What is Dissolved Oxygen and Why is it Important to the Chesapeake Bay? (179 KB)

Publication date: 7/12/2004 | Type of document: Fact Sheet

Dissolved oxygen is vital to the health of the living resources in Chesapeake Bay. This background fact sheet explains the sources of dissolved oxygen, the role dissolved oxygen plays in the Bay ecosystem, and explains low dissolved oxygen conditions sometimes observed in the Bay.

Trends in Phosphorus, Nitrogen, Secchi Depths and Dissolved Oxygen in Chesapeake Bay, 1984-1992 (1.73 MB)

Publication date: 8/1/1984 | Type of document: Report

This is a report on trends in phosphorus, nitrogen, secchi depths and dissolved oxygen in Chesapeake Bay for the years 1984-1992

Nutrient-dissolved Oxygen Dynamics in Chesapeake Bay: The Roles of Phytoplankton & Micro-Heterotrophs Under Summer Conditions (2.16 MB)

Publication date: 8/1/1987 | Type of document: Report

This is a report on nutrient dissolved oxygen dynamics in the Chesapeake Bay

New Chesapeake Bay Water Quality Criteria: Dissolved Oxygen (107 KB)

Publication date: 4/14/2003 | Type of document: Fact Sheet

This reprint from the July/August 2001 Bay Journal overviews the dissolved oxygen criteria developed in 2001

Volumetric Analysis of Dissolved Oxygen Trends in the Chesapeake Bay: Preliminary Findings (871 KB)

Publication date: 11/11/2001 | Type of document: Report

This report examines variations in dissolved oxygen from 1950 onward to determine past trends and evaluate progress in restoring the health of the Bay

Ambient Water Quality Criteria for Dissolved Oxygen, Water Clarity and Chlorophyll a for the Chesapeake Bay and its Tidal Tributaries

Publication date: 6/1/2003 | Type of document: Report

EPA has defined the water quality conditions through the Chesapeake Bay-specific water quality criteria for dissolved oxygen, water clarity and chlorophyll a in this publication.

Dissolved Oxygen Trends in the Chesapeake Bay, 1984-1990

Publication date: 9/1/1991 | Type of document: Report

This summary of trends in dissolved oxygen is one in a series of reports on the progress toward and reevaluation of the 40 percent nutrient reduction goal. Reports describing trends in phosphorus and nitrogen in Chesapeake Bay are companion documents to this report.

Chesapeake Bay Dissolved Oxygen Goals for Restoration of Living Resource Habitat (3.54 MB)

Publication date: 2/1/1993 | Type of document: Report

A Synthesis of Living Resource Habitat Requirements with Guidelines for Their Use in Evaluating Model Results and Monitoring Information

Ambient Water Quality Criteria for Dissolved Oxygen, Water Clarity and Chlorophyll a - 2007 Addendum (5.73 MB)

Publication date: 7/1/2007 | Type of document: Report

This document represents the second formal addendum to the 2003 Chesapeake Bay water quality criteria document.

Biological Evaluation for the Issuance of Ambient Water Quality Criteria for Dissolved Oxygen, Water Clarity and Chlorophyll a for the Chesapeake Bay and its Tidal Tributaries (1.4 MB)

Publication date: 4/1/2003 | Type of document: Report

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Region III

Ambient Water Quality Criteria for Dissolved Oxygen, Water Clarity and Chlorophyll a for the Chesapeake Bay and Its Tidal Tributaries - Addendum (1.16 MB) (Order hard-copy)

Publication date: 10/1/2004 | Type of document: Report

In April 2003, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published the Ambient Water Quality Criteria for Dissolved Oxygen, Water Clarity and Chlorophyll a for the Chesapeake Bay and Its Tidal Tributaries (Regional Criteria Guidance) in cooperation with and on behalf of the six watershed statesNew York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, Virginia and West Virginiaand the District of Columbia. At the time of publication of the Regional Criteria Guidance document, a number of technical issues still remained to be worked through, resolved and documented. This first EPA published addendum to the 2003 Ambient Water Quality Criteria for Dissolved Oxygen, Water Clarity and Chlorophyll a for ...

Ambient Water Quality Criteria for Dissolved Oxygen, Water Clarity and Chlorophyll a for the Chesapeake Bay and Its Tidal Tributaries - 2007 Chlorophyll Criteria Addendum (1.78 MB) (Order hard-copy)

Publication date: 10/1/2007 | Type of document: Report

The Chesapeake Bay numerical chlorophyll a criteria and reference concentrations were derived to address specific water quality, human and aquatic life impairments when applied in specific seasons and to specific salinity-based tidal habitats.  EPA strongly encourages the states to adopt the harmful algal bloom-based numerical chlorophyll a criteria for tidal fresh and oligohaline tidal waters where algal-related impairments are expected to persist even after attainment of the Chesapeake Bay dissolved oxygen and water clarity criteria.  This is an addendum to the original report.

Chesapeake Bay Basin Toxics Loading and Release Inventory Appendices (1014 KB)

Publication date: 5/1/1999 | Type of document: Report

This document contains the appendices to the Chesapeake Bay Basin Toxics Loading and Release Inventory point source loadings chapter. The appendices highlight the point source loads by facility, the chemical categories reported by SIC code.        

The Chesapeake Bay Dissolved Oxygen Goal for Restoration of Living Resource Habitats

Publication date: 12/1/1992 | Type of document: Report

To show support of these goals, the Chesapeake Executive Council (CEC) made commitments to "develop and adopt guidelines for the protection of water quality and habitat conditions necessary to support the living resources found in the Chesapeake Bay system.

Coupling Suspended Sediment Dynamics and Light Penetration in the Upper Chesapeake Bay (850 KB)

Publication date: 5/23/2006 | Type of document: Report

The attenuation of light underwater is an important process in estuaries, directly affecting phytoplankton, submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV), visually orienting predators, and indirectly affecting oxygen depletion and other water quality indicators.