Scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey will present their research at the 100th annual Ecological Society of America (ESA) meeting from Aug. 9-14, 2015, in Baltimore, Maryland.
The theme is "Ecological Science at the Frontier: Celebrating ESA’s Centennial."
The Ecological Society of America is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization of scientists founded in 1915 to promote ecological science.
Showing posts with label science. Show all posts
Showing posts with label science. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 11, 2015
Monday, March 30, 2015
Deep Creek Lake Northern Pike Survey
The Maryland Department of Natural Resources is asking Deep Creek Lake anglers to participate in a northern pike survey.
Survey forms are available at the following tackle shops: Deep Creek Lake Outfitters, McHenry; The Bassin’ Box, LaVale; Backbone Mountain Sports Shop, Oakland; and Nicklow’s Wholesale Bait, Addison, Pa.
Completed forms are due April 30, 2015 and may be returned to the Department via:
Mail: Maryland DNR Fisheries Service; 301 Braddock Road; Frostburg, MD 21532;
Fax: with cover letter to: (301)689-7200; or
Email: to: matt.sell@maryland.gov (Please include “Northern Pike Survey” in subject line).
source: Maryland Department of Natural Resources
Survey forms are available at the following tackle shops: Deep Creek Lake Outfitters, McHenry; The Bassin’ Box, LaVale; Backbone Mountain Sports Shop, Oakland; and Nicklow’s Wholesale Bait, Addison, Pa.
Completed forms are due April 30, 2015 and may be returned to the Department via:
Mail: Maryland DNR Fisheries Service; 301 Braddock Road; Frostburg, MD 21532;
Fax: with cover letter to: (301)689-7200; or
Email: to: matt.sell@maryland.gov (Please include “Northern Pike Survey” in subject line).
source: Maryland Department of Natural Resources
Friday, March 27, 2015
Geological and Geophysical Surveys Public Meeting (Offshore Maryland)
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management is holding an open house to provide citizens with an overview of the Geological and Geophysical (G&G) Permitting Process, and get feedback on G&G activities on the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf.
The meetings will take place April 1 in Annapolis -- from 3-4:30 p.m. and 5:30 to 7 p.m. -- at the Doubletree by Hilton (210 Holiday Court, Annapolis, 21401).
For more information, visit http://boem.gov/Atlantic-G-and-G-Permitting.
The meetings will take place April 1 in Annapolis -- from 3-4:30 p.m. and 5:30 to 7 p.m. -- at the Doubletree by Hilton (210 Holiday Court, Annapolis, 21401).
For more information, visit http://boem.gov/Atlantic-G-and-G-Permitting.
Monday, April 14, 2014
Maryland Midwinter Waterfowl Survey
Researchers found more than 905,000 waterfowl during the 2014 Maryland Midwinter Waterfowl Survey. Each winter, aerial survey teams of pilots and biologists from The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources make visual estimates of ducks, swans and geese along Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay shoreline and Atlantic coast.
The estimated total represents a 22 percent increase over the 2013 survey estimate of 739,600 birds. Biologists attribute the higher count to the fact many species flocked to Maryland’s portion of the Chesapeake Bay due to severe winter conditions to the north.
Additionally, large areas of the Bay and tributaries were ice covered during the survey period, concentrating waterfowl in ice-free, open waters where they were more easily counted.
The survey estimates for mallards, black ducks and canvasbacks were the highest they have been since the mid-1970s. Overall, dabbling ducks were more abundant this time around (128,000) compared to last winter (72,800).
There were nearly twice as many diving ducks this survey (190,300) over last year (98,100). The canvasback count (68,400) was the highest since the mid-1960s, and far greater than the January 2013 estimate (18,400).
Survey teams also observed large numbers of wintering Canada geese (512,100) along the upper Chesapeake Bay. The extensive snow and ice in northern latitudes pushed large numbers of geese south to the Chesapeake from their normal wintering areas in southern Ontario and the Finger Lakes region of New York.
