Swem Government Information - Chesapeake Bay

A Comparison of … Suspended-Sediment Concentrations in Three Chesapeake Bay Tributaries

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 10:16:00 -0500

http://pubs.er.usgs.gov/usgspubs/sir/sir20095165 Full title is A Comparison of Turbidity-Based and Streamflow-Based Estimates of Suspended-Sediment Concentrations in Three Chesapeake Bay Tributaries. Describes efforts to improve measurement of sediment flow into the Chesapeake Bay from the James, Rappahannock, and North Fork Shenandoah Rivers. From the U.S. Geological Survey.

Chesapeake Bay Executive Order: Draft Strategy for Chesapeake Bay …

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 12:50:00 -0500

http://executiveorder.chesapeakebay.net/ The draft strategy contains a package of federal initiatives to restore clean water, protect fish and wildlife, and adapt to the impacts of climate change for the Chesapeake Bay. Cites deadline for cleanup and restoration of Bay as 2025. Offers links to executive summary and full document. Open for public comment from November 9th through January 8, 2010. Final strategy to be published in May 2010. From the Environmental Protection Agency Chesapeake Bay Program Office.

Chesapeake Bay Draft Reports

Fri, 11 Sep 2009 07:50:00 -0500

http://executiveorder.chesapeakebay.net/ Summarizes and offers links to the seven draft reports on strengthening federal efforts to improve the water quality of the Chesapeake Bay. The draft reports deal with water quality, targeting resources for better protection, stormwater management, climate change, conservation of and access to Bay landscapes and ecosystems, habitat and living resources, and scientific support. The draft reports were mandated by a May 2009 presidential executive order on the condition of the Chesapeake Bay. From the Environmental Protection Agency.

Chesapeake Bay and Virginia Waters Clean-Up Plan

Tue, 18 Aug 2009 10:32:00 -0500

http://leg2.state.va.us/dls/h&sdocs.nsf/By+Year/RD1712009/$file/RD171.pdf The 3rd edition of the annual report of the Chesapeake Bay and Virgina Waters Clean-Up Plan. Covers status of impaired waters and their restoration in Virginia. From the Office of the Secretary of Natural Resources.

2009 Chesapeake Bay Blue Crab Advisory Report

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 07:49:00 -0500

http://chesapeakebay.noaa.gov/docs/BlueCrabAdvisoryReport2009.pdf Reports a 70% increase in the abundance of spawning age blue crabs in the Chesapeake Bay. Also reports that the Bay wide crab harvest in 2008 was 48 million pounds, 11% higher than the record low of 2007. Also offers management advice. From the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Executive Order: Chesapeake Bay Protection and Restoration

Thu, 14 May 2009 09:06:00 -0500

http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/Executive-Order-Chesapeake-Bay-Protection-and-Restoration/ Creates a Federal Leadership Committee for the Chesapeake Bay to oversee the development and coordination of programs to protect and restore the Chesapeake Bay, designates the Environmental Protection Agency as the lead agency for the effort, and calls for a new approach to restore water quality, revise agricultural policies and practices, reduce water pollution from federal sources, protect the Bay from effects of climate change, and other goals. From the White House.

Bay Barometer: A Health and Restoration Assessment of the Chesapeake Bay and Watershed in 2008

Tue, 24 Mar 2009 07:16:00 -0500

http://www.chesapeakebay.net/content/publications/cbp_34915.pdf Provides the latest annual review of the progress made by the federal government and surrounding states, including Virginia, in restoring the health of the Chesapeake Bay. Reports that the overall health of the bay did not improve in 2008 and keeps the overall health score at 38% with 100% representing a fully restored bay. From the Chesapeake Bay Program and the Mid-Atlantic Office of the Environmental Protection Agency.

