Evaluating the Risks of Tire-Derived Compounds to Fish in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed
Evaluating the Risks of Tire-Derived Compounds to Fish in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed
Regional Assessment of Fish Health in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed
Regional Assessment of Fish Health in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed
Informing Freshwater Management Strategies in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed by Using Observational Data and Expert Knowledge to Identify Influential Stressors
Informing Freshwater Management Strategies in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed by Using Observational Data and Expert Knowledge to Identify Influential Stressors
The Nonpoint Source Challenge:
Obstacles and Opportunities for Meeting Nutrient Reduction Goals in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed
Obstacles and Opportunities for Meeting Nutrient Reduction Goals in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed
Informing Chesapeake Bay Watershed Management by Monitoring Trends in River Nutrient and Sediment Loads
Discovering Connections Across America's Lands and Waters
USGS Chesapeake Accomplishments and Highlights for 2024
Road salt elevates salinity above background levels in freshwater streams and rivers across the Chesapeake Bay Watershed
Publications
Discover Chesapeake related science in reports and journal articles authored by USGS scientists
Discover Chesapeake related science in reports and journal articles authored by USGS scientists
Chesapeake Bay Activities
The Chesapeake Bay is our Nation’s largest estuary and provides over $100 billion in annual economic value. The USGS works with Federal, State, local, and academic partners to provide research and monitoring and to communicate results to inform management for the Chesapeake and other important landscapes across the Nation.
Measuring Conditions in Streams
Measuring Conditions in Streams
Monitoring data were used to assess seven key indicators of stream condition, revealing consistent patterns of degradation in urban and agricultural areas. The findings offer critical insights that can inform watershed restoration efforts and improve long-term monitoring strategies.
Prioritizing Marsh Restoration Needs
Prioritizing Marsh Restoration Needs
Using a suite of models, USGS researchers identified how future potential marsh changes can be used to prioritize present-day site-specific planning and restoration needs.
Quick Links
Quick Links
Learn more about USGS science activities in the Bay from our Science Strategy. Additional summaries of the USGS Chesapeake Bay Activities are available in the science topics section.
News
In Virginia, flooding aggravates woes of troubled Appomattox River
In Virginia, flooding aggravates woes of troubled Appomattox River
Massive new study says ospreys are thriving in some parts of the Chesapeake Bay – but not enough
Massive new study says ospreys are thriving in some parts of the Chesapeake Bay – but not enough
Fall 2025 Newsletter - In The Flow
Fall 2025 Newsletter - In The Flow
Publications
Using monitoring and partnerships to provide management-relevant information about Chesapeake Bay rivers Using monitoring and partnerships to provide management-relevant information about Chesapeake Bay rivers
The lands and waters of the Chesapeake Bay watershed provide more than $100 billion in economic benefits- an amount that is expected to increase by achieving the region’s clean-water goals. Achieving those goals requires accurate and timely information about the health of the watershed’s rivers and streams. The Chesapeake Bay nontidal monitoring network (NTN), a partnership of local...
A simple predictive model for salt marsh internal deterioration under sea-level rise and sediment deficits: Application to Chesapeake Bay A simple predictive model for salt marsh internal deterioration under sea-level rise and sediment deficits: Application to Chesapeake Bay
Salt marshes are dynamic biogeomorphic systems reliant on autochthonous and allochthonous input to maintain their three-dimensional configuration. Sea-level rise, subsidence, and sediment deficits can lead to submergence, open-water expansion, and ultimately loss of the vegetated marsh plain and associated ecosystem services. Widely used management-focused models focus on vegetation...
Potomac Tributary Summary: A summary of trends in tidal water quality and associated factors, 1985 - 2022 Potomac Tributary Summary: A summary of trends in tidal water quality and associated factors, 1985 - 2022
The Potomac Tributary Summary outlines change over time for a suite of monitored tidal water quality parameters and associated potential drivers of those trends for the period of 1985 to 2022, and provides a brief description of the current state of knowledge explaining these observed changes. Water quality parameters described include surface (above pycnocline) total nitrogen (TN)...
Science
Evaluating the Risks of Tire-Derived Compounds to Fish in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed
Tires contain a chemical known as 6PPD which prevents them from quickly breaking down. Microscopic tire particles, generated mainly from the friction of tires on roads, release 6PPD-quinone (6PPDQ) when they come into contact with oxygen. During precipitation events, 6PPDQ can be washed off roads, harming fish in nearby waterways. In response to requests from fishery managers, the USGS is studying...
Using monitoring data to measure conditions over time in Chesapeake Bay streams
This study provides a comprehensive assessment of the health of streams throughout the Chesapeake Bay. Monitoring data were used to assess seven key indicators of stream condition, revealing consistent patterns of degradation in urban and agricultural areas. The findings offer critical insights that can inform watershed restoration efforts and improve long-term monitoring strategies.
Prioritizing marsh restoration needs throughout Chesapeake Bay
A new USGS study estimates potential losses of Chesapeake Bay salt marshes that could occur in the next 80 years if no marsh restoration is undertaken. Using a suite of models, USGS researchers identified how future potential marsh changes can be used to prioritize present-day site-specific planning and restoration needs.