Skipjack Martha Lewis

Chesapeake Bay Fast Facts

At a Glance Overview: 2nd largest estuary in the world 195 miles long aprox. 4 – 30 miles wide Chesipiooc: native American word meaning “great shellfish bay” John Smith said “best port in the world” Ecosystem: 100,000 streams and rivers in the ecosystem 6 million people live in the watershed Watershed: Def: Area of land that drains into a specific basin Half of Chesapeake bay water comes from the Atlantic ocean Half the water comes from 64,000 square miles worth of drainage. (Watershed) NY, PA, WV, DE, MD, VI, District of Columbia Pre-1800s oysters so abundant that the reefs served a navigational hazard. The Bay as a Resource Fishing/Oystering 1983-1992 86 million lb. of blue crab/year 1920’s-1970’s av. Annual oyster catch was about 27 million lb. of meat a year More than half of the nations blue crabs still come from the Bay Menhaden Recreation: 200,000 pleasure craft entered the bay in 1993 Aprox. 1 million anglers per year come to the bay Commercial 2 of the nations 5 most important ports sit on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay Hampton roads complex (Portsmouth, Hampton, Newport news) Baltimore - Leading exporter of cars in the nation Natural Habitat - Birds Tundra Swans Canada Geese Duck (canvasback, pintails) Eiders, ruddy duck Bald Eagles Nations largest population of osprey Natural Habitat - Fish White and yellow perch Striped bass (rockfish) Herring Shad When it is warm enough: bluefish, weakfish, croaker, menhaden, and flounder, spot…. Natural Habitat - Plants 12. Submerged Aquatic Vegetation (SAV's) 13. Trees Problems Over harvesting and loss of habitat Disease Hypoxia: low dissolved oxygen levels SAV plight Must start to look at these problems from an ecosystem prospective.	Topology/Geology Age Less than 10 thousand years old Going through constant change Pleistocene epoch (1 million years ago) Glaciers retreat and move N&S repeatedly Sea level rise and fall 18,000 years ago last great ice age 3,000 years ago the bay become roughly what we know it today Sea level rose to eventually flood the Susquehanna river valley Topography 4400 miles of shoreline 4 miles wide near Annapolis 30 miles wide near Potomac 2300 sq. miles of water 1. Add the tributaries and the number doubles 2. 18 trillion gallons of water 3. Av. Depth is 27 feet Geographic Regions Within the Watershed Watershed encompasses the Piedmont plateau, Appalachian province, and the coastal plain Atlantic Coastal Plain Flat low land area. Max elevation of 300 feet Crystalline bedrock covered with sand, clay, gravel 15-90 miles inland Fall line b/w piedmont plateau and coastal plain This is the region that the bay actually sits in Piedmont Plateau From the fall line to the Appalachian mtns. Area is split by Parrs ridge 1. East: slate, schist, marble, granite 2 . West: sandstones, shale, siltstones Appalachian Province Sandstone, siltstone, shale, limestone Mountains, valleys Coal Susquehanna All the way to Cooperstown, NY Where the water comes from designates what kind of water (chemically speaking) enters the bay.

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