The Midwinter Waterfowl Survey has been conducted annually throughout the United States since the early 1950s. The Maryland survey results are ultimately pooled with other states’ results to provide a measure of the distribution and population size of waterfowl wintering in the Atlantic Flyway, as well as information on long-term trends.
source: Maryland Department of Natural Resources
The estimated total represents a 22 percent increase over the 2013 survey estimate of 739,600 birds. Biologists attribute the higher count to the fact many species flocked to Maryland’s portion of the Chesapeake Bay due to severe winter conditions to the north.
Additionally, large areas of the Bay and tributaries were ice covered during the survey period, concentrating waterfowl in ice-free, open waters where they were more easily counted.
The survey estimates for mallards, black ducks and canvasbacks were the highest they have been since the mid-1970s. Overall, dabbling ducks were more abundant this time around (128,000) compared to last winter (72,800).
There were nearly twice as many diving ducks this survey (190,300) over last year (98,100). The canvasback count (68,400) was the highest since the mid-1960s, and far greater than the January 2013 estimate (18,400).
Survey teams also observed large numbers of wintering Canada geese (512,100) along the upper Chesapeake Bay. The extensive snow and ice in northern latitudes pushed large numbers of geese south to the Chesapeake from their normal wintering areas in southern Ontario and the Finger Lakes region of New York.
The Midwinter Waterfowl Survey has been conducted annually throughout the United States since the early 1950s. The Maryland survey results are ultimately pooled with other states’ results to provide a measure of the distribution and population size of waterfowl wintering in the Atlantic Flyway, as well as information on long-term trends.
source: Maryland Department of Natural Resources
Tuesday, April 1, 2014
CWD Found in Maryland Deer
In February, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) received laboratory confirmation that a second white-tailed deer harvested in Maryland tested positive for chronic wasting disease (CWD).
The adult female deer was harvested in Allegany County in December 2013 during firearm season. The first confirmed case of CWD in Maryland was reported in February 2011, also from Allegany County.
This is the second positive sample out of nearly 7,500 deer tested in Maryland since 1999. Since 2010, sampling efforts have been focused on Allegany and western Washington counties due to the presence of CWD in nearby West Virginia, Virginia, and Pennsylvania.
Over 20 U.S. states and Canadian provinces have documented cases of chronic wasting disease, a fatal disease that affects white-tailed deer, mule deer, Rocky Mountain elk, moose.
The disease appears to be passed between animals via saliva, feces or urine, according to DNR.
source: Maryland Department of Natural Resources
The adult female deer was harvested in Allegany County in December 2013 during firearm season. The first confirmed case of CWD in Maryland was reported in February 2011, also from Allegany County.
This is the second positive sample out of nearly 7,500 deer tested in Maryland since 1999. Since 2010, sampling efforts have been focused on Allegany and western Washington counties due to the presence of CWD in nearby West Virginia, Virginia, and Pennsylvania.
Over 20 U.S. states and Canadian provinces have documented cases of chronic wasting disease, a fatal disease that affects white-tailed deer, mule deer, Rocky Mountain elk, moose.
The disease appears to be passed between animals via saliva, feces or urine, according to DNR.
source: Maryland Department of Natural Resources
Saturday, September 14, 2013
Maryland Geological Survey Groundwater Report
The Maryland Geological Survey has produced a report describing the major aquifers of Maryland’s entire Coastal Plain region, which will help to protect groundwater resources for nearly all of the State’s coastal residents. The report provides information critical to making wise water-management decisions.
Maryland Geological Survey members David C. Andreasen, Andrew W. Staley, and Grufron Achmad developed the Maryland Coastal Plain Aquifer Information System: Hydrogeologic Framework, which presents descriptions of 16 major aquifers and 14 confining units.
The report also contains maps and cross sections, data on aquifer depths and hydraulic properties, and supporting documentation. This information forms the foundation for the geographic information system-based Maryland Coastal Plain Aquifer Information System.
Aquifers are bodies of permeable rock that contain or transmit groundwater. Within an aquifer, water moves through the spaces between individual sand or gravel particles, rather than in underground rivers or veins. Groundwater is the sole source of fresh drinking water for approximately two million coastal residents - located east of I-95, including the Eastern Shore and Southern Maryland. A sustainable supply of clean drinking water is crucial to the health and wellbeing of citizens, and the economic livelihood of the State as a whole.
Issued by the Maryland Geological Survey, part of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, this report was prepared as part of a long-term water resource assessment of the Maryland Coastal Plain, which is being done in partnership with the U.S. Geological Survey and the Maryland Department of the Environment. The assessment was initiated in response to recommendations of the 2004 Maryland Advisory Committee on the Management and Protection of the State’s Water Resources.
Aside from being a critical drinking water source, groundwater is important for agricultural, commercial and industrial uses. Because groundwater supplies water to streams and rivers, it is also vitally important for sustaining healthy populations of fish and other aquatic organisms.
source: Maryland Department of Natural Resources
Maryland Geological Survey members David C. Andreasen, Andrew W. Staley, and Grufron Achmad developed the Maryland Coastal Plain Aquifer Information System: Hydrogeologic Framework, which presents descriptions of 16 major aquifers and 14 confining units.
The report also contains maps and cross sections, data on aquifer depths and hydraulic properties, and supporting documentation. This information forms the foundation for the geographic information system-based Maryland Coastal Plain Aquifer Information System.
Aquifers are bodies of permeable rock that contain or transmit groundwater. Within an aquifer, water moves through the spaces between individual sand or gravel particles, rather than in underground rivers or veins. Groundwater is the sole source of fresh drinking water for approximately two million coastal residents - located east of I-95, including the Eastern Shore and Southern Maryland. A sustainable supply of clean drinking water is crucial to the health and wellbeing of citizens, and the economic livelihood of the State as a whole.
Issued by the Maryland Geological Survey, part of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, this report was prepared as part of a long-term water resource assessment of the Maryland Coastal Plain, which is being done in partnership with the U.S. Geological Survey and the Maryland Department of the Environment. The assessment was initiated in response to recommendations of the 2004 Maryland Advisory Committee on the Management and Protection of the State’s Water Resources.
Aside from being a critical drinking water source, groundwater is important for agricultural, commercial and industrial uses. Because groundwater supplies water to streams and rivers, it is also vitally important for sustaining healthy populations of fish and other aquatic organisms.
source: Maryland Department of Natural Resources
Friday, June 1, 2012
Maryland Coastal Bay Seagrass Survey
A recent survey of underwater seagrass abundance in Maryland’s coastal bays shows the plants have decreased by 35 percent in less than year. The study, released by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR), the Maryland Coastal Bays program, the Virginia Institute of Marine Scientists and the National Park Service, showed underwater grasses dropped from 13,863 acres in July 2010, to 9,083 acres in May 2011.
The loss of submerged aquatic vegetation during 2011 was more extensive than during the hot summer of 2005 when 4,780 acres lost in Maryland's coastal bays throughout the area.
Chincoteague Bay lost 2,756 acres of seagrasses. The northern bays showed the greatest percent losses: Assawoman Bay saw a 96 percent decline, or 900 acres; the Isle of Wight, 93 percent or 483 acres; and St. Martin River lost its last 1.6 acres.
Seagrasses are an important indicator of clean water and serve as food and shelter for many fish and shellfish, including flounder, blue crab and bay scallops. The plants are also a vital food source for Atlantic Brant and other waterfowl during migration and over-wintering.
Scientists cite low water quality as the greatest threat to seagrass recovery. When nutrients enter coastal bays, algae and seaweed blooms often occur, blocking light to seagrass beds. Sources of nutrient pollution include air deposition, farm fields, boating, development, septic fields, parking lots, and wastewater treatment plants.
