UMDConowingo Dam Impacts

Conowingo Dam Impacts

UMCES Scientists Find the Bay is More Resilient Than Expected   Sitting on the lower Susquehanna River, the Conowingo Dam has trapped most of the sediment and nutrients, like nitrogen and phosphorus, in its upstream reservoir, keeping them from flowing into the Chesapeake Bay. Recent concerns about the storage capacity of the dam have raised questions about its potential impacts to...

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10 Billion Oysters

Working Together to Keep Oysters Thriving in the Bay   A thriving oyster population is vital to a healthy Chesapeake Bay. As a keystone species, oysters are necessary for filtering water and providing critical habitat for other species in the Bay. The Chesapeake Oyster Alliance is a coalition of partners that includes non-profits, universities, oyster farmers, and others, working toward...

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Conductivity in Maryland Streams

How Water Chemistry Changes in Response to Urbanization   Scientists have long known that land development can have significant negative impacts on local streams. Instead of focusing on water quality measured with a single grab sample, a team of researchers at University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) looked at water chemistry over a 30-year time span as 12 watersheds were developed....

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STAC Climate Synthesis

Major Climate Change Research Synthesis Kicks Off in the Chesapeake   Climate change continues to complicate how models of the Chesapeake Bay predict the future. The Chesapeake Bay Program’s Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee (STAC) recently began a program to support scientists grappling with these uncertainties by funding short scientific syntheses around climate change issues in...

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New MEES Director

Timothy Canty Named Director of UMD’s Marine Estuarine Environmental Sciences Graduate Program   The University System of Maryland’s interdisciplinary Marine Estuarine Environmental Science (MEES) Graduate Program has found a new director in Timothy Canty, who began this role in August 2019. Canty is an associate research professor in the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Science (AOSC)...

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Hurricane Birds

Small Coastal Birds Can Weather Major Storms   People often use shorebirds as the quintessential example of birds affected by hurricanes, oil spills, and other major disturbances. But a research team led by a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Maryland’s National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center (SESYNC) found that shorebird populations are actually quite resistant to these...

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