Overview – This is the first in a series of articles about politics and the Chesapeake Bay. While I’d love to present the matter in one article, the topic is simply too broad and complex for a single post.
In the Beginning – The Chesapeake Bay was formed 18,000 years ago when the glaciers melted and flooded the Susquehanna River valley. 12,000 years ago, mastodons, bison, caribou and mammoths roamed what is now the Chesapeake Bay watershed. 11,000 years ago North American Indians occupied the Chesapeake Bay area. 3,000 years ago the bay reached roughly its present area and boundaries.
Size and scale – 200 miles long and 35 miles wide at its widest point, the Chesapeake Bay is one of America’s largest bodies of water. The bay and its tributaries occupy 4,500 square miles or 41 million acres. The 18 trillion gallons of water in the bay form 11,700 miles of shoreline. Half the bay’s water is supplied by 150 rivers and creeks which drain from a watershed that spans 64,000 square miles. Despite its impressive size the Chesapeake Bay is shallow – averaging only 21 feet deep.
Physical forces – The Chesapeake is extremely complex and ever changing. Water temperature and flow change with the seasons. Salinity varies widely from oceanic levels at the mouth to nearly freshwater levels in the upper tributaries. These are apparent forces. Yet there are less obvious forces at play as well. For example, salinity varies by depth across much of the bay. The lighter fresher water floats to the top of the bay and flows to the sea while the heavier, saltier water collects toward the bottom and flows north from the Atlantic with the tide.
Potential – The extent of the Chesapeake Bay tragedy can only be understood in the context of its present state vs. its potential. That potential is well portrayed in the results of a single hunting party from 1760. The party kills 111 bison, 18 black bear, 114 bobcats, 98 deer, 2 elk, 112 foxes, 109 gray wolves, 41 mountain lions and 500 other unidentified mammals (Source: Chesapeake Bay Blues, page 11, citing Steadman 2001, 99). The Chesapeake Bay Foundation released its annual health index for the bay in 2010. The foundation rated the bay’s health as 31 out of a potential 100. Stunningly, that rating represents a substantial increase over 2009’s rating of 28.
Next Article: A History of Chesapeake Bay Pollution
