|
|
 |
 |
Why the Chesapeake Bay?
 Coastal ecosystems all over the world are bearing the brunt of human waste and pollution, especially excess nitrogen. The latest research indicates that globally there are more than 400 coastal "dead zones" — areas with too little oxygen to support marine life. Most alarming, between 1995 and 2007 the number of dead zones worldwide increased by a third.
Nowhere is this problem of excess nitrogen more acute or better studied than in the Chesapeake Bay, the largest estuary in the United States. Despite the Bay's historically rich ecosystem, pollution flowing in from its vast watershed threatens its environmental and economic future.
The Bay is a world-class natural resource — and a natural laboratory. Covering more than 64,000 square miles, its watershed provides a home for more than 16.6 million people and includes parts of New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, and Washington, D.C. The Bay's large watershed makes it especially vulnerable. Anything carried by rainwater or groundwater can make its way into the Bay. Fertilizers applied to farms, golf courses, and lawns, manure from agricultural lands, treated wastewater, and nitrogen emitted from vehicles and electric utilities flow into nearby stormwater systems or streams, eventually making their way to the Bay. In fact, many of our day-to-day activities have some sort of impact on the Bay's ecology, especially because of all that excess nitrogen.
In 1985, 337.5 million pounds of nitrogen entered the Chesapeake Bay, leading to algal blooms and dead zones. By 2005, actions were in place to reduce nitrogen to 266 million pounds annually, though scientists warned that without further action those gains would falter. Furthermore, experts now estimate that in order for the Bay to recover, the amount of nitrogen entering the Chesapeake must be reduced to 175 million pounds a year.
This is a daunting challenge, and everyone in the watershed will need to play a part if we are to reach this goal. |
|
 |
|
