Living the Bio Life: The Chesapeake Bay

(http://www.annmeekins.com/pages.asp?pg=northernneck_tour)

The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States and is roughly divided between the states of Maryland and Virginia. In the Maryland portion of this estuary lies a research reserve that is made up of some 6,945 miles of shoreline, encompassing a wide variety of habitats from salt marshes to riverine systems to tidal, freshwater marshes. This reserve is made up of three components: Otter Point Creek in Harford County, Jug Bay in Anne Arundel and Prince Georges Counties and Monie Bay in Somerset County. (http://www.eoearth.org/view/article/151085/)

Each of the three components are unique and have their own abiotic/biotic factors. Furthermore, each represents a different habitat found within the Maryland portion of the Chesapeake Bay.

^^(http://www.eoearth.org/view/article/151085/) >>

Below is a graph showing the average maximum temperature, minimum temperature, and rainfall throughout the year.

(http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/geography/weather_climate/climate_rev5.shtml)

OTTER POINT CREEK

The producers in Otter Point Creek are quite diverse. For instance, the shallow water consists of rooted aquatics, such as water milfoil and wild celery. On the other hand, road leafed vegetation, such as arrow-arum, spatterdock, and pickerel weed, are located in the regularly flooded portions of the marsh. If you look in the upper portion of the marsh, you will find cattail with large stands of sweet flag. Then, in the rest of the marsh there are other species that grow, such as wild rice, golden club, jewelweed, river bulrush and smartweed. (http://www.eoearth.org/view/article/151085/)

Scenic View of Opper Point Creek by PATRICIA DELGADO

Scenic View of Opper Point Creek by PATRICIA DELGADO

(http://dnr.maryland.gov/wildlife/publiclands/natural_areas/otterpointcreek.asp)

In the picture above, you will notice an abundance of wild rice. The main consumers of wild rice include marshbirds such as rails, as well as red-winged blackbirds and bobolinks which are also known as "rice birds". (http://dnr.maryland.gov/wildlife/publiclands/natural_areas/otterpointcreek.asp)

(left) Wild Rice and (right) Bobolink

(http://dnr.maryland.gov/wildlife/publiclands/natural_areas/otterpointcreek.asp)

This brings me to the composers of Otter Point Creek. Along with the "rice birds" known as bobolinks, there are various other animals inhabiting this estuary. There are various other birds, and also mammals such as muskrats, raccoons, river otters, beavers and an occasional white-tailed deer. Several different species of fish can also be found in the estuary, including the banded killfish, mummichog, tidewater silverside, bay anchovy, tesselated darter and spottail shiner. You may also find eels, snapping turtles, and even blue crabs.
(http://www.eoearth.org/view/article/151085/)

caption

River Otter
(http://www.eoearth.org/view/article/151085/)

JUG BAY

The Jug Bay is surrounded by upland forest and scattered farm fields. Various plant life can be found here, hardwood forest species, such as Spanish oak, hickory, sweet gum, American beech, tuliptree and other poplars, red maple and sassafras and related understory vegetation. You can also find cardinal flowers, red turtleheads, skunk cabbage, wild rice, pickerel weed, spatterdock, rose mallow and phragmites. The dominant plant of this estuary, like Otter Point Creek, is wild rice. This along with other seed-bearing plants such as water millet and smartweed, is food for as many as 25,000 waterfowl during winter months. (http://www.eoearth.org/view/article/151085/)

(http://sercblog.si.edu/?p=146) Waterfowl (http://www.wildlife.state.nh.us/Hunting/Hunt_species/hunt_waterfowl.htm)

Along with the waterfowl, there are many birds that reside in this estuary, including large flocks of tundra swans, Canada geese and green-winged teal. Bald eagles are also very common in the winter. Other birds located in the area are pied-billed grebes, sharp-shinned hawks, northern sawhet owls, yellow-bellied sapsuckers, Swainson's thrushes, loggerhead shrikes, marsh wrens, golden crowned kinglets, red-breasted nuthatchs, mourning warblers and dark-eyed juncos. (http://www.eoearth.org/view/article/151085/)

