Press Releases

Larger summer ‘dead zone’ predicted for Chesapeake Bay
June 14, 2017
Scientists expect this year’s summer Chesapeake Bay hypoxic or “dead zone”—an area of low to no oxygen that can kill fish and aquatic life—will be larger than average, approximately 1.89 cubic miles. This is due to spring rainfall amounts in New York and Pennsylvania that led to an above average Susquehanna River nitrogen load (81.4 million pounds) to the Chesapeake Bay this spring.

President Boesch earns governors' citation for work in Chesapeake Bay
June 8, 2017
University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science President Don Boesch received a Maryland governor’s citation for his role advancing science for the Chesapeake Bay. Maryland Gov. Larry J. Hogan Jr. presented the retiring president with the honor alongside Virginia Gov. Terence R. McAuliffe during an annual meeting of the Chesapeake Bay Program’s Executive Council meeting at the State House on, June 8.

Discover the Chesapeake Bay and its watershed this summer with UMCES scientists
May 30, 2017
Starting Monday, June 5, discover the Bay through the eyes of our scientists with a new YouTube series called “Discovering the Chesapeake.” Our scientists will talk about research studies they’re proud of and the impact they made, popular and oft-overlooked creatures that live in the Bay, and even the marvels of the Bay that have impacted them after years of research in the Chesapeake Bay’s waters and watershed.

Scientists begin to unlock secrets of deep ocean color from organic matter
May 17, 2017
About half of atmospheric carbon dioxide is fixed by ocean's phytoplankton through a process called photosynthesis. A large portion of biologically fixed carbon is formed by picocyanobacteria at the sea surface and then transported to the deep ocean. But what remains a mystery is how colored dissolved organic matter which originates from plant detritus (either on land or at sea) makes it into the deep ocean. A team of scientists has potentially found a viable marine source of this colored material.

Chesapeake Bay Report Card shows steady Bay health recovery
May 8, 2017
The overall health of Chesapeake Bay improved in 2016, a positive sign that recovery efforts are working. The largest estuary in the nation scored a C grade (54%) in the 2016 report card, one of the highest scores calculated by scientists at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES). In addition, fish populations greatly improved to an A (90%). Scientists are encouraged by these improvements in health despite many pressures on the Chesapeake Bay and across the watershed.

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