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USGS Chesapeake Bay Activities

   
Programs and Science Centers
The USGS Chesapeake Science Program depends on the coordination of multiple USGS Programs and Science Centers that have a scientific interest in the issues facing the Bay and its watershed. USGS scientists located in offices throughout the Bay watershed and at the CBP office, are involved in scientific studies and providing implications for improved ecosystem management. USGS Programs and Science Centers that are involved, or have an opportunity to participate in the future, are listed below.

USGS Programs

bulletBiology Discipline

Priority Ecosystem Science (PES):
While not a formal line item Program, this activity coordinates USGS efforts to provide science for management and restoration of priority ecosystems in the Nation. The USGS Chesapeake Bay Studies coordinate with the different programs contributing to PES and also work with additional USGS National Programs to address collective priorities through investigations in Chesapeake Bay and its watershed.
Contaminants Biology Program:
The Program investigates the effects and exposure of environmental contaminants to the Nation’s living resources, particularly those under the stewardship of the DOI. In collaboration with USGS Chesapeake Bay Studies, the goal of the Program would be addressed through study of the potential role of emerging contaminants and other stressors affecting the reproductive system of fish in the Bay watershed and birds in watershed and estuary environments.
Fisheries: Aquatic and Endangered Resources Program (FAER):
The FAER Program focuses on the study of fish, fisheries, fish diseases and parasites, aquatic organisms, and their water-based and water-dependent habitat. The Program’s research on the diversity, natural history, health, and habitat requirements of fish and other aquatic organisms is carried out to support the management, conservation, and restoration of our Nation’s aquatic resources. Through collaboration with USGS Chesapeake Bay Studies, the FAER mission would be met through focus on several research areas including identifying the factors (disease, contaminants, and change of habitat) affecting the health of fish populations in the Bay and its watershed, providing an improved understanding and models of the habitat-species relationships, and providing science to help identify the optimal areas to restore habitat to improve the health of fish populations.
Invasive Species Program:
The mission of the Program is to provide management-oriented research and deliver information needed to prevent, detect, control, and eradicate invasive species. In collaboration with USGS Chesapeake Bay Studies, the mission of the Program would be met through study on the impact of invasive species on stream and estuary habitats.
Status and Trends of Biological Resources Program:
The mission of this Program is to measure, predict, assess, and report the status and trends of the Nation’s biological resources. In collaboration with USGS Chesapeake Bay Studies, the Program mission and several goals would be met by establishing a pilot monitoring network to assess the status and trends of key fish and bird populations and their habitats in selected locations of the Chesapeake Bay watershed and estuary habitats.
Terrestrial, Freshwater, and Marine Ecosystems Program:
This Program focuses on understanding the factors that control ecosystem structure, function, conditions, and provision of goods and services. Information from ecosystem research guides the design and evaluation of scientifically based strategies to manage and restore ecosystems and landscapes. Through collaboration with USGS Chesapeake Bay Studies, the goals of this Program would be met by addressing the factors controlling the function of stream ecosystems and estuary habitats, and evaluation of strategies for conservation and restoration.
Wildlife: Terrestrial and Endangered Species Program:
The Program conducts research on waterfowl, songbirds, large mammals, terrestrial plants, amphibians, and their habitats. Results complement and support the conservation and management efforts of Federal and State wildlife agencies, non-governmental organizations, and International treaties. The mission of the Program would be met by research on factors affecting the decline, and potential approaches for restoration of selected bird populations and their habitats.

bulletGeography

Geographic Analysis and Monitoring Program:
The mission of this Program is to bring focus to the Nation's urgent environmental, natural resource, and economic issues through scientific assessments that provide a national and global perspective on land-surface change. Through collaboration in USGS Chesapeake Bay Studies, the Program mission would be met by research to understand and forecast the impact of human activities on the land surface including the impact on water quality and habitat in the Bay watershed, and development and enhancement of decision-support tools for resource managers.
Land Remote Sensing (LRS) Program:
The fundamental goal of the LRS Program is to provide the Federal Government and the public with a primary source of remotely sensed data and applications and be a leader in defining the future of land remote sensing, nationally and internationally. Through collaboration with USGS Chesapeake Bay Studies, the goal of the LRS Program could be met by participating in development and implementation of a land-use monitoring program for the Bay watershed.
Science Impact Program:
The mission of this Program is to increase the use and value of USGS science in decision making through three principal activities: synthesis, applications, and evaluations. Through collaboration with the USGS Chesapeake Bay studies, the mission of Science Impact could be meet through enhancing the synthesis, application, and dissemination of USGS Chesapeake Bay science to help decision makers improve ecosystem management in the Chesapeake Bay and other ecosystems in the Nation.

bulletGeospatial Information Office

Cooperative Topographic Mapping (CTM) Program:
The mission of this Program is to provide the Nation with access to current, accurate, and consistent base geographic data and derivative products including topographic maps. The Program is accomplishing this mission by deemphasizing data production in order to focus on partnerships for data sharing that can be used as content for The National Map. Through collaboration with USGS Chesapeake Bay Studies, the mission of CTM Program can be met through data-sharing agreements between Federal, State, and local partners involved with the Chesapeake Bay Program. Potential also exists to improve Web access to The National Map data and other USGS data sets that are critical to the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

