Nutrient point sources such as wastewater treatment plants and non-point sources including agricultural runoff degrade the water quality of Maryland's Coastal Bays through excessive nutrient loading. Identifying specific sources is difficult due to their variety and mixture. Biological indicators can identify nitrogen sources, integrate nitrogen from these sources over time, and detect biologically important nutrients.

Read more

A Mid-Chesapeake Bay Marshlands Restoration project is being developed by the Integration and Application Network, the US Army Corps of Engineers, Maryland Port Administration, US Fish & Wildlife Service, and Maryland Department of Natural Resources. This newsletter discusses the ecological, economic, and engineering issues associated with using dredged material to restore the eroding marshes of the mid-Chesapeake Bay.

Read more

This newsletter is based on the findings of the Conceptual Ecological Model Focus Group—March 2006 and considers restoration options in the context of the valuable national ecosystem services supplied from Coastal Louisiana. Ecosystem goods & services provided to Louisiana & the nation by coastal landscapes include wildlife & fisheries habitat, support for petrochemical production,improved water quality & flood protection, ecotourism & aesthetic appeal.

Read more

In collaboration with the University of Maryland's Cooperative Extension Service at the Wye Mills Research and Education Center, EcoCheck (NOAA - UMCES partnership) has produced a newsletter on the history and current trends of benthic communities in Maryland's Coastal Bays. Aquatic grasses and shellfish are important components of a healthy ecosystem because they provide a variety of ecosystem services, improve water quality, and are commercially valuable.

Read more

Harmful algal blooms (HABs) are growing in frequency around the world and their effects are being recognized by ecosystem managers, scientists, and the public alike.

Read more

This newsletter describes current and future directions of Ecosystem-Based Fisheries Management (EBFM). While the standard approach to fisheries management has been to focus on one species at a time, EBFM characterizes a greater number of ecosystem components, including the physical and chemical properties of systems. The newsletter explores the current and potential applications of the ecosystem-based approach.

Read more

This newsletter addresses the extreme weather conditions that the Bay area experienced during the spring and summer of 2006 and how these weather conditions affected the summer ecological forecast that was released in May 2006 and other aspects of Bay health. The forecast focuses on dissolved oxygen in the mainstem, harmful algal blooms in the Potomac River and aquatic grasses in three locations in the Bay.

Read more

This newsletter summarizes ongoing development of a model that describes fluctuations in the number of young menhaden within Chesapeake Bay. Using both menhaden spawning stock and striped bass predation potential, the model successfully accounts for most of the variability (~70%) seen in Chesapeake Bay menhaden recruitment.

Read more

This newsletter describes some of the monitoring data and the response from the Chesapeake Bay community to the high rainfall event that moved through the Bay watershed from June 24 to June 28, 2006. In some areas of the watershed, up to 15 inches of rain fell and much of the area received 5 inches or more. The Chesapeake Bay Program quickly organized an effort to monitor and analyze dissolved oxygen, turbidity, chlorophyll a and aquatic grass in the Bay.

Read more

This newsletter is based on the findings of the Conceptual Ecological Model Focus Group—March 2006 and provides a number of key conclusions and recommendations. The natural & human landscapes of coastal Louisiana are characterized by complex relationships among water, sediment & ecosystems. The sustainability of these landscapes is dependent upon critical processes that support the integrity of ecosystem features.

Read more