Using Multiple Indicators to Assess Stream Condition in the Chesapeake Bay
USGS is working with federal, state and local partners to develop multiple assessments of stream and river conditions in non-tidal areas of the Chesapeake Bay watershed. These assessments will help managers preserve stream health and improve biological conditions in impaired streams as the human population and climate continue to change in this region.
What is the issue?
Streams and rivers are strongly influenced by conditions in the surrounding landscape. Urban development and intensification of agriculture practices have resulted in altered habitat, degraded water quality, and poor biological conditions in many streams within the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Managers need assessments of stream habitat, water quality, and biological conditions to estimate watershed-wide conditions and to identify areas of alteration and potential sites for conservation or restoration. Furthermore, managers need scientific studies to determine the effectiveness of best management practices for restoring streams and the biological communities they support to promote healthy habitats, wildlife and people in the bay.
![A man wearing an orange life jacket walks down a field with fencing on the left and trees on the right.](https://d9-wret.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/assets/palladium/production/s3fs-public/styles/half_width/public/media/images/Orson%20PA%20Riparian%20Assessment-01.jpg?itok=qkVWs66i)
![Chesapeake Bay: A Landsat 8 Surface Reflectance Mosaic](https://d9-wret.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/assets/palladium/production/s3fs-public/styles/half_width/public/thumbnails/image/L8SR-chesapeakebay.jpg?itok=mreUTDdX)
![A woman standing in a stream holds a tape measure to a tree root.](https://d9-wret.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/assets/palladium/production/s3fs-public/styles/half_width/public/media/images/Orson%20PA%20Riparian%20Assessment-37.jpg?itok=SfwzTTj8)
What is at stake?
Over 18 million people call the Chesapeake Bay watershed home and that number is expected to increase to 20 million by 2030. The Chesapeake Bay Program, a regional partnership with representatives across the watershed, has highlighted the need to assess stream habitat, water quality, and biological health conditions to help meet the goals of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement, reduce pollution and restore the bay.
Recent analyses by USGS and partners suggest that anticipated changes in climate and land use patterns in the near future may have dramatic consequences to Chesapeake Bay streams, and thus the fish and wildlife that depend on them— potentially endangering the culture and socioeconomic fabric of the region.
What is our approach?
Over the past several decades, many programs have collected data on stream conditions, such as salinity, pH, dissolved oxygen; physical habitat characteristics; and biological communities including aquatic insects and fish. Recent advances in modeling, remote sensing, and data availability now provide an opportunity to assess potential change in stream conditions due to land use, climate, invasive species, and management actions.
![This photo shows USGS researchers Kyle Fronte and Karli Rogers measuring stream flow.](https://d9-wret.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/assets/palladium/production/s3fs-public/styles/half_width/public/media/images/20211028_104650.jpg?itok=r5XQcFXn)
A team of USGS scientists has compiled large data sets on key stream health variables (e.g., salinity, temperature, physical habitat, and streambank erosion) and biological communities (benthic macroinvertebrates and fish). USGS is using these indicators to assess stream conditions for non-tidal streams throughout the watershed using advanced statistical and mapping techniques. Additionally, USGS is evaluating how management activities implemented across the watershed might be reducing negative effects of land use change on receiving streams and the bay. Finally, the team is examining how future land use and climate may affect future stream conditions.
An overarching objective of this work is to integrate findings into management tools that can not only track changes in stream condition, but also identify which stream stressors should be addressed and identify areas optimal for conservation or restoration.
What are the benefits?
Restoring the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem requires understanding of current and future stressors on rivers and streams. Land use and climate are ever changing and assessments of stream condition in the Chesapeake Bay watershed are enhanced when factoring in these changes. Evaluating how changes in land use and climate may affect future stream habitat and biological condition will enable Chesapeake Bay Program partners to better target their management actions for current and future conditions.
Attribution of benthic macroinvertebrate sampling data to NHDPlus V2 and NHDPlus HR catchments within the Chesapeake Bay Watershed
Attribution of stream habitat assessment data to NHDPlus V2 and NHDPlus HR catchments within the Chesapeake Bay Watershed
This data release links habitat assessment sites to both the NHDPlus Version 2 and NHDPlus High Resolution Region 02 networks using the hydrolink methodology. Linked habitat sites are those compiled by the Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin (ICPRB) during creation of the Chesapeake Bay Basin-wide Index of Biotic Integrity (Chessie BIBI) for benthic macroinvertebrates (https://datahub
“ChesBay 24k – LU": Land Use/Land Cover Related Data Summaries for the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Within NHD Plus HR catchments
“ChesBay 24k – CL": Climate Related Data Summaries for the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Within NHD Plus HR catchments
“ChesBay 24k – HU": Human Related Data Summaries for the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Within NHD Plus HR catchments
Attribution of Chessie BIBI and fish sampling data to NHDPlusV2 Catchments within the Chesapeake Bay Watershed
Fish community and species distribution predictions for streams and rivers of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed
Modeled estimates of altered hydrologic metrics for all NHDPlus v21 reaches in the Chesapeake Bay watershed
Community metrics from inter-agency compilation of inland fish sampling data within the Chesapeake Bay Watershed
Chesapeake Bay Watershed historical and future projected land use and climate data summarized for NHDPlusV2 catchments
Causal inference approaches reveal both positive and negative unintended effects of agricultural and urban management practices on instream biological condition
Observed and projected functional reorganization of riverine fish assemblages from global change
Explainable machine learning improves interpretability in the predictive modeling of biological stream conditions in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, USA
Using fish community and population indicators to assess the biological condition of streams and rivers of the Chesapeake Bay watershed, USA
Time marches on, but do the causal pathways driving instream habitat and biology remain consistent?