bulletGeology Discipline

Earth Surface Dynamics (ESD) Program:
Activities of the ESD Program focus on documenting, analyzing, and modeling the character of past and present environments and the geologic, biological, hydrologic, and geochemical processes involved in environmental change so that future environmental changes and impacts can be anticipated. Through collaboration with USGS Chesapeake Bay Studies, the mission of ESD would be met through research on effects of land-cover change and climate variability on water quality in the Bay watershed and estuary.
Coastal and Marine Geology (C&M) Program:
The goal of this Program is to describe the geology of coastal and marine systems. Through collaboration with USGS Chesapeake Bay Studies, the C&M Program theme to address environmental quality and preservation would be met through research on direct ground-water delivery of nutrients to the estuarine waters of the Bay and using remote sensing to address sediment sources and dynamics affecting water clarity and SAV.
National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program (NCGMP):
The mission of this Program is to provide accurate geologic maps and three-dimensional frameworks that contribute to sustaining and improving the quality of life and economic vitality of the Nation and mitigating geologic hazardous events and conditions. Through collaboration with USGS Chesapeake Bay studies, an important objective of this Program would be met through creation of three-dimensional geologic frameworks to support models to understand ground-water discharge to streams and coastal areas and the impact on the health of ecosystems.

bulletWater Discipline

Cooperative Water Program:
The mission of the Program is to provide reliable, impartial, and timely information needed to understand the Nation's water resources through a program of shared efforts and funding with State and local governments. The Program has several high priority issues that match issues in Chesapeake Bay (water quality, data networks, water availability and use, wetlands and estuaries, and water resources in coastal zones). Through collaboration with USGS Chesapeake Bay Studies and the States of Maryland and Virginia, the Program mission would be met through enhanced surface-water monitoring, analysis, and modeling to document the occurrence, transport, and trends of sediment and nutrients in the streams of the Bay watershed and their delivery to the estuary. Additional opportunities exist to address flow requirements, water quality, and habitat conditions needed to support key fish and bird species in the Bay watershed.
Ground-Water Resources Program
The Ground-Water Resources Program (GWRP) is one of eight Water Resources Investigations Programs funded by Congress to identify, measure, and assess the Nation's water resources. Future priorities for the Program include regional and national water overview, scientific assessments of critical ground-water issues, field measurement and model development, and improved access to ground-water data. There is opportunity for enhanced collaboration between GWRP and USGS Chesapeake Bay studies to address the simulation of ground water delivery of nitrogen to streams and tidal waters, and ground-water delivery to support the ecological health of streams.
Hydrologic Networks and Analysis (HNA) Program:
The HNA Program provides for the collection and analysis of hydrologic data to support needs of the Nation. Through collaboration with USGS Chesapeake Bay Studies, the HNA mission would be met through collection and analysis of streamflow, ground-water, and water-quality information.
National Research Program (NRP) in the Hydrologic Sciences:
The mission of the NRP includes the development of new information, theories, and techniques to understand, anticipate, and solve water-resource problems facing managers of Federal lands and the Nation. Through collaboration with USGS Chesapeake Bay Studies, the NRP mission would be met through research of the sources, fate, and transport of sediment and nutrients in selected watersheds and development and application of integrating ground- and surface-water models. Research on the relation of water-clarity conditions between the watershed and estuary would also meet the NRP mission.
National Streamflow Information Program
The National Streamflow Information Program (NSIP) is designed to improve monitoring of streamflow and it will provide a backbone for enhanced water-quality monitoring because meaningful water-quality monitoring requires flow information to determine loads of chemicals. The information delivery system being implemented by NSIP will provide for better delivery and archiving of water-quality data as well as streamflow data. There is opportunity for enhanced collaboration between NSIP and USGS Chesapeake Bay studies as a nontidal and tidal water-quality monitoring networks are enhanced in the Bay and its watershed.
National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program:
The goal of the NAWQA Program is to develop long-term consistent and comparable information on streams, ground water, and aquatic ecosystems to support sound management and policy decisions. Through collaboration with USGS Chesapeake Bay Studies, the goal of the Program mission would be met through work developing techniques for trend analysis and simulation of nutrients and sediment and interaction with regional teams and the Potomac/Delmarva study to understand nutrient and contaminant relation to land use and processes affecting streams in the Bay watershed.
Toxics Substances Hydrology Program:
The Program provides objective scientific information to improve characterization and management of contaminated sites, to protect human health, and reduce potential future contamination problems. Through collaboration with USGS Chesapeake Bay studies, the goal of the Program would be met through study of the occurrence and fate of emerging contaminants that are impacting the reproductive system of fish and birds.

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USGS Science Centers

seaduck study team

Biology Centers

Leetown Science Center, Leetown, WV, http://www.lsc.usgs.gov/
Patuxent Wildlife Center, Laurel, MD, http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/

Geography Centers

Eastern Geographic Science Center, Reston, VA, http://erg.usgs.gov/

Geology Centers

Earth Surfaces Processes Team, Reston, VA, http://geology.er.usgs.gov/eespteam/EESPT_Home.html
Center for Coastal and Watershed Studies, St Petersburg, FL, http://coastal.er.usgs.gov/
Woods Hole Science Center for Marine and Coastal Geology http://woodshole.er.usgs.gov/

Geographic Information Office Centers

National Geospatial Programs Office http://www.usgs.gov/ngpo/

Water Centers

Eastern Region Hydrologic Research http://water.usgs.gov/nrp/index-regions.html
Maryland-DC-Delaware Water Science Center http://md.water.usgs.gov/
Pennsylvania Water Science Center http://pa.water.usgs.gov/
Virginia Water Science Center http://va.water.usgs.gov/
West Virginia Water Science Center http://wv.usgs.gov/

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Page Last Modified: Thursday, 31-Jan-2008 13:11:17 EST