The Chesapeake Bay earned a C+, its highest grade since 2002, on a report card from the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science.
The bay overall, as well as 15 individual regions, were scored based on indicators such as phosphorus, nitrogen, and oxygen levels; the condition of organisms at the bottom of the bay; water clarity; microalgae biomass; and aquatic grasses.
On the 2023/2024 Chesapeake Bay and Watershed Report Card, the health of the bay overall scored 55%, up four percentage points from 2022.
Scores increased for eleven regions, while four regions saw their scores decrease.
The Lower Bay, north of Norfolk, Virginia, earned the highest regional grade with a 70%.
The Patapsco and Back Rivers earned the lowest score, 22%, but they also were among the regions that showed significant improvement.
The report card’s authors highlighted the major impacts of agriculture on bay health, particularly along Maryland’s Eastern Shore, where chickens outnumber humans 1,000 to 1 and soybeans are the main plant product.
Agriculture comprises more than one-third of land use on the Eastern Shore, second only to tree cover, which accounts for nearly one-half of land use there.
Working with agricultural communities will be key to curtailing the negative impacts of farm runoff on the health of the Chesapeake Bay, the report’s authors wrote.
“Managing the impacts of agricultural runoff is only possible by collaborating with agricultural communities,” they wrote. “Balancing economic and social benefits of agriculture with ecological impacts is vital to having a healthy system that supports people and nature.”
In addition to the bay itself, the report card also scored the expansive Chesapeake Bay Watershed, which earned a C, the same grade as 2022. Scores for the watershed as a whole and individual regions were broken down into three sections: economic, societal, and ecological factors.
The authors looked at indicators such as the amount of protected lands, the condition of fish and bottom-dwelling organisms, heat vulnerability, walkability, income inequality and housing affordability, among other measures.
The University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science is also developing an indicator to measure man-made debris, ranging from microplastics, to cigarette butts, to plastic bottles, and all the way up to abandoned boats.
“This debris can be found in the air, water, soil, and sediment around the Chesapeake Bay and its watershed, affecting the health of plants, animals, and humans living in this area,” the authors wrote.
They hope the data will help managers and policymakers develop strategies for preventing and mitigating contamination from man-made debris.
