USGS Chesapeake Publication Receives National Award for Superior Communication Product
The Award
USGS received a 2022 Blue Pencil & Gold Screen Award, in the category of Technical/Statistical Reports, from the National Association of Government Communications (NAGC) for the U.S. Geological Survey Circular titled Nitrogen in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed—A Century of Change, 1950–2050. Each year the NAGC recognizes products that provide excellence in government communications and the Award for Excellence was presented to USGS on May 11, 2022 in Louisville, KY.
The Report
The report presents a unique, long-term perspective of the major drivers of nitrogen change from 1950 up to the present, and forecasts how those drivers may affect nitrogen loading in the Chesapeake Bay out to 2050. Also, the major nitrogen sources are discussed including the application of crop fertilizers and livestock waste (manure), wastewater discharged to streams, atmospheric deposition (primarily fossil fuel emissions and agricultural sources) and runoff from developed areas.
The report was led by USGS scientists and publishing specialists from multiple Centers, and co-authored with investigators from Chesapeake Bay Program (CBP) Office, including authors from USEPA, University of MD Center for Environmental Science, and Penn State University.
Application of the Findings
The CBP, a federal-state partnership, is working to reduce nitrogen, and implementing other ecosystem restoration activities, to improve conditions for fish and wildlife in the Nation's largest estuary. USGS science is critical to inform stakeholders about the ecosystem response to their restoration efforts, and adjusting their approaches over time.
For More Information
- Clune, J.W., and Capel, P.D., eds., 2021, Nitrogen in the Chesapeake Bay watershed—A century of change, 1950–2050: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 1486, 168 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/cir1486.
- Read a science summary: Chesapeake Bay Activities
- See a video of the findings Nitrogen in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed: A Century of Change
- Read news article from Chesapeake Bay Program: What we’ve learned from exploring a century of nitrogen pollution (June 2022)
The Award
USGS received a 2022 Blue Pencil & Gold Screen Award, in the category of Technical/Statistical Reports, from the National Association of Government Communications (NAGC) for the U.S. Geological Survey Circular titled Nitrogen in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed—A Century of Change, 1950–2050. Each year the NAGC recognizes products that provide excellence in government communications and the Award for Excellence was presented to USGS on May 11, 2022 in Louisville, KY.
The Report
The report presents a unique, long-term perspective of the major drivers of nitrogen change from 1950 up to the present, and forecasts how those drivers may affect nitrogen loading in the Chesapeake Bay out to 2050. Also, the major nitrogen sources are discussed including the application of crop fertilizers and livestock waste (manure), wastewater discharged to streams, atmospheric deposition (primarily fossil fuel emissions and agricultural sources) and runoff from developed areas.
The report was led by USGS scientists and publishing specialists from multiple Centers, and co-authored with investigators from Chesapeake Bay Program (CBP) Office, including authors from USEPA, University of MD Center for Environmental Science, and Penn State University.
Application of the Findings
The CBP, a federal-state partnership, is working to reduce nitrogen, and implementing other ecosystem restoration activities, to improve conditions for fish and wildlife in the Nation's largest estuary. USGS science is critical to inform stakeholders about the ecosystem response to their restoration efforts, and adjusting their approaches over time.
For More Information
- Clune, J.W., and Capel, P.D., eds., 2021, Nitrogen in the Chesapeake Bay watershed—A century of change, 1950–2050: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 1486, 168 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/cir1486.
- Read a science summary: Chesapeake Bay Activities
- See a video of the findings Nitrogen in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed: A Century of Change
- Read news article from Chesapeake Bay Program: What we’ve learned from exploring a century of nitrogen pollution (June 2022)