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Publications

The USGS publishes peer-reviewed reports and journal articles which are used by Chesapeake Bay Program resource managers and policy makers to make science-based decisions for ecosystem conservation and restoration. Use the Search box below to find publications on selected topics.

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Filter Total Items: 901

Baseflow and stormflow metal fluxes from two small agricultural catchments in the Coastal Plain of the Chesapeake Bay Basin, United States

Annual yields (fluxes per unit area) of Al, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cd, Pb, Zn, Cu, Cr, Co, As and Se were estimated for two small non-tidal stream catchments on the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake Bay, United States - a poorly drained dissected-upland watershed in the Nanticoke River Basin, and a well-drained feeder tributary in the lower reaches of the Chester River Basin. Both watersheds are dominated by a
Authors
C.V. Miller, G.D. Foster, B.F. Majedi

Concentrations of metals in feathers and blood of nestling Black-Crowned Night-Herons (Nycticorax nycticorax) in Chesapeake and Delaware Bays

Over the past decade, destruction and degradation of wetland habitat has contributed to the decline of wading bird colonies on the Atlantic Coast. In 1998, an initial assessment of the possible contribution of metal pollution to declining heron populations in Chesapeake and Delaware Bays was conducted. Study sites included two heronries in industrialized locations (Pea Patch Island, DE and Balti
Authors
N. H. Golden, Barnett A. Rattner, P. C. McGowan, K.C. Parsons, M. A. Ottinger

The influence of ground water on nitrogen delivery to the Chesapeake Bay

No abstract available.
Authors
Scott Phillips, Bruce D. Lindsey

Anthropogenically induced changes in sediment and biogenic silica fluxes in Chesapeake Bay

Sediment cores as long as 20 m, dated by 14C, 210Pb, and 137Cs methods and pollen stratigraphy, provide a history of diatom productivity and sediment-accumulation rates in Chesapeake Bay. We calculated the flux of biogenic silica and total sediment for the past 1500 yr for two high-sedimentation-rate sites in the mesohaline section of the bay. The data show that biogenic silica flux to sediments,
Authors
Steven M. Colman, J.F. Bratton

Pharmaceuticals, hormones, and other organic wastewater contaminants in U.S. streams

A recent study by the Toxic Substances Hydrology Program of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) shows that a broad range of chemicals found in residential, industrial, and agricultural wastewaters commonly occurs in mixtures at low concentrations downstream from areas of intense urbanization and animal production. The chemicals include human and veterinary drugs (including antibiotics), natural and
Authors
Herbert T. Buxton, Dana W. Kolpin

Historic bluff retreat and stabilization at Flag Harbor, Chesapeake Bay, Maryland

Studies of bluff erosion and slope stability along the western shore of Chesapeake Bay suggest relative evolution from steep, eroding coastal bluffs to stable slopes at angles of repose ca. 35 degrees over decades. Because of the dating methods in those studies, it was impossible to precisely define rates of change. The present study provides historic age control. A pair of small harbor structures
Authors
Inga E. Clark, Curtis E. Larsen, Michele McRae

Black ducks and their Chesapeake Bay habitats: proceedings of a symposium

The symposium 'Black Ducks and Their Chesapeake Bay Habitats,' held October 4, 2000, provided a forum for scientists to share research about the American black duck (Anas rubripes), an important breeding and wintering waterfowl species dependent upon the Chesapeake Bay habitats. American black ducks have declined significantly in the last 50 years and continue to be a species of management concer

The U.S. Geological Survey and the Chesapeake Bay – The role of science in environmental restoration

The Chesapeake Bay is the Nation's largest estuary and historically supported one of the most productive fisheries in the world. In addition to supporting aquatic communities and wildlife, the bay's watershed serves the economic and recreational needs of 15 million people. The fertile soils of the watershed support significant agricultural production. Unfortunately, the commercial, economic, and r
Authors
Roger A. Barlow, John W. Brakebill, John F. Bratton, Vicki S. Blazer, John Karl Bohlke, Owen P. Bricker, Steve M. Colman, Thomas M. Cronin, Cliff R. Hupp, Janet R. Keough, Jurate M. Landwehr, Michael J. Langland, Wayne L. Newell, Matthew Perry, Scott W. Phillips, Steve D. Preston, Nancy B. Rybicki, Nancy S. Simon, Debra A. Willard

Effects of Urbanization on Stream Ecosystems

No abstract available.
Authors
Carol Couch, Pixie Hamilton

Influence of fracture anisotropy on ground water ages and chemistry, Valley and Ridge province, Pennsylvania

Model ground water ages based on chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and tritium/helium-3 (3H/3He) data were obtained from two arrays of nested piezometers located on the north limb of an anticline in fractured sedimentary rocks in the Valley and Ridge geologic province of Pennsylvania. The fracture geometry of the gently east plunging fold is very regular and consists predominately of south dipping to sub
Authors
W. C. Burton, Niel Plummer, E. Busenberg, B.D. Lindsey, W.J. Gburek

Hydrogeologic framework, ground-water geochemistry, and assessment of nitrogen yield from base flow in two agricultural watersheds, Kent County, Maryland

Hydrostratigraphic and geochemical data collected in two adjacent watersheds on the Delmarva Peninsula, in Kent County, Maryland, indicate that shallow subsurface stratigraphy is an important factor that affects the concentrations of nitrogen in ground water discharging as stream base flow. The flux of nitrogen from shallow aquifers can contribute substantially to the eutrophication of streams and
Authors
L. J. Bachman, D.E. Krantz, John K. Böhlke