What type of aquatic ecosystem is the chesapeake bay

Lower Tidewater Region: The Lower Tidewater Region, including the cities of Norfolk and Virginia Beach, has extensive urban development surrounded by agricultural and conservation lands.

Nearly 20 percent of undeveloped dry land at this site is at risk of inundation, mostly as rivers widen and transitional marsh and saltmarsh expand. While these undeveloped lands provide opportunities for habitats to migrate inland, pressure to develop some of these lands will likely increase because human population in this part of Virginia is projected to grow considerably in the coming decades. Proactive measures to identify and protect lands where habitats can migrate will be critically important.

In addition, the region is projected to face a 79 percent loss of ocean beach by , without extensive beach re-nourishment. Tangier Sound: The sound is home to some of the bay's larger islands--including Smith, Deal, and Tangier--the majority of which could be gone by Towns on the mainland, like Crisfield, will also see surrounding wetlands disappear and undeveloped dry land inundated by rising seas.

Thousands of acres of brackish marsh in this region will be converted to salt marsh and open water, possibly ravaging lucrative commercial and recreational fisheries that depend on healthy marshes. The critical seagrass beds in this area are also at significant risk from sea-level rise and increased deposition of sediments from the Blackwater area to the north. The Mid-Atlantic region is defined by one unifying feature: water.

In , we helped launch the Choose Clean Water Coalition to advocate for restoring the thousands of streams and rivers flowing to the Chesapeake Bay.

The coalition brings together more than organizations from Pennsylvania, New York, Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to advocate for clean water. Read more about our work in the bay. Join our conservation army.

Our nation's diverse and wondrous lands provide invaluable resources that require bold, future-focused management strategies. A groundbreaking bipartisan bill aims to address the looming wildlife crisis before it's too late, while creating sorely needed jobs. More than one-third of U. We're on the ground in seven regions across the country, collaborating with 52 state and territory affiliates to reverse the crisis and ensure wildlife thrive. Uniting all Americans to ensure wildlife thrive in a rapidly changing world.

Inspire a lifelong connection with wildlife and wild places through our children's publications, products, and activities. In 4 seconds , you will be redirected to nwfactionfund. The National Wildlife Federation. Chesapeake Bay. People The Chesapeake Bay watershed includes parts of six states and is home to some 17 million people, including the cities of Washington, D.

Wildlife The Chesapeake Bay is a very large and complex ecosystem with many kinds of wildlife habitats, including forests, wetlands, rivers, and the bay estuary itself.

Climate Change Climate change threatens to not only exacerbate many of the environmental threats already facing the Chesapeake Bay, it is also causing a rise in sea level that is eating away the diverse estuaries and wildlife habitat. Our Lands Our nation's diverse and wondrous lands provide invaluable resources that require bold, future-focused management strategies. Donate Today. Sign a Petition. Donate Monthly.

Nearby Events. All trick, no treat? The high price of harvesting cocoa for chocolate Read More. Read More. Learn More. The National Wildlife Federation Uniting all Americans to ensure wildlife thrive in a rapidly changing world. Join Ranger Rick Inspire a lifelong connection with wildlife and wild places through our children's publications, products, and activities Learn More.

Get an up-close look at some of the smallest—and most vital—residents of the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem. Dive into the unique habitat that is an estuary, where fresh water from rivers and streams mixes with salt water from the ocean.

Discover the Chesapeake Ecosystem. Chemical Makeup Study the chemical factors that affect where plants and animals thrive throughout the Bay, from brackish water to dissolved gases. Food Web Explore how complex connections between predators and prey help form a healthy, balanced food web. Geology Travel back to when the Chesapeake Bay was first formed to learn about the geologic history of the region.

Even in a degraded state, the Chesapeake is home to many types of wildlife leaving MDE and is among the most important ecosystems in the world. The Chesapeake Bay supports hundreds of species of fish, shellfish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals. These animals either live permanently in the Chesapeake, or use it as a temporary resource while migrating through the region.

Wildlife in the Chesapeake makes use of the various habitats leaving MDE to reproduce, raise young, and to live as adults. Many of these species depend on one another and cannot survive drastic changes to their ecosystem leaving MDE. While poor water quality still threatens wildlife, cleanup efforts have improved conditions and species are starting to return leaving MDE. While most trees are not part of an estuary, they are essential to a healthy Bay. In addition to providing habitat, trees filter water and hold soil in place.

The Chesapeake Bay is intrinsic to life in Maryland. The Chesapeake is a natural wonder that thousands of people travel great distances to experience for only a short time. It provides its inhabitants with a wealth of resources, natural beauty, economic well-being, and national identity. Chesapeake Bay is our National Treasure; a treasure worth investing in, preserving, and protecting for future generations of Marylanders to enjoy.

The Chesapeake Bay provides countless environmental, social, and economic benefits. Bay cleanup efforts ensure that we preserve and protect our National Treasure for future generations. Many of the animals in the Bay perform ecosystem services leaving MDE. In other words, these organisms perform a service that benefits the environment, including filtering water or preventing shoreline erosion.

One of the most prominent examples in the Chesapeake of an organism performing an ecosystem service is the native eastern oyster Crassostrea virginica leaving MDE. These small mollusks are capable of filtering large volumes of water and were once one of the primary filters of the Bay. In addition to cleaning the Bay's waters, Chesapeake Bay oysters continue to be a popular delicacy that many Marylanders enjoy.

Other organisms play various roles in maintaining the health of the Bay and form a delicate, interconnected web that helps protect the Chesapeake from pollution. The combined ecosystem services provided by these animals are irreplaceable and are worth billions of dollars in benefits to humans PDF - leaving MDE. The Chesapeake Bay is one of the most productive fisheries in the United States and is estimated to be responsible for more than one-third of the Nation's annual blue crab harvest leaving MDE.

In , watermen in Maryland harvested approximately 49 million pounds of seafood from the Chesapeake, valued at nearly 90 million dollars dockside leaving MDE. The bountiful waters of the Chesapeake form an important part of the Maryland economy and have provided a livelihood for thousands of watermen and other seafood industry workers for hundreds of years.

The Chesapeake Bay offers many opportunities leaving MDE for recreational fishing, boating, bird watching, and other outdoor activities. Flowing through the heart of Maryland, the Chesapeake is central to our way of life. The wealth of outdoor opportunities leaving MDE and natural riches the Bay provides makes Maryland a desirable living area for humans. A healthy and clean Chesapeake provides innumerable benefits and improves our quality of life.