Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Ecological Risk Assessment For Highways In The Chesapeake Bay Watershed, Robert B. Atkinson, J. Cairns Jr., Bruce Wallace, James E. Perry

VIMS Books and Book Chapters

The population of coastal counties in the United States is over six-fold higher than non-coastal counties and population density along the Atlantic coast is much greater than all other coasts in the nation. Many areas around the Chesapeake Bay watershed are participating in this growth and extensive interstate construction is planned for this region. A wide array of primary ecological risks to the Chesapeake Bay exists, and may be classified as biological, physical, or chemical. Biological risks range from physical threats to motorists and animals to genetic risks to local flora and fauna populations. Island biogeography theory can be used …

Groundwater Nutrient Discharge To The Chesapeake Bay: Effects Of Near-Shore Land Use Practices, E. Laurence Libelo, William G. Macintyre, Gerald H. Johnson

VIMS Books and Book Chapters

Groundwater discharge supplies a significant portion of the inorganic nutrients entering the Chesapeake Bay. This discharge increases nutrient concentration in surface waters, which may result in increased macrophyte growth, reductions in· submerged aquatic vegetation and alteration of habitat. Human activities adjacent to the shoreline greatly increase nutrient concentration in the underlying groundwater, and so affect the overall nutrient input by groundwater seepage. In order to quantify the effect of land use on groundwater nutrient loading in the Virginia coastal plain we have installed monitoring wells in a variety of near shore environments adjacent to the James and York Rivers. Since …

Contaminant Effects On Chesapeake Bay Finfishes, Ronald J. Klauda, Michael E. Bender

VIMS Books and Book Chapters

Habitat deterioration is consistent with perceived population declines for several resident and anadromous finfish species in Chesapeake Bay that are subjected to different levels of fishing pressure (e.g., striped bass versus blueback herring). Diminution of habitat quality has natural and anthropogenic roots that are difficult to separate. Recent contaminant effects studies focused on Chesapeake Bay fishes can be grouped as follows: (a) mathematical and statistical modeling studies aimed at elucidating contaminant and stock trend relationships using extant data and theoretical insights, (b) biological and chemical field surveys in selected areas to demonstrate spatio-temporal associations between levels of toxic organic and …

Contaminants In Chesapeake Bay: The Regional Perspective, George R. Helz, Robert J. Huggett

VIMS Books and Book Chapters

Industrial and municipal point sources of contaminants are scattered along the shores of Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries, but reach especially high density at Norfolk, Va., and Baltimore, Md. Sedimentation and various chemical processes in many cases conspire to restrict the water-borne transport of contaminant away from point source . Kepone, residual chlorine, volatile halogenated hydrocarbons, and anthropogenic trace metals are well-studied example of point-source contaminants. For the most part, their concentration in water and sediment drop to nearly immeasurable values within a distance of a few kilometers, or sometimes a few tens of kilometers, from their source .

On …

Effects Of Contaminants On Estuarine Zooplankton, Brian P. Bradley, Morrris H. Roberts Jr.

VIMS Books and Book Chapters

The objectives of the chapter are (1) to evaluate laboratory studies concerning effects of heavy metals, pesticides and oxidants on copepods, mysids, bivalve and decapod larvae (2) access field studies (mainly with copepods) on these and other contaminants which when coupled with laboratory data provide information on known and potential hazards of contaminants to zooplankton and (3) briefly review some bioassay methods used in these studies.

Mercury is the most toxic heavy metal by weight, followed by copper, silver and cadmium. Pesticides have been tested much less extensively than heavy metals. In general, bivalve larvae seem less sensitive than the …

Mollusk Culture For The Chesapeake Bay, Michael Castagna

VIMS Books and Book Chapters

The water quality of the Chesapeake Bay has suffered a decline over the last 5 decades due to anthropomorphic activities. Insidious additions of industrial and farm pollutant to the Bay have created a situation where in many areas there are periodic sub lethal levels of chemicals. Although the juveniles and adults seem to survive these levels, they are obviously interfering with some early life stage of the living organisms that make up the bay fauna. Species whose early life history takes place out of the Bay (i.e. Cal!inectes sapidus) are less affected by this problem than those species whose eggs, …

Contaminant Effects On Chesapeake Bay Shellfish, Michael E. Bender, Robert J. Huggett

VIMS Books and Book Chapters

The paper reviews contaminant effects on Chesapeake Bay shellfish from two avenues (1) adverse biological effects on the organisms and (2) fisheries closures due to bacterial and chemical contamination. The use of shellfish to monitor anthropogenic inputs of chemical contaminants is also discussed. Fisheries closures due to bacterial contamination account for the greatest economic loss due to man's activities. Kepone contamination in the James River, Virginia caused fisheries closures but has not appeared to cause biological damage to the resources. Organotin compounds from antifouling paints appear to pose a threat to Chesapeake Bay shellfish.

