The Chesapeake Bay is about 200 miles long, stretching from Havre de Grace, Maryland, to Norfolk, Virginia. The Bay’s width varies from its narrowest point (3.4 miles across near Aberdeen, Maryland) to its widest point (35 miles across near the mouth of the Potomac River).

Altogether, more than 100,000 streams, creeks and rivers thread through the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

Forest buffers are critical to the health of the Chesapeake Bay. Forest buffers prevent pollution from entering rivers and streams, stabilize stream banks, provide food and habitat to wildlife and keep streams cool during hot weather. More than half of the watershed’s native species depend on forest buffers for food, shelter and access to water at some point in their lives. And sensitive aquatic species depend on the shade that streamside trees provide.

Phytoplankton (or algae) are tiny, single-celled plants. They are the primary producers of food and oxygen in the Chesapeake Bay, forming the base of the food web.

Blue crabs have a rapid growth rate and short life span. Few blue crabs live longer than three years.

Captain John Smith was an English explorer who played a pivotal role in settling America. His contacts with Native Americans and his Chesapeake Bay travels, which he documented in maps and journals, drew attention to the region and helped educate and attract English colonists to America. Today, they provide excellent insight into the Bay’s natural history before Europeans settled the region.

The Susquehanna, Potomac, Rappahannock, York and James rivers are the five major rivers that flow to the Chesapeake Bay.

There are at least 12 shark species that can be found in the Chesapeake Bay, but these species rarely pose a threat to human safety. Some—like the sandbar shark, sand tiger shark and smooth and spiny dogfish—are common, while others—like the bull shark, basking shark and bonnethead—are rare visitors.

Ocean acidification occurs when carbon dioxide reacts with seawater to produce carbonic acid. This raises surrounding acidity levels and lowers carbonate ion levels, making it harder for oysters and other shellfish to produce the calcium carbonate needed to form their shells.

Phytoplankton cannot swim on their own. Tides and currents move these tiny, single-celled plants from place to place.