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Home Volume 7 Number 3

Sep. 2008 · Volume 7 Number 3

Volume 7 Number 3

Shadow on the Chesapeake

Jack Greer

Fishermen find it harder to see what's on the end of their line. Boaters find it harder to see the bottom, even in shallow water. Every year, even in years with low flow, when fewer nutrients and less sediment wash into the estuary, resource managers watch measurements of water clarity worsen. What's driving this decline in water clarity? What, they ask, is snuffing out the light in the Chesapeake? Chesapeake Quarterly, Maryland Sea Grant's quarterly magazine, reports on research, extension, education and other Chesapeake Bay issues and activities of interest to the marine community. It is produced and funded by this program, which receives support from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Managing Editor, Sandy Rodgers; Contributing Editors, Jack Greer and Michael Fincham; Science Writers, Erica Goldman and Jessica Smits. more . . .

Now You See It, Now You Don't

Jessica Smits

It's not much more than a plastic circle attached to the end of a rope. But despite its humble structure (or perhaps because of it), the Secchi disk holds its own among oceanographic instruments. The Secchi depth provides a measure of water clarity. Chesapeake Quarterly, Maryland Sea Grant's quarterly magazine, reports on research, extension, education and other Chesapeake Bay issues and activities of interest to the marine community. It is produced and funded by this program, which receives support from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Managing Editor, Sandy Rodgers; Contributing Editors, Jack Greer and Michael Fincham; Science Writers, Erica Goldman and Jessica Smits. more . . .

Not All Sediment Is Created Equal

Jack Greer

The word sediment conjures up different things, especially in a muddy estuary like the Chesapeake. There's sand, silt, clay. There's organic matter. Chesapeake Quarterly, Maryland Sea Grant's quarterly magazine, reports on research, extension, education and other Chesapeake Bay issues and activities of interest to the marine community. It is produced and funded by this program, which receives support from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Managing Editor, Sandy Rodgers; Contributing Editors, Jack Greer and Michael Fincham; Science Writers, Erica Goldman and Jessica Smits. more . . .

A Summer in the Marsh

Portrait of an Undergraduate Scientist

Jonathan Berlin

Biodiversity is why Keala Cummings spent the summer researching the marsh at Jug Bay Wetlands Sanctuary on the eastern bank of the river as part of the Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program, administered by Maryland Sea Grant and funded by the National Science Foundation. Chesapeake Quarterly, Maryland Sea Grant's quarterly magazine, reports on research, extension, education and other Chesapeake Bay issues and activities of interest to the marine community. It is produced and funded by this program, which receives support from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Managing Editor, Sandy Rodgers; Contributing Editors, Jack Greer and Michael Fincham; Science Writers, Erica Goldman and Jessica Smits. more . . .

What's in the Water Makes a Difference

Jack Greer

Light heading for the bottom of the Bay gets lost in two ways, not counting shading. It gets scattered or it gets absorbed. Chesapeake Quarterly, Maryland Sea Grant's quarterly magazine, reports on research, extension, education and other Chesapeake Bay issues and activities of interest to the marine community. It is produced and funded by this program, which receives support from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Managing Editor, Sandy Rodgers; Contributing Editors, Jack Greer and Michael Fincham; Science Writers, Erica Goldman and Jessica Smits. more . . .

Wade in the Water

Bernie Fowler

Every year, resource managers watch measurements of water clarity worsen. What’s driving this decline? What, they ask, is snuffing out the light in the Bay? Sediment is one suspect, a prime suspect. The research of two scientists aims to understand just how significant its role might be. Chesapeake Quarterly, Maryland Sea Grant's quarterly magazine, reports on research, extension, education and other Chesapeake Bay issues and activities of interest to the marine community. It is produced and funded by this program, which receives support from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Managing Editor, Sandy Rodgers; Contributing Editors, Jack Greer and Michael Fincham; Science Writers, Erica Goldman and Jessica Smits. more . . .