Coastal Sensitivity to Sea-Level Rise: A Focus on the Mid-Atlantic Region

Tue, 20 Jan 2009 09:00:00 -0500

http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/effects/coastal/sap4-1.html Examines the effects of sea level rise, impacts on society, and opportunities to prepare for those consequences in the eight coastal states from New York to North Carolina, including Virginia. Examines the effects of sea level rise under three different scenarios. From the U.S. Climate Change Science Program and the Environmental Protection Agency.

Governor's Commission on Climate Change: Final Report: A Climate Change Action Plan

Fri, 09 Jan 2009 08:08:00 -0500

http://leg2.state.va.us/dls/h&sdocs.nsf/By+Year/RD192009/$file/RD19.pdf Reports on Virginia's greenhouse gas emissions and estimates emissions through 2025, evaluates expected impacts of climate change on Virginia's natural resources, the economy, and the health of its citizens, identifies what needs to be done to prepare the state for climate change, and identifies approaches being pursued by other states and the federal government. Accepts predictions of a 5 degree F. warming in average state temperatures, an 11% increase in precipitation, and a rise of 2 to 5 feet in sea levels in the Chesapeake Bay area by 2100. Offers recommendations for reducing green house gas emissions in Virginia. From the Governor's Commission on Climate Change

Cheapeake Bay and Virginia Waters Clean-Up Plan: Progress Report

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 10:00:00 -0500

http://leg2.state.va.us/dls/h&sdocs.nsf/By+Year/RD4292008/$file/RD429.pdf Latest progress report, released for consideration of the General Assembly session of 2009. Covers wastewater, agricultural runoff, and development. Reports that 343 miles of rivers were removed from the impaired list because of cleanup efforts. From the Secretary of Natural Resources.

Jellyfish Gone Wild: Environmental Change and Jellyfish Swarms

Tue, 16 Dec 2008 14:36:00 -0500

http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/jellyfish/index.jsp Explains the basics of jellyfish biology, why they are becoming such a problem in areas like the East Coast of the U.S. and Chesapeake Bay, and what scientists have discovered about the causes and future of jellyfish blooms. From the National Science Foundation

Implementation of the Chesapeake 2000 Agreement

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 13:10:00 -0500

http://leg2.state.va.us/dls/h&sdocs.nsf/By+Year/RD3882008/$file/RD388.pdf Latest, 2008 report, on the commitments of Virginia to reaching the goals of the Chesapeake Bay 2000 Agreement. Covers restoration of oysters and wetlands, water quality, and sound land use among other topics. From the Virginia Secretary of Natural Resources.

2008 Chesapeake Bay Blue Crab Advisory Report

Wed, 30 Jul 2008 12:45:00 -0500

http://chesapeakebay.noaa.gov/docs/CBSAC2008bluecrabreport.pdf Estimates that the number of spawning blue crabs in Chesapeake Bay decreased from 143 million in 2006-2007 to 120 million in 2007-2008, well below the target of 200 million established by Chesapeake Bay Stock Assessment Committee. From the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

EPA Needs to Better Report Chesapeake Bay Challenges: A Summary Report

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 13:39:00 -0500

http://www.epa.gov/oigearth/reports/2008/20080714-08-P-0199.pdf Concludes that the Bay program is significantly short of its goals, that current efforts will not enable partners to meet their goal of restoring the Bay by 2010, and that new challenges, such as uncontrolled land development and limited use of agricultural conservation practices, are emerging to make the situation worse. From the Office of the Inspector General of the Environmental Protection Agency

Synthesis of Science for the Chesapeake Bay Ecosystem and Implications for Environmental Management

Thu, 14 Feb 2008 09:51:00 -0500

http://pubs.usgs.gov/circ/circ1316/circular1316.pdf Presents a synthesis of the science on the condition of the Chesapeake Bay and its relationship to the 2001-2006 goals for restoration. Among the key findings: population in the Bay region increased by 8% during the 1990s but impervious surfaces increased by 41%. Other factors covered in the report include the effect of climate change, transport of nitrogen in ground water, the occurrence of pesticides, the problem of increasing sediment, and impacts on fish and wildlife health. From the U.S. Geological Survey.