What are the problems with pollution in the Chesapeake Bay?
As forests and wetlands have been replaced by farms, cities, and suburbs to accommodate a growing population, nitrogen and phosphorus pollution to the Chesapeake Bay has greatly increased. Poor water quality has negatively affected important species such as submerged bay grasses, blue crab, oysters, and fish species.
What are the major problems facing the Chesapeake Bay?
Air and water pollution are intricately linked. Of particular concern to the Chesapeake region are airborne nitrogen and chemical contaminants such as mercury. These airborne pollutants come from large point sources like power plants and industrial facilities, vehicles, and agricultural sources.
What are the most widespread pollutants on Chesapeake Bay?
The most common chemical contaminants found in the Chesapeake Bay and its rivers and streams include polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), pesticides and mercury.
When did the Chesapeake Bay start getting polluted?
Humans began measurably and negatively impacting water quality in the Chesapeake Bay in the first half of the 19th century, according to a study of eastern oysters.
How dirty is the Chesapeake Bay?
The Chesapeake Bay has been on EPA’s “dirty waters” list for decades. This excess nitrogen and phosphorus feeds algal blooms that block sunlight to underwater grasses and contribute to the formation of dead zones, areas in the Bay and its tidal waters without sufficient levels of oxygen.
What are 2 things that are causing problems in the Chesapeake Bay?
Unfortunately, the Chesapeake Bay faces serious problems due to human activities, including polluted stormwater runoff, over-fertilization and pollution from animal wastes, deforestation, wetland destruction from agricultural, urban, and suburban development, and sea level rise caused by global climate change.
Why is the Chesapeake Bay dirty?
How bad is the Chesapeake Bay?
Why is Chesapeake Bay water brown?
Algae blooms are another thing to avoid. These blooms are the result of excess nutrients in the water and look like blue, bright green, brown or red paint floating on the surface. They are especially dangerous for dogs and one of the main threats to the Bay’s entire ecosystem.