Based on the new U.S. Geological Survey research published in the journal Climatic Change, the majority of streams in the Chesapeake Bay region are warming which appears to be driven largely by the rising air temperatures.
Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States, with a watershed covering 64,243 square miles including parts of New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia.
Researchers found that air temperature has risen 1.98 F and water temperature has risen 2.52 F between 1960 and 2010 in the Chesapeake Bay region. One of the effects of warming waters is an increase in eutrophication, or an overabundance of nutrients. The issue has plagued the bay for decades and likely will increase as the water temperature rises. Other effects include shifts in plant and animal distributions in the basin’s freshwater rivers and streams. The study included examination of 51 years of data from 85 air temperature sites and 129 stream water temperature sites throughout the bay watershed.
The states and DC are working with the federal government to improve conditions in the bay and its watershed to address the threats from climate change. Results from this USGS study will help inform adaptation strategies.
Source: United States Geological Survey. “Chesapeake Bay region streams are warming.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 8 December 2014, www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/12/141208145712.htm