Linking altered flow regimes to biological condition: An example using benthic macroinvertebrates in small streams of the Chesapeake Bay watershed
Disentangling the potential effects of land-use and climate change on stream conditions
Predicting biological conditions for small headwater streams in the Chesapeake Bay watershed
A detailed risk assessment of shale gas development on headwater streams in the Pennsylvania portion of the Upper Susquehanna River Basin, U.S.A.
USGS is working with federal, state and local partners to develop multiple assessments of stream and river conditions in non-tidal areas of the Chesapeake Bay watershed. These assessments will help managers preserve stream health and improve biological conditions in impaired streams as the human population and climate continue to change in this region.
What is the issue?
Streams and rivers are strongly influenced by conditions in the surrounding landscape. Urban development and intensification of agriculture practices have resulted in altered habitat, degraded water quality, and poor biological conditions in many streams within the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Managers need assessments of stream habitat, water quality, and biological conditions to estimate watershed-wide conditions and to identify areas of alteration and potential sites for conservation or restoration. Furthermore, managers need scientific studies to determine the effectiveness of best management practices for restoring streams and the biological communities they support to promote healthy habitats, wildlife and people in the bay.
![A man wearing an orange life jacket walks down a field with fencing on the left and trees on the right.](https://d9-wret.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/assets/palladium/production/s3fs-public/styles/half_width/public/media/images/Orson%20PA%20Riparian%20Assessment-01.jpg?itok=qkVWs66i)
![Chesapeake Bay: A Landsat 8 Surface Reflectance Mosaic](https://d9-wret.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/assets/palladium/production/s3fs-public/styles/half_width/public/thumbnails/image/L8SR-chesapeakebay.jpg?itok=mreUTDdX)
![A woman standing in a stream holds a tape measure to a tree root.](https://d9-wret.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/assets/palladium/production/s3fs-public/styles/half_width/public/media/images/Orson%20PA%20Riparian%20Assessment-37.jpg?itok=SfwzTTj8)
What is at stake?
Over 18 million people call the Chesapeake Bay watershed home and that number is expected to increase to 20 million by 2030. The Chesapeake Bay Program, a regional partnership with representatives across the watershed, has highlighted the need to assess stream habitat, water quality, and biological health conditions to help meet the goals of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement, reduce pollution and restore the bay.
Recent analyses by USGS and partners suggest that anticipated changes in climate and land use patterns in the near future may have dramatic consequences to Chesapeake Bay streams, and thus the fish and wildlife that depend on them— potentially endangering the culture and socioeconomic fabric of the region.
What is our approach?
Over the past several decades, many programs have collected data on stream conditions, such as salinity, pH, dissolved oxygen; physical habitat characteristics; and biological communities including aquatic insects and fish. Recent advances in modeling, remote sensing, and data availability now provide an opportunity to assess potential change in stream conditions due to land use, climate, invasive species, and management actions.
![This photo shows USGS researchers Kyle Fronte and Karli Rogers measuring stream flow.](https://d9-wret.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/assets/palladium/production/s3fs-public/styles/half_width/public/media/images/20211028_104650.jpg?itok=r5XQcFXn)
A team of USGS scientists has compiled large data sets on key stream health variables (e.g., salinity, temperature, physical habitat, and streambank erosion) and biological communities (benthic macroinvertebrates and fish). USGS is using these indicators to assess stream conditions for non-tidal streams throughout the watershed using advanced statistical and mapping techniques. Additionally, USGS is evaluating how management activities implemented across the watershed might be reducing negative effects of land use change on receiving streams and the bay. Finally, the team is examining how future land use and climate may affect future stream conditions.
An overarching objective of this work is to integrate findings into management tools that can not only track changes in stream condition, but also identify which stream stressors should be addressed and identify areas optimal for conservation or restoration.
What are the benefits?
Restoring the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem requires understanding of current and future stressors on rivers and streams. Land use and climate are ever changing and assessments of stream condition in the Chesapeake Bay watershed are enhanced when factoring in these changes. Evaluating how changes in land use and climate may affect future stream habitat and biological condition will enable Chesapeake Bay Program partners to better target their management actions for current and future conditions.
Attribution of benthic macroinvertebrate sampling data to NHDPlus V2 and NHDPlus HR catchments within the Chesapeake Bay Watershed
Attribution of stream habitat assessment data to NHDPlus V2 and NHDPlus HR catchments within the Chesapeake Bay Watershed
This data release links habitat assessment sites to both the NHDPlus Version 2 and NHDPlus High Resolution Region 02 networks using the hydrolink methodology. Linked habitat sites are those compiled by the Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin (ICPRB) during creation of the Chesapeake Bay Basin-wide Index of Biotic Integrity (Chessie BIBI) for benthic macroinvertebrates (https://datahub