summer, and explanations for any differences is provided.

Along some 600 km of the west coast, a line of offshore islands and submerged reefs provides protection from the full force of ocean swell and zones of sand deposition. The longitudinal reef and islands remain from former coastlines drowned by rising sea levels - the most recent rise was about 6,000 - 12,000 years ago.

The Hurricane Isabel in Perspective:

Chesapeake Bay has historically supported extensive bay grass (underwater grasses) meadows (>75,000 ha). However, water quality degradation from increased sediment and nutrient inputs has reduced the areal coverage and depth penetration of bay grasses, with one third of historical distributions remaining (21,648 ha; 1985-2004 mean). Chesapeake Bay underwater grasses are comprised of a variety of freshwater, brackish, and marine species.

This newsletter is the product of the May 2005 Vital Signs workshop, with participants from each of the 11 National Parks within the NCRN. The National Park Service (NPS) is implementing a series of programs designed to provide a stronger scientific basis for management actions. The Inventory and Monitoring (I&M) program was initiated in 1990 to help fulfill this mission.

Scientists with expertise in oyster biology, restoration, and management within the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science met to discuss their diverse perspectives on bar cleaning and power dredging. They developed this consensus statement to offer the Center's best scientific advice to decision makers, managers, stakeholders and partners in oyster restoration.

This document describes the rationale and methods for determining the summer ecological forecasts for dissolved oxygen, harmful algal blooms and submerged aquatic vegetation for 2005.

This newsletter summarizes the main findings of an ecological forecast aimed at predicting changes in aquatic grass area within Chesapeake Bay for the current growing season. This forecast is part of a new initiative of the Chesapeake Bay Program to forecast a range of ecological conditions for the coming summer.

This newsletter summarizes the main findings and methods of a new initiative to forecast ecological conditions of Chesapeake Bay for the coming summer. This year’s forecast focuses on three important elements of the Bay’s health—dissolved oxygen (DO) in the Bay’s mainstem, harmful algal blooms (HABs) in the Potomac River, and changes in submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) distribution.