Report: Chesapeake Bay at healthiest level in years
The health of the Chesapeake Bay improved in 2015, marking three years of gains over the past four years, according to a new report.
Overall, the estuary received a "C" from the University of Maryland's Center for Environmental Science. That may not sound like "honor roll" material, but it was good enough for the highest grade since 2002 and one of the highest since the reporting system launched three decades ago.
Here are the numbers from the report that rise to the surface:
53
The percentage made in 2015 toward reaching overall restoration goals. That's up from 45 percent in 2013 and 50 percent in 2014.
57
The percentage score in 1992, the highest in the history of the annual report. The next-highest was the 55 percent in 2002. What both years have in common: long periods of drought, which translated into fewer bay-polluting nutrients running off the land. Unlike those years, 2015 saw relatively normal rainfall amounts. That, said University of Maryland research Bill Dennison, "indicates that we’re making progress reducing what’s coming off the land.”
53
The percentage toward meeting the goals in the Lower Eastern Shore of the bay, which stretches from coastal Dorchester County to the Virginia state line. Although it marked only a slight improvement over 2014, it was enough to propel 2015 to a record-high score for the region. Its score has trended upward since hitting a low of 34 percent in 2007.
READ:What is driving the rebound in the bay's blue crabpopulation.
69
The highest-scoring portion of the bay ecosystem happens to be the lower bay, which abuts the shores of Virginia. Of the 16 bay regions, it was the only one to receive at least a "B" grade.
18
The Lower Eastern Shore's score for chlorophyll; the bay overall scored 35 percent. Researchers say the region's failing grade is likely linked to an overabundance of nutrients, which can fuel algae blooms once they reach the bay.
39
The score for aquatic grasses bay-wide. No region saw losses of underwater vegetation in 2015. In fact, there were increases in spatial extent in many regions, including the Lower Eastern Shore.
70
The progress toward the bay's phosphorus goal, which declined from 79 percent in 2014. It was the only bay indicator that didn't improve in 2015. Scientists are at a loss to explain the increase in the bay's concentrations, particularly since computer modeling suggested that loads from the watershed were down. Despite the decline, levels have remained "reasonably stable" since 2004, according to the report.
5
The rock-bottom score registered by the bay's water-clarity in 2011. It has since rebounded to meeting 23 percent of the restoration goal. But clarity remains poor, a bad omen for aquatic grasses and other organisms that depend on clear water.
0.3
The number of meters of visibility in the Nanticoke River at Tyaskin. That is on the threshold of the "very poor" category.
Contact reporter Jeremy Cox at 410-845-4630 or on Twitter @Jeremy_Cox.