“Maryland is among the states most vulnerable to climate change. Hotter summers and rising sea levels, along with increased storm intensity, could have devastating and far-reaching environmental and economic impacts on the Coastal Bays ecosystem and the quality of life Marylanders currently enjoy,” said Zoe Johnson, DNR Program Manager for Climate Policy. “The seagrasses are a great barometer of the health of the coastal bays. We must continue to reduce nutrient and sediment pollution, collectively and individually, to benefit seagrass restoration and ultimately the health of the coastal bays.”
Although eelgrass in Maryland’s Coastal Bays and in the upper Chesapeake Bay have declined, Virginia’s coastal bays have continued to produce the important plant. According to Dr. Bob Orth, who oversees the annual SAV monitoring surveys, "the clearer water of the Virginia coastal bays, as well as the proximity of the eelgrass meadows to cooler ocean waters makes the exposure to stressful high water temperature conditions more bearable, allowing these meadows to persist despite the high summertime temperatures."
Long-term monitoring by Assateague Island National Seashore shows current trends in nutrient conditions continue to degrade in Chincoteague Bay. However, there are some promising signs of improvements shown by data collected by Maryland Department of Natural Resources, especially in Kitt’s Branch/Trappe Creek, as a result of removing wastewater discharge from Berlin.
Seagrass acreage is estimated through an annual aerial survey, which is flown between late spring and early fall. Additional information about the aerial survey and survey results is available at www.vims.edu/bio/sav/.
source: MD DNR
The loss of submerged aquatic vegetation during 2011 was more extensive than during the hot summer of 2005 when 4,780 acres lost in Maryland's coastal bays throughout the area.
Chincoteague Bay lost 2,756 acres of seagrasses. The northern bays showed the greatest percent losses: Assawoman Bay saw a 96 percent decline, or 900 acres; the Isle of Wight, 93 percent or 483 acres; and St. Martin River lost its last 1.6 acres.
Seagrasses are an important indicator of clean water and serve as food and shelter for many fish and shellfish, including flounder, blue crab and bay scallops. The plants are also a vital food source for Atlantic Brant and other waterfowl during migration and over-wintering.
Scientists cite low water quality as the greatest threat to seagrass recovery. When nutrients enter coastal bays, algae and seaweed blooms often occur, blocking light to seagrass beds. Sources of nutrient pollution include air deposition, farm fields, boating, development, septic fields, parking lots, and wastewater treatment plants.
“Maryland is among the states most vulnerable to climate change. Hotter summers and rising sea levels, along with increased storm intensity, could have devastating and far-reaching environmental and economic impacts on the Coastal Bays ecosystem and the quality of life Marylanders currently enjoy,” said Zoe Johnson, DNR Program Manager for Climate Policy. “The seagrasses are a great barometer of the health of the coastal bays. We must continue to reduce nutrient and sediment pollution, collectively and individually, to benefit seagrass restoration and ultimately the health of the coastal bays.”
Although eelgrass in Maryland’s Coastal Bays and in the upper Chesapeake Bay have declined, Virginia’s coastal bays have continued to produce the important plant. According to Dr. Bob Orth, who oversees the annual SAV monitoring surveys, "the clearer water of the Virginia coastal bays, as well as the proximity of the eelgrass meadows to cooler ocean waters makes the exposure to stressful high water temperature conditions more bearable, allowing these meadows to persist despite the high summertime temperatures."
Long-term monitoring by Assateague Island National Seashore shows current trends in nutrient conditions continue to degrade in Chincoteague Bay. However, there are some promising signs of improvements shown by data collected by Maryland Department of Natural Resources, especially in Kitt’s Branch/Trappe Creek, as a result of removing wastewater discharge from Berlin.
Seagrass acreage is estimated through an annual aerial survey, which is flown between late spring and early fall. Additional information about the aerial survey and survey results is available at www.vims.edu/bio/sav/.
source: MD DNR
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