usgs science: improving the value of the …life, and plants underpin the economic value of the bay...
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U.S. Geological Survey Science—Improving the Value of the Chesapeake Bay WatershedCongress directed the Federal Government to work with States to restore the Nation’s largest estuary.
Chesapeake Bay restoration provides important economic and ecological benefits:
■ 18 million people live and work in the Bay watershed and enjoy its benefits.
■ 3,600 types of fish, wild-life, and plants underpin the economic value of the Bay ecosystem.
■ Poor water quality and habi-tat loss threaten restoration and negatively impact the economy.
■ 10 Goals to meet by 2025 through the Chesapeake Bay Program, a voluntary partnership.
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20
40
60
80
100
120
Wat
er q
ualit
y an
d la
nds
Recr
eatio
n, fi
shin
g, b
oatin
g
Agric
ultu
ral
Com
mer
cial
fish
erie
s
Ship
ping
Restorationinvestments~$1.7 billion
Economic value>$100 billion
Stat
e Go
vern
men
ts (1
.23
billi
on)
Fede
ral (
0.53
6 bi
llion
)
Econ
omic
val
ue, i
n bi
llion
s of
dol
lars
Annual economic value and restoration investments. Sources: Phillips and McGee, 2014; U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 2015; and Office of Management and Budget, 2016.
Photograph credits: Top; A boat floating on Chesapeake Bay, by Jane Hawkey, IAN Image Library (www.ian.umces.edu/imagelibrary/).Middle; A family fishing, by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Bottom; Unhealthy fish, by USGS.
USGS science is the foundation to assess progress and focus resources where they are most effective.
■ Partners use our science every day.
■ We monitor and analyze:
• Fish, wildlife, and habitat
• Water quality
• Land-use and environmental change
■ USGS spends $12M on science activities, which is provided by multiple USGS programs.
■ Our science helps improve the Chesapeake Bay watershed and informs other national efforts.
Present Future
(Modified from Phillips, 2006)
U.S. Department of the InteriorU.S. Geological Survey
Fact Sheet 2017–3031May 2017
MARYLAND
VIRGINIA
WESTVIRGINIA
D.C.
DELAWARE
NEW YORK
PENNSYLVANIA
0 50 100 MILES
0 50 100 KILOMETERS
42°
40°
38°
80° 78° 76°
Trend directionNo trend
Improving
Degrading
Average load, in pounds per acre
Watershed
1.19 to 6.88
6.89 to 13.75
13.76 to 33.44
EXPLANATION
Susquehanna River
Eastern Shore
Western Shore
Potomac River
Rappahannock River
York River
James River
Squares with black outlines are yields based on 2010–2014
Chesapeake B
ay
Chesapeake Baywatershed boundary
Map areaMap area
Base map from U.S. Geological Survey digital data, various scales, variously datedAlbers Equal-Area Conic projectionNorth AmericanDatum of 1983
River monitoring of total nitrogen per acre loads and trends from 2005–2014.
Improving trends
Degrading tren
ds
Totalnitrogen
trendsdiscernible
No
Improving trends
Degrading
trends
Totalphosphorus
trends
discernible
No
Water-quality patterns from 2005–2014.Map and graphs source: Moyer and
Blomquist, 2016.
Photograph credits: Top; Baltimore, Md., area along Chesapeake Bay by Jane Thomas, IAN Image Library (www.ian.umces.edu/imagelibrary/). Bottom; Agricultural area, by USGS.
References CitedChesapeake Bay Comprehensive Plan, U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers, Baltimore and Norfolk Districts Section 905 (b) Analysis, 2015, accessed April 17, 2017, at http://www.nab.usace.army.mil/Portals/63/docs/Civil%20Works/CBCP/Final_Chesapeake_Bay_905_b_%20Report_2015_Feb.pdf?ver=2016-08-10-093155-190.
Moyer, D.L., and Blomquist, J.D., 2016, Summary of nitrogen, phosphorus, and suspended-sediment loads and trends measured at the Chesapeake Bay nontidal network stations: Water year 2014 update, accessed February 3, 2016, at http://cbrim.er.usgs.gov/data/NTN%20Load%20and%20Trend%20Summary%202014.pdf.
Office of Management and Budget, Chesapeake Bay Restoration Spending Crosscut: Report to Congress, 2016, 30 p., accessed April 17, 2017, at http://www.chesapeakebay.net/channel_files/23874/cbara_chesapeake_bay_crosscut_report_final_(12.06.16).pdf.
Phillips, S.W., 2006, U.S. Geological Survey Chesapeake Bay studies: Scientific solutions for a healthy bay and watershed: U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet 2006–3046, 4 p., accessed April 17, 2017, at https://md.water.usgs.gov/publications/fs-2006-3046/fs-2006-3046.pdf.
Phillips, Spencer, and McGee, Beth, 2014, The economic benefits of cleaning up the Chesapeake: Chesapeake Bay Foundation, 56 p., accessed April 17, 2017, at http://www.cbf.org/document.doc?id=2258.
By Scott Phillips ([email protected]), Kenneth Hyer ([email protected]), and Elizabeth Goldbaum ([email protected])
For more information, visit the USGS Chesapeake Bay Activities website at
https://chesapeake.usgs.gov/
ISSN 2327-6916 (print)ISSN 2327-6932 (online)https://doi.org/10.3133/fs20173031