Factors Affecting The Distribution And Abundance Of The Blue Crab In Chesapeake Bay, W. A. Van Engel

VIMS Books and Book Chapters

That environmental conditions in the Chesapeake Bay are optimal for the blue crab population is suggested by the fact that hard crab landings by Virginia and Maryland watermen accounted for almost 48% of the total of East and Gulf coast landings in 1985. Estimates of total mortality from the egg to the adult stage range from 0.999973 to 0.999996. Commercial fishing removes an additional 0.0000031 to 0.0000251, leaving 0.0000024 to 0.000001 as the rates of removal by other sources. Physical and chemical pollutants, predators, and plants and animals symbiotic with the blue crab are part of the environment that must …

Man's Physical Effects On The Elizabeth River, Maynard M. Nichols, Mary M. Howard-Strobel

VIMS Books and Book Chapters

Man's ever increasing activities in the Elizabeth River, i.e. dredging, disposal of dredged material and waterfront development, have drastically altered the river floor, reshaped the shoreline and changed the circulation. Long-continued dredging of shipping channels, which is fostered by coal export, larger ships, and military needs, has moved 220 million cu yds of sediment since 1870. As a result channel depth has increased 1.8 fold, and maintenance dredging rates have doubled about every 35 years. Open water disposal released 40 million cu yds into Hampton Roads and lower Chesapeake Bay. Landfill buried tributary creeks, moved the waterfront into the river …

Trace Element Contamination From Fly Ash Sites Near Chisholm Creek, Va, George C. Grant, Bruce J. Neilson, Gene M. Silberhorn

VIMS Books and Book Chapters

The safe disposal of fly ash from power plants remains a concern because of dwindling available disposal sites and potential or actual environmental consequences. During the period from 1957 to 1974, the Virginia Electric and Power Co. station at Yorktown used a mixture of coal and refinery coke for power generation. The fly ash and bottom ash byproducts were disposed of in borrow pits which drain into Chisman Creek, a small estuary near the York River. In 1980 a domestic well near the pits turned green and tests revealed high concentrations of V and Se in some wells. Subsequently, contaminated …

Impacts Of Alum Sludge On Tidal Freshwater Streams, Morris H. Roberts, Robert J. Diaz

VIMS Books and Book Chapters

Alum sludge, generated in the processing of surface water .for drinking water supplies, has traditionally been discharged into nearby streams in Virginia and elsewhere. Alum sludge contains aluminum in an insoluble and non-toxic form. There remains concern, however, that alum sludge may have a negative impact on receiving waters.

Toxic Substances, R. Bieri, O. Bricker, R. Byrne, R. J. Diaz, Et Al

VIMS Books and Book Chapters

This part of the CBP Synthesis Report summarizes and integrates the research findings and reconnnendations of 13 projects of the Chesapeake Bay Toxic Substances Program performed between July 1978 and October 1981. The following sections describe research on potentially toxic substances, or toxicants, in water-sediments and selected biota. The subjects considered include a brief review of metals, their sources, distribution and behavior, and then a review of sources and distribution of organic chemicals. Finally, information concerning the significance of toxicants in the- Bay and their pattern of enrichment is provided. Most information synthesized in this report can be traced to …

Nonpoint Sources And Impacts In A Small Coastal Plain Estuary: A Case Study Of The Ware River Basin, Virginia, Gary F. Anderson, Cindy Bosco

VIMS Books and Book Chapters

The Ware River Study is one of five small watershed projects sponsored by the EPA Chesapeake Bay Program. These projects are designed to provide data on nutrient and organic loadings entering the Bay over the wide range of topographies, climates, and land uses which occupy its watershed. Each provides information on a particular geographic segment of the Bay region. In particular, the Ware study is intended to document special characteristics of runoff from low relief coastal plain environments, and to document their impacts on a small estuarine receiving water.