Chesapeake Bay summer water temperatures are increasing by nearly a half degree Fahrenheit per decade and rising nearly twice as fast as global surface ocean water temperatures, according to a recent study. But the increase, which could have profound impacts on Bay resources and water quality, is not uniform.
What causes climate change in the Chesapeake Bay?
Rising Sea Levels
Sea-level rise is exacerbated by land subsidence. This combination of processes in the Chesapeake Bay has resulted in approximately one foot of net sea-level rise in the Bay over the past 100 years—a rate nearly twice that of the global historic average.
How is climate change affecting the Chesapeake Bay?
A changing climate will affect the Chesapeake Bay. Some effects—like rising seas, warming water temperatures and prolonged periods of extreme weather—have already been observed in the region. Other impacts include a rise in coastal flooding and shoreline erosion and changes in wildlife abundance and migration patterns.
How has the Chesapeake Bay changed?
The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States and one of the world’s most biologically rich and productive. For decades, because of the high population of its watershed, the bay has been degraded by toxic contaminants, excessive nutrients, and sedimentation that have shrunk critical habitats.
What is a major problem with the Chesapeake Bay?
Unfortunately, the Chesapeake Bay faces serious problems due to human activities, including polluted stormwater runoff, over-fertilization and pollution from animal wastes, deforestation, wetland destruction from agricultural, urban, and suburban development, and sea level rise caused by global climate change.
Is the Chesapeake Bay rising?
Cities and towns near the Chesapeake Bay are facing a major threat from sea-level rise. The good news is that nature-based solutions can help us adapt to recurrent flooding. In fact, coastal Virginia has seen the highest rate of relative sea-level rise on the whole Atlantic coast, more than 14 inches since 1930.
What is the most impactful change that has happened to the Chesapeake Bay?
Rising Sea Levels
Sea-level rise is exacerbated by land subsidence. This combination of processes in the Chesapeake Bay has resulted in approximately one foot of net sea-level rise in the Bay over the past 100 years—a rate nearly twice that of the global historic average.
How do blue catfish affect the Chesapeake Bay?
In the Chesapeake Bay, blue catfish are considered an invasive species. They have expanded their range and population so much that they are likely negatively affecting the Bay ecosystem because they eat so many native species, such as striped bass, blue crab, shad, herring, and Atlantic sturgeon.
Where is the dead zone in the Chesapeake Bay?
Where Are the Dead Zones in the Chesapeake Bay? Dead zones form in both the Bay’s mainstem and its tidal rivers, typically in deeper water near the bottom.
How is climate change impacting Maryland?
Maryland has experienced changes in its climate over the last century and on the whole, the State is experiencing warmer winters and summers, wetter autumns and springs, and drier summers.
How do hurricanes affect the Chesapeake Bay?
In the Chesapeake Bay region, 6,777 properties would currently flood in a weaker storm, and 40,553 in a stronger, the study estimated. With sea level rise, those numbers increase to 218,319 and 300,282. Take Virginia Beach.
How is climate change affecting freshwater fishing?
Climate change is having a significant impact on fish, especially inland fish that rely on colder water for living and breeding. Common causes of drought, such as decreased precipitation and snowmelt runoff, combined with warmer temperatures are creating warmer water which is stressing many fish.
How will climate change affect fishing?
Climate change could wipe out 60% of all fish species, new research suggests. If average global temperatures rise by five degrees Celsius, that could mean almost two-thirds of global fish species could be eradicated by 2100. Previous studies predicted fish would be more resilient to climate change.
Why is Chesapeake Bay dying?
There are three major contributors to the poor health of our streams, rivers, and the Chesapeake Bay—nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment. High levels of nitrogen and phosphorus fuel unnaturally high levels of algae growth in the water, blocking sunlight from reaching underwater grasses that serve as food and habitat.
How is the Chesapeake Bay polluted?
Humans are directly responsible for the excess nutrients that enter and damage the Chesapeake. This nutrient pollution comes from fertilizing lawns, gardens, and farms. Nutrient pollution also comes from urban sources, including exhaust from automobiles, wastewater, septic systems, and stormwater runoff.
What is causing the most pollution in the Chesapeake Bay?
Nitrogen. Airborne nitrogen is one of the largest sources of pollution affecting the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries. Excess nitrogen can fuel the growth of algae blooms, which can block sunlight from reaching underwater grasses and create low-oxygen “dead zones” that suffocate marine life.
How long until Maryland is underwater?
Studies show that sea levels are already rising around Maryland. Scientists have forecasted an increase of as much as 2.1 feet in the Chesapeake Bay by 2050. And by the end of this century, that number could be 3.7 feet or higher.
Is Virginia going underwater?
Sea level rise is speeding up
The sea level around Sewells Point, Virginia, has risen by 14 inches since 1950. Its speed of rise has accelerated over the last ten years and it’s now rising by one inch every 4 years.
How will sea level rise affect Virginia?
As sea levels continue to rise along the Atlantic coast, Virginia is projected to experience almost 5 feet of increase by 2080, submerging an additional 649 square miles of land, according to state estimates.
Is the Chesapeake Bay healthy?
The University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science gave the overall health of the bay in 2020 a C grade, slightly up from the previous year’s C-minus. The watershed, which includes off-shooting rivers and basins, was rated a B-minus.
How are the blue catfish disrupting the ecosystem?
Another negative ecological effect arises from Blue Catfish predation on native freshwater and estuarine species. Blue Catfish are opportunistic generalist feeders that consume a variety of species from invertebrates to fishes as well as vegetation (Schloesser et al.