The overall health of Chesapeake Bay improved in 2014, according to scientists at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, with significantly improving trends in both total nitrogen and total phosphorus in the Bay. Overall, the tidal waters of the Chesapeake scored a C (50%), which was up from the previous year’s score of 45% (also a C). The 2014 overall score of 50%, a C, is considered moderate health.
“The positive trends in total nitrogen and phosphorus are excellent news for Bay restoration efforts. Our investments in nutrient reduction over the last 20 years are reflected in Bay health,” said Bill Dennison, Vice President for Science Applications at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science. “I am convinced that these positive trends indicate we are beginning to make a real difference in Bay health through our combined actions.”
Nutrients in the Bay are needed by plants and animals to grow and survive. However, when too much nitrogen and phosphorus run off the land and enter the water, they can fuel the growth of algae, creating dense blooms that block sunlight and reduce oxygen for fish and other organisms. Due to best management practices that reduce nutrient use and keep nutrients on land (such as fertilizers on lawns and farms), less nutrients have been entering Chesapeake Bay. This significantly improving trend of less total nitrogen and total phosphorus is promising since it shows effective management and restoration in the Bay watershed is working.
Aquatic grasses are also key to Bay restoration. All reporting regions had aquatic grass scores that improved or stayed the same in 2014. Aquatic grasses scored a 31%, a D overall, which was an increase from the 2013 score of 24%, a D-. Regions with the largest improvements in aquatic grass scores were the Rappahannock River, Choptank River, Mid Bay, and Lower Eastern Shore.
Fisheries are commercially and recreationally important. Striped bass received a perfect score for the second year in a row. Blue crabs, both predator and prey in the Bay's food web, scored a 32%, a D, in 2014, a poor score based on the amount of adult female blue crabs in the Bay. Fisheries indicators can have large variation from year to year since these species move throughout the Bay and are highly managed.
An analysis was conducted on the resiliency of coastal wetlands to current and future sea level rise rates. With current sea level rise rates, the majority of the regions in Chesapeake Bay have moderate to very good coastal wetlands resiliency scores. Under future sea level rise rates, coastal wetlands will be less resilient. These are results from a Climate Change Resilience Index study performed by researchers at UMCES this year. This Index measures the resilience of the Chesapeake Bay to the impacts of climate change. Coastal wetland resiliency to climate change was evaluated using sea level rise rates and total suspended solids.
The University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science’s Integration and Application Network produces several annual report cards to assess the health of Chesapeake Bay waterways to enhance and support the science, management and restoration of Chesapeake Bay. For more information about the 2014 Chesapeake Bay Health Report Card including region-specific data and downloadable graphics, visit chesapeakebay.ecoreportcard.org.