(http://www.somdnews.com/article/20130712/NEWS/130719568/1103/Bald-eagles-thriving-in-Southern-Maryland&template=southernMaryland)

The main soils found in the core area of the Jug Bay component are tidal marsh. Soil materials range from sand to clay and in some areas are mucky or peaty. Surrounding the estuary, you will find moderately well-drained, nearly level to gently sloping soil that is usually found on uplands. (http://www.eoearth.org/view/article/151085/)

MONIE BAY

The Monie Bay is primarily taken over by salt marsh vegetation.
Low marsh zones are dominated by smooth cordgrass, while high marsh areas are dominated by salt cordgrass and big cordgrass, salt and three square grass, needlerush and marsh elder. Thick beds of widgeon grass, a type of submerged aquatic vegetation, can also be found in the estuary. Poison ivy can also be found in the Monie Bay. It covers many of the trees and grasses dominate the herbaceous zone. These areas are wet and sometimes act as buffers between previously logged areas and marshes at the component boundaries. (http://www.eoearth.org/view/article/151085/)

(https://blogs.nicholas.duke.edu/nicolecarlozo/love-that-water/)

Fish are very common in the Monie Bay, including the mummichog, white perch, spot and menhaden fish. Blue crabs, American oysters, marsh periwinkles and common grass shrimp can also be found in the water of the estuary. Many reptiles, amphibians, insects and mammals commonly found in the Monie Bay are also commonly found in Otter Point Creek. This estuary is a great place for migratory birds to, well, migrate. These bird populations include bald eagles, osprey and numerous hawk species. Canada geese, mallards, black ducks and green-winged teals can also be seem in the estuary. (http://www.eoearth.org/view/article/151085/)

caption

Osprey
(http://www.eoearth.org/view/article/151085/)

Most of the soils at Monie Bay are classified as tidal marsh soils, containing material ranging from sand to clay, and may be peaty to mucky and highly sulfurous. The majority of the upland areas in the estuary are in the Othello soil series, typically flat areas just above sea level. This series is generally composed of poorly drained, gray, silty soils over a mottled, silty clay loam subsoil. These soils are strongly acidic. (http://www.eoearth.org/view/article/151085/)

(http://www.innvirginia.com/regions_chesapeake.php)

Bacteria play an important role in all of the components of Chesapeake Bay. They are the decomposers, which break down dead plants and other matter. Through this process, nutrients in dead plant and animal matter once again become available for growing plants. Zooplankton and other filter-feeding animals eat bacteria. Some bacteria are permanent Bay residents. Others, such as coliform bacteria, are introduced through various pathways, including human sewage and polluted runoff. (http://www.chesapeakebay.net/discover/bayecosystem/plankton)

The air surrounding the Chesapeake Bay is known for being polluted, especially by nitrogen. Ammonia, a form of nitrogen, is emitted into the air by natural and man-made sources. More than 90% of the ammonia emissions in the Bay region are generated by agricultural activities, including confined and unconfined animal fertilizers. Some urban influences are wastewater treatment facilities and fossil fuel combustion from engines. (http://www.chesapeakebay.net/documents/5401/air.pdf)

(http://marygregorystudio.com/blog/sunlight-on-the-tall-grass/)

Sunlight is very important for the Chesapeake Bay, specifically the water of the bay. Clear water is critical to bay grasses. The sun’s rays must be able to pass through the water to reach the underwater plants growing in the Bay’s shallow waters. Sunlight is the single most important factor in helping bay grass survive. Fish also need clear water so as to avoid getting eaten by their predators and see their prey.

Pollution, funny enough, is the main cause of the Bay’s poor water clarity. When excess nutrients go into the Bay, they can fuel the growth of water-clouding algae. Similarly, when soil erodes and washes into the Bay, particles of sediment can become suspended in the water. Weather also plays a large role in water clarity. During rain storms, dirt and pollutants can be washed into the Bay, which causes the water to look muddy. During drier conditions, the water tends to be clearer. Water clarity will always fluctuate naturally depending on weather conditions. (http://www.chesapeakebay.net/discover/bayecosystem/waterclarity)