Environmental Effects On Chesapeake Watersheds

The Chesapeake Bay is a 200-mile-long estuary extending from Norfolk, VA to Havre de grace Maryland. On average this bay contains about 68 trillion liters of water. This bay is the largest estuary in North America. It inhabits more than 3,000 species of plants, animals, and fish. “Since the early twentieth century, the Chesapeake Bay has experienced serious environmental degradation. Problems include large reductions in sea grass, reduced amounts of finfish and shellfish (especially oysters and crab), seasonal depletions in dissolved oxygen, and increases in sedimentation.” (Atkins & Anderson, 2003) These changes are brought on by pollution (Eutrophication and Toxic Contamination), development, deforestation, and agriculture. And according

It is their home, their thriving place. According to the National WIldlife Federation, ¨The Bay supports 3,600 species of plant and animal life, including more than 300 fish species and 2,700 plant types.”. Not only does the wildlife depend on the bay, but humans do as well. The Chesapeake Bay contains a 64,000-square-mile watershed, this watershed provides large amounts of drinking water for us in Maryland, along with several other states. Everyday, the condition of the water declines, meaning the home for wildlife and our drinking water does too. The Chesapeake Bay Foundation pointed out that, ¨Toxic chemicals are constantly entering the Chesapeake Bay and its rivers and streams via wastewater, agriculture, stormwater, and air pollution. These harmful chemicals, such as mercury, PCBs, and PAHs, do not break down easily and persist in the environment for many years, impacting not just fish and birds, but humans as well.¨. How important does the restoration of the bay sound

Scientists and researchers began giving a large volume of effort and look into the extremely complex problems that face the Chesapeake Bay. When research for the improving and saving of the Bay’s overall health began it seemed very simple and there were only a couple of problems. The problems included nutrients from agricultural runoff; these nutrients were phosphorus and nitrogen. The combination of the nutrients in the Bay caused a large volume of algae that choked some of the marine life. While bringing in algae the nutrients also killed grasses on the seafloor. These seafloor bed grasses that once covered more than half of the Chesapeake Bay’s floor now only covered a tenth of their original area. Though the estuary was having problems it did not receive the terrible pollution from industries that many large rivers and lakes do in other urban areas (Brown, p. 397).

In the early seventeenth century, the English began to establish colonies in the New World. The colonies in New England consisted of New Hampshire, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts. While, the colonies making up the Chesapeake region were Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, and South Carolina. Given that the New England and Chesapeake region were both largely settled by those of English origin, by the 1700 they had evolved into two distinct societies because of the contrast in their geographical locations, their political structure, and their social hierarchy.

Types of human activity that affect the Bay's health. Humans either do not see or do not care about the pollution they send into the water. As humans build more factories close to the water or send more waste out of their homes it goes into the Bay causing many problems for the ecosystem. "waste from people's homes, stores, and offices is also treated and discharged into the Bay and its rivers. " (Chesapeake Bay Ecosystem) People do not understand the effects of pollution the Chesapeake Bay Ecosystem says that people believe the water where the pollution is going will dilute the pollution and won’t be as bad. Humans do no understand the problems pollution will cause. The population of the Blue Crabs in the Bay was below average for over 10 years. From 1998 until 2009 the crab ecosystem was so unhealthy they were unable to live and reproduce.

The importance of the Chesapeake Bay is introduced. The bay is home to a large amount of seafood businesses, and many people fish the bay and its tributaries for sport. Grass beds are essential to many of the organisms living in this ecosystem, but are being destroyed by pollution. Agriculture involves more than a fourth of the bay's watershed. This makes agricultural runoff a big focus. Excessive nitrogen and phosphorus causes eutrophication. These nutrients come from pesticides and sewage also. A goal was set in 1985 to cut back the percent of nutrients being put into the bay by these two sources. It is thought that redirecting the flow of soil with nutrients in them will reduce the runoff, but if the nutrients seep into groundwater they still get into the Chesapeake Bay. Farmers have ways to help reduce these nutrient levels, but it is not the cheapest way to farm, so not all farmers are doing their part to save the bay. Another contributor of runoff land development. Runoff can occur from exposed land being prepared to be developed, or because of what has been used to replace what used to naturally be.

Scene in Fig. 1.1., the Chesapeake Bay is substantial in size; at roughly 64,000 miles, it contains roughly fifty rivers and thousands of streams and creeks. It encompasses parts of 6 states, including all of Washington, DC. The Chesapeake Bay is what is known as a watershed, an area that contributes to the drainage to a water body, stream, river, lake or ocean. Rainwater that falls within the 64,000 square miles that is the Chesapeake Bay will subsequently travel through many streams and rivers, eventually making its way into the largest estuary system in the United States.

With the algae growing so close to the edge or shoreline they are constantly taking in the run-off or whatever may be on the shoreline. This makes it very bad for not just the algae but also the the water and species living down under. A lot of this pollution may come from the big city plants. Their disposals might just be fed right into the Chesapeake Bay and they probably do not care. This is a big problem all over the world, not just the Chesapeake Bay. (Decline of Submerged Plants in the Chesapeake Bay) Another reason to why there is such a decline in not just algae but other grasses is that the warming trend over the last 20 years, global warming. By the looks of it, the warming trend is not going to stop, so this may be a problem to deal with for a longer time. Natural diseases is another way the decline in algae and other grass plants is happening. Mostly dead organisms is the reason for these natural diseases. Once you get a bunch of bacteria and fungi, you will hope to get rid of the algae or grasses because it will most likely just end up making the Bay worse, and turning away species. The number of hurricanes the Chesapeake Bay takes does not help the cause. Hurricanes are affecting the salinity of the Bay. The salinity affects the growth and the amount that grows in a plant as well. (Decline of Submerged Plants in the Chesapeake Bay) The pollution can fall down into the water and you may find pollutants in the sediment. The sediment is home to many species. It can be very protective to large predators and large predators can possibly hide in there while they wait for an attack. Ways the pollutants are getting down there is carelessness by the fisherman and the people in charge of it to take

The Chesapeake colonial region was largely influenced by its geography. With open fields, fertile soil, and conducive weather, farming was a significant part of life in the Chesapeake area. Farming not only constituted for large part of the economy, but was also an attraction to many young men trying to make money. The economy of the region was primarily based on tobacco, indigo, and rice. The main religion upheld was Protestant Christianity. The government of the colonies was run by a councillor who was appointed by the king, and a “House of Representatives” elected by the people. Given that a major part of the colonies were farming, the region quickly transitioned from using indentured servants to using slaves. Hierarchically, men were the

Why is stormwater harmful to the Chesapeake Bay? Storm water is harmful because as it travels it picks up pollutants like fertilizers, sediments, and litter. All of this waste can end up going into streams and rivers. It is destructive for the ecosystems, but there are ways to help prevent this from happening.

Throughout the years, humans have definitely increased their capacity to innovate and improve. With the industrial revolution, humans could produce things at a much faster and efficient way. By increasing the amount of production, the environment has undergone a huge impact to support the various activities of humankind. One small example of this is the impacts on the Chesapeake Bay. There are various effects on the Bay all causes of human activity. To formulate a plan to restore the health of Chesapeake Bay, we must first understand which causes are impacting the health of the ecosystem and which measures can be taken to restore the Bay back to health.

The ecosystem i will be talking about is the Aquatic Ecosystem. A bay called the Chesapeake Bay. The Chesapeake Bay is located near Maryland, Virginia, New Jersey, and Delaware. There are Mammals in the Bay. Larger creatures that thrive in the Bay are bottlenose dolphins, which are plentiful in deeper waters but can also be found near harbors.

The oceans have evolved over the millennia to handle this small amount of nutrients with relative ease. The waste produced by the bio-load of the seas is primarily emitted as ammonia and ammonium, which get broken down through a series of steps involving the bacterium nitrosomos and nitrobacter. The end result is a much less toxic form of nitrogen called nitrates. A third, anaerobic, bacteria is able to alter the nitrates into nitrogen gas which then is able to safely leave the system and enter the atmosphere. This bacteria is only able to live in the area of the seabed that is deep enough to prevent oxygen from reaching, yet shallow enough for the water containing these nitrates to permeate. This limitation in territory naturally limits the amounts of nitrates able to be broken down naturally by the oceans. The influx of nitrates, phosphates, and silicates from pesticides and chemical wastes cause the ecological balance to become disrupted. The microalgaes that live on the reefs can grow extremely fast in a relatively short period of time when given the right conditions. The level of nitrogen that has entered the oceans has increased by over 40% when compared to ammoniums. This increase has been attributed to the steadily increasing use of fossil fuels, and the atmosphere's inability to deal with the emissions (AAAS, 1). The increase in nutrients can create the ideal conditions for these organisms to flourish. Once

Water is essential to all life. Water makes up 71% of the earth, with only .5% of that available for use (not salt water). And that limited amount is facing an ever growing threat of becoming polluted by human means. Through the hydrologic cycle, water is in every part of the earth; underground, in the air, and surface waters. This alone means that there are many ways for pollutants to enter the system. Humans are the biggest polluters to water, putting industrial and domestic waste into the water cycle everyday. Some of the most frequent pollutants are fertilizers, pesticides, and litter.

Eutrophication happens as the water ecosystem becomes more productive due to increasing primary productivity in the estuary. This happens because of the excessive nutrient enrichment which will cause frequent cyanobacteria blooms (Wang and Wang, 2009). The excess nutrients could come from different sources, including stormwater drainage, waste discharges from industrial areas, and runoffs from agricultural farm. According to United States Environmental Protection Agency, the stormwater can pick up debris and chemicals straight from the streets into the rivers and estuaries. Consequently, it also drags the excess nutrients when it is discharged from the storm sewer system. Not only that, the stormwater can also drag nutrients and pathogens form leaking and poorly maintained septic