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white spacer for site Ecosystem History & Change
Natural influences, such as climate variability, have affected the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem since its development thousands of years ago. Although the bay's water quality and living resources have been monitored since the mid-1980's this is too brief a time period to fully understand the bay's response to climate variability and the land clearance and urbanization of the last few centuries.

ecosystem collage

Many factors influence the Bay's ecosystem - climate, urbanization, introduction of invasive species are just a few that will need to be studied in the years to come.

Understanding the influence of both climate variability and human activities over time will help resource managers formulate restoration goals and predict how the bay ecosystem may behave in the future. The USGS is documenting the long-term changes dissolved oxygen, water quality, and sedimentation rates by studying geochemical and biological indicates in the bay's sediments. Additionally the USGS is studying the effect of the impact crater on the formation of the Bay.

Visit the USGS Investigations of Atlantic Estuaries: Chesapeake Bay site that features ecosystem history and sources of sediment to the Bay

Visit the Investigating the Chesapeake Bay Impact Crater Web Site for more information.

Learn more at the USGS Investigations of Atlantic Estuaries: Chesapeake Bay site featuring ecosystem history and sources of sediment to the Bay.

Please visit the Programs page to find links to the USGS programs focused on the ecosystem of the Bay area. The Data page gives information and links on various USGS data and spatial information sites monitoring the Bay area ecosystems. Many reports and publications are available visit the Publications page to find them.

Visit the Spotlight Archive page for a listing of sites that have been featured on the USGS Chesapeake Bay Web.

We welcome suggestions or comments that would make this Web site more useful.

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