Authors

Brief Overview:

The Chesapeake Bay watershed covers 64,000 square miles, with thousands of tributaries. Given the amount of water flowing into the bay, this area, like any other, has pollution problems. Several contributing factors exist that pollute the bay, including fertilizers, air pollution, sewage, and boat discharge. About half of the pollution comes from agriculture, since fertilizer run-off adds a large amount of nitrogen to the water. Organisms such as algae thrive on the nitrogen. Algae blooms cloud the water reducing the amount of light that reaches the submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV). Also, when the algae die, they sink to the bottom of the bay and decompose; this process uses oxygen that is vital to the survival of other organisms in the water. Measuring chlorophyll shows the amount of algae and other microscopic organisms in water and gives an indication of water quality.  

Resources and References:

Background
Chesapeake Bay Foundation: http://www.cbf.org/site/PageServer?pagename=exp_sub_watershed_plants. Accessed June 16, 2008: SEMO.

Department of Environmental Protection: Chesapeake Bay Program: http://www.depweb.state.pa.us/chesapeake/cwp/view.asp?a=3&q=449214. Accessed June 16, 2008: SEMO.

SAV in Chesapeake Bay – Submerged Aquatic Vegetation (SAV) in Chesapeake Bay: http://www.vims.edu/bio/sav/aboutsav.html. Accessed June 16, 2008: SEMO.

Figures
Andrews, Emma. Outline of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Map. Maps – History – Chesapeake Bay Program: http://www.chesapeakebay.net/maps.aspx?menuitem=16824. Accessed June 16, 2008: SEMO.

Nitrogen Level Graph and Dead Zone posters. Chesapeake Bay Foundation - Save the Bay: http://www.cbf.org/site/PageServer?pagename=edu_bra_educator_graphics. Accessed June 16, 2008: SEMO.

Data
Chesapeake Bay Data Set for My World. Untitled Pages: ftp://ftp.chesapeakebay.net/pub/Geographic/ChesapeakeBay/WQMonitoringStations. Accessed June 16, 2008: SEMO.

Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Eyes on the Bay: Chesapeake Bay and Costal Bays Water Quality Data: http://mddnr.chesapeakebay.net/eyesonthebay/index.cfm. Accessed June 16, 2008: SEMO.

Chesapeake Bay Remote Sensing Program: http://www.cbrsp.org/cbrsp_toc_mb_chl_page.htm. Accessed June 17, 2008: SEMO.

Waterman, Margaret and Ethel Stanley. Biological Inquiry: A Workbook of Investigative Cases for Campbell Reese Biology, Eighth Edition. 2nd ed. San Francisco: 2008.  

Attachments

- BioQuest_Real_Poster.ppt
- my_world_chesapeake_bay_map.pdf
- invasive_plants.nlogo
- Documentation.pdf
- BC_Journal_of_Ecology_2005_ALL.pdf