Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Long-Term Annual Aerial Surveys Of Submersed Aquatic Vegetation (Sav) Support Science, Management, And Restoration, Robert J. Orth, William C. Dennison, Cassie Gurbisz, Michael Hannam, Jeni Keisman, J. Brooke Landry, Jonathan S. Lefcheck, Kenneth A. Moore, Rebecca R. Murphy, Christopher J. Patrick, Jeremy Testa, Donald E. Weller, David J. Wilcox, Richard A. Batiuk

VIMS Articles

Aerial surveys of coastal habitats can uniquely inform the science and management of shallow, coastal zones, and when repeated annually, they reveal changes that are otherwise difficult to assess from ground-based surveys. This paper reviews the utility of a long-term (1984–present) annual aerial monitoring program for submersed aquatic vegetation (SAV) in Chesapeake Bay, its tidal tributaries, and nearby Atlantic coastal bays, USA. We present a series of applications that highlight the program’s importance in assessing anthropogenic impacts, gauging water quality status and trends, establishing and evaluating restoration goals, and understanding the impact of commercial fishing practices on benthic habitats. These …

2019 Chesapeake Bay Dead Zone Report, Virginia Institute Of Marine Science, Anchor Qea

Reports

The “Dead Zone” of the Chesapeake Bay refers to a volume of bottom water that is characterized by dissolved oxygen concentrations less than 2 mg/L, which is too low for aquatic organisms such as fish and blue crabs to thrive. The Chesapeake Bay experiences such “hypoxic”conditions every year, with the severity varying from year to year, depending on nutrient and freshwater inputs, wind, and temperature. Multiple metrics are used to relate the severity of hypoxia between different years:

• Maximum Daily Hypoxic Volume (km3): The maximum volume of Chesapeake Bay water experiencing hypoxic conditions on any given day

• Average Summer Hypoxic …

Virginia Stormwater Act, Tiered Approach For Rural Tidewater Localities: Generation Of Watershed Impervious Maps, Christine Tombleson

Reports

An amendment to Virginia's Stormwater Management Act was adopted to implement a tiered approach to stormwater management for rural Tidewater localities. To participate a locality is required to have a map showing the boundaries of the locality, with each watershed located partially or wholly within the locality, and the percentage of impervious cover (cover that impedes the natural infiltration of water into the soil) within each watershed. Center staff created maps indicating the initial percent of existing impervious cover present in each watershed for the Middle Peninsula Planning District (MPPDC) localities; Gloucester, Essex, King and Queen, King William, Mathews, Middlesex …

Validating An Operational Flood Forecast Model Using Citizen Science In Hampton Roads, Va, Usa, Jon Derek Loftis, Molly Mitchell, Daniel Schatt, David R. Forrest, Harry V. Wang, David Mayfield, William A. Stiles

VIMS Articles

Changes in the eustatic sea level have enhanced the impact of inundation events in the coastal zone, ranging in significance from tropical storm surges to pervasive nuisance flooding events. The increased frequency of these inundation events has stimulated the production of interactive web-map tracking tools to cope with changes in our changing coastal environment. Tidewatch Maps, developed by the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS), is an effective example of an emerging street-level inundation mapping tool. Leveraging the Semi-implicit Cross-scale Hydro-science Integrated System Model (SCHISM) as the engine, Tidewatch operationally disseminates 36-h inundation forecast maps with a 12-h update frequency. …

Toward A Coordinated Global Observing System For Seagrasses And Marine Macroalgae, J. Emmett Duffy, L. Benedetti-Cecchi, Et Al, Robert J. Orth, Et Al

VIMS Articles

In coastal waters around the world, the dominant primary producers are benthic macrophytes, including seagrasses and macroalgae, that provide habitat structure and food for diverse and abundant biological communities and drive ecosystem processes. Seagrass meadows and macroalgal forests play key roles for coastal societies, contributing to fishery yields, storm protection, biogeochemical cycling and storage, and important cultural values. These socio-economically valuable services are threatened worldwide by human activities, with substantial areas of seagrass and macroalgal forests lost over the last half-century. Tracking the status and trends in marine macrophyte cover and quality is an emerging priority for ocean and coastal …

Treading Water: Tools To Help Us Coastal Communities Plan For Sea Level Rise Impacts, E A. Smith, W Sweet, Molly Mitchell, R Domingues, C P. Weaver, M Baringer, G Goni, J Haines, Jon Derek Loftis, John D. Boon, David L. Malmquist

VIMS Articles

As communities grapple with rising seas and more frequent flooding events, they need improved projections of future rising and flooding over multiple time horizons, to assist in a multitude of planning efforts. There are currently a few different tools available that communities can use to plan, including the Sea Level Report Card and products generated by a United States. Federal interagency task force on sea level rise. These tools are a start, but it is recognized that they are not necessarily enough at present to provide communities with the type of information needed to support decisions that range from seasonal …

Citizen-Science For The Future: Advisory Case Studies From Around The Globe, C Simoniello, J Jencks, Fm Lauro, Jon Derek Loftis, K Deja, David R. Forrest, Et At

VIMS Articles

The democratization of ocean observation has the potential to add millions of observations every day. Though not a solution for all ocean monitoring needs, citizen scientists offer compelling examples showcasing their ability to augment and enhance traditional research and monitoring. Information they are providing is increasing the spatial and temporal frequency and duration of sampling, reducing time and labor costs for academic and government monitoring programs, providing hands-on STEM learning related to real-world issues and increasing public awareness and support for the scientific process. Examples provided here demonstrate the wide range of people who are already dramatically reducing gaps in …

Water Quality In An Unnamed Branch Of Pungoteague Creek, Bobtown Road And Hollies Church Road, Va., Richard A. Snyder, Paige G. Ross

Reports

Previous sampling of the stream crossing Bobtown Road (Rt 178) near the intersection of Hollies Church Road (Rt. 620), had indicated high levels of nitrogen in the stream flow (Snyder and Ross, 2019). During a dry period, total nitrogen was determined as 21.932 mg/L, at the end of a rain event 9.56 mg/L was recovered, and during an extended wet period without major rainfall, a value of 18.26 mg/L was found. The lower value associated with the rain event suggested dilution of a ground water source. The proximity of the retired Accomack County Landfill upstream of the site triggered a …

Water Quality In Southern Accomack County Watersheds, Richard A. Snyder, Paige G. Ross

Reports

Expansion of poultry grow out houses in Accomack County, VA has raised concerns for water quality impacts both seaside and bayside where harvesting marine resources and aquaculture operations may be affected. The dust and litter from the poultry houses are potential sources of nitrogen, phosphorous, and fecal contamination to watersheds and receiving waters. Siting regulations, storm water controls, and management of litter storage and handling are designed to limit these impacts, yet no analysis has been implemented to verify the efficacy of these protective measures. This investigation sampled watersheds after a 2 week dry period prior to a storm event …

Gis Data: King & Queen County Tidal Marsh Inventory, Marcia Berman, Karinna Nunez, Sharon Killeen, Tamia Rudnicky, Julie G. Bradshaw, Carl Hershner, Evan Hill

Data

The Virginia Institute of Marine Science published the first Tidal marsh Inventories using data collected in the early 1970's. Using high resolution color infra-red imagery from 2009 a new Tidal Marsh Inventory has been developed for the York River Watershed in 2010. Marsh boundaries were generated using heads-up digitizing techniques at a scale of 1:1,000. Each marsh polygon was classified by morphologic type: fringe, extensive, embayed, or marsh island. Marshes were ground-truthed in the field where a community type index was assigned to each marsh based on plant community make-up. Each marsh was also coded with a marsh number which …

Gis Data: King William County Tidal Marsh Inventory, Marcia Berman, Karinna Nunez, Sharon Killeen, Tamia Rudnicky, Julie G. Bradshaw, Carl Hershner, Evan Hill

Data

The Virginia Institute of Marine Science published the first Tidal marsh Inventories using data collected in the early 1970's. Using high resolution color infra-red imagery from 2009 a new Tidal Marsh Inventory has been developed for the York River Watershed in 2010. Marsh boundaries were generated using heads-up digitizing techniques at a scale of 1:1,000. Each marsh polygon was classified by morphologic type: fringe, extensive, embayed, or marsh island. Marshes were ground-truthed in the field where a community type index was assigned to each marsh based on plant community make-up. Each marsh was also coded with a marsh number which …

King William County, Virginia Shoreline Inventory Data 2019, Marcia Berman, Karinna Nunez, Sharon Killeen, Tamia Rudnicky, Julie Bradshaw, Jessica Hendricks, Carl Hershner, Evan Hill

Data

The 2019 Inventory for King William County was generated using on-screen, digitizing techniques in ArcGIS® -ArcMap v10.4.1 while viewing conditions observed in 2017 imagery from the Virginia Base Mapping Program (VBMP), Google Earth, and Bing high resolution oblique imagery. Five GIS shapefiles are developed. The first describes land use and bank conditions (KingWilliam_lubc_2019). The second portrays the presence of beaches (KingWilliam_beach_2019). The third reports shoreline structures that are described as arcs or lines (e.g. riprap) (KingWilliam_sstru_2019). The fourth shapefile includes all structures that are represented as points (e.g. piers) (KingWilliam_astru_2019). The Tidal Marsh Inventory is included as the fifth file …

King And Queen County, Virginia Shoreline Inventory Data 2019, Marcia Berman, Karinna Nunez, Sharon Killeen, Tamia Rudnicky, Julie Bradshaw, Jessica Hendricks, Carl Hershner, Evan Hill

Data

The 2019 Inventory for King and Queen County was generated using on-screen, digitizing techniques in ArcGIS® -ArcMap v10.4.1 while viewing conditions observed in 2017 imagery from the Virginia Base Mapping Program (VBMP), Google Earth, and Bing high resolution oblique imagery. Five GIS shapefiles are developed. The first describes land use and bank conditions (kq_lubc_2019). The second portrays the presence of beaches (kq_beach_2019). The third reports shoreline structures that are described as arcs or lines (e.g. riprap) (kq_sstru_2019). The fourth shapefile includes all structures that are represented as points (e.g. piers) (kq_astru_2019). The Tidal Marsh Inventory is included as the fifth …