Scientific, Technical Assessment and Reporting (STAR)
The Scientific, Technical Assessment & Reporting (STAR) team works to coordinate the monitoring, modeling and analysis needed to explain and communicate the health of and changes in the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem.
Upcoming Meetings
July 6, 2022
12:00 am - 12:00 pm
Finalized STAR Science Needs Due - Next Generation Stewards
Download calendar file (.ics)September 21, 2022
12:00 am - 12:00 pm
STAR Science Needs meeting – STAR Science Needs materials due
Download calendar file (.ics)September 22, 2022
10:00 am - 12:00 pm
STAR Science Needs September 2022 Meeting
Download calendar file (.ics)Scope and Purpose
The Scientific, Technical Assessment & Reporting (STAR) Team Purpose:
Increase collaboration among science providers to provide monitoring, modeling, and analysis needed to update, explain, and communicate ecosystem condition and change to support the Chesapeake Bay Program Goal Teams.
Function of STAR within the Chesapeake Bay Program Framework:
The new Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement signed on June 16, 2014 will require additional monitoring, modeling, and analysis to help decision makers effectively achieve goals and associated outcomes. CBP science activities are coordinated through the STAR Team. Over the past several years, STAR had a heavy emphasis on water-quality activities as the partners implemented the Bay Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL). To address the needs of the Watershed Agreement, STAR is evolving to have more of an ecosystem-based science mission. The STAR Team serves the CBP as a science callaboration effort to include the following major functions:
- Manage CBP-funded monitoring networks and coordinate with additional science providers to utilize expand networks to address the new Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement.
- Ensure information quality, management, and access.
- Update, and deliver, the status and trends (indicators) of ecosystem conditions.
- Explain ecosystem condition and change.
- Expand modeling to better understand and predict ecosystem response.
- Coordinate climate change activities.
- Synthesize and communicate results to support the CBP decision framework being used by the Goal Teams to develop and implement management strategies for the New Agreement
Please refer to report entitled, Enhancing Science Collaboration to Support the New Chesapeake Bay Agreement from January 2015.
STAR also hosts the IAN Seminar Series:
The goal of the IAN seminar series is to provide concise, thought-provoking ideas relating to Chesapeake Bay science and management. Short presentations (15 minutes maximum length) are immediately followed by a lunchtime discussion of the topics raised by the presenter. The discussion is summarized and is posted along with a pdf version of the seminar slides. The seminars are captured on video and posted under a Creative Commons license so they can be freely shared.
Projects and Resources
Better Targeting CBP Resources to Achieve Multiple Outcomes: Approach and Tools
The USGS has initiated an effort to take a more comprehensive approach for targeting resources, working with several partners including the USEPA (CBP office, Office of Research and Development, and Region 3) and the Chesapeake Conservancy. The objective is to develop a strategic, science-based approach to better target federal and state resources to the places, and towards the types of activities, that accelerate progress for multiple outcomes. The proposed approach is organized around several topics (figure 1), which include many outcomes in the Chesapeake Watershed Agreement: (1) accelerate water-quality improvements, (2) coordinate habitat restoration, (3) expand land-conservation efforts, and (4) increase benefits to people, with all considering climate resiliency.
Access the DRAFT tool hub here.
Improving CBP Monitoring Networks
An overview was provided to the Principal Staff Committee (PSC) at their March 2, 2021 meeting about the status of, and potential reductions to, the current Chesapeake Bay Program (CBP) monitoring networks. The CBP monitoring programs presented included the nontidal nutrient and sediment network, tidal water-quality monitoring network, submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV), tidal benthic monitoring network, and Citizen Science monitoring. The reduction of stations and data in the CBP monitoring networks is mostly due to inflation in the cost of monitoring over the past 5 years, while funding for the networks has been held constant. The Scientific Technical Assessment and Reporting Team (STAR) listed the condition of the networks as “fair” during August 2020 SRS quarterly review to the Management Board. The PSC recognizes that monitoring is foundational to the CBP’s ability to assess progress toward its goals and outcomes and utilizing adaptive-management principles. In response to the status report, they requested information be provided on what is needed to improve the CBP monitoring networks, including: (1) an overview of current status and threats to the networks, and (2) what is needed to address the monitoring networks capacity shortfalls.
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Discussion Paper to Improve CBP Monