Chesapeake Bay Hypoxia Report – August 2022

September 30, 2022

Chesapeake Bay Hypoxia Report – August 2022

2022 Oxygen Circumstances Stay Higher than Common

Graph of comparative hypoxia in Chesapeake Bay this yearWater monitoring knowledge collected by the Maryland Division of Pure Assets (DNR) and Outdated Dominion College present that dissolved oxygen situations within the Chesapeake Bay mainstem of Maryland and Virginia had been barely higher than common in August 2022, with early and late August having much less hypoxia than regular. 

The hypoxic water quantity — waters with lower than 2 mg/l oxygen — was 1.34 and 0.98 cubic miles throughout early and late August monitoring cruises, in comparison with historic early and late August averages (1985-2021) of 1.37 and 1.08 cubic miles. 

Map of Chesapeake Bay hypoxia volumes early August 2022Graphi of historic Chesapeake Bay hypoxia volumes through early August 2022Each cruises’ hypoxia outcomes had been close to the historic median rank of the previous 38 years. Moreover, a quantity of 0.3 cubic miles of anoxia (waters with lower than 0.2 mg/l oxygen) was noticed in early and late August, which is barely greater than common.

Map of Chesapeake Bay hypoxic volumes late August 2022Graph of historic Chesapeake Bay hypoxic volumes through late August 2022Chesapeake Bay hypoxia laterally constricted in August, and thru the month progressively dissipated from Virginia waters and the decrease Maryland Chesapeake Bay. Freshwater inflows to the Bay, as estimated by the U.S. Geological Survey, had been decrease than common and close to the historic decrease twenty fifth percentile. Decrease inflows normally ship much less vitamins to the Bay, leading to higher dissolved oxygen situations and will partly clarify the close to and above common situations this summer time. 

Maryland and Virginia mixed outcomes are offered for the mainstem Bay to be extra corresponding to the yearly seasonal forecast by the U.S. Environmental Safety Company’s Chesapeake Bay Program, USGS, College of Maryland Heart for Environmental Science, and College of Michigan.

The 2022 forecast, launched in late June, anticipated Chesapeake Bay mainstem hypoxic quantity to be 13% decrease than the 37-year common as a result of decreased river flows from January via Might 2022, in addition to much less nitrogen carried to the Bay due to nutrient administration efforts. Maryland and Virginia’s monitoring outcomes so far have matched the forecast of better-than-average situations.

Crabs, fish, oysters, and different creatures within the Chesapeake Bay require oxygen to outlive. Scientists and pure useful resource managers examine the amount and length of Bay hypoxia to find out attainable impacts to bay life.

Every year from Might via October, DNR computes hypoxia volumes from the water high quality knowledge collected by DNR and the Virginia Division of Environmental High quality.

Information assortment is funded by these states and the Chesapeake Bay Program. Bay hypoxia monitoring and reporting will proceed via the summer time. Further Maryland water high quality knowledge and data, together with DNR’s hypoxic quantity calculation strategies, may be discovered at DNR’s Eyes on the Bay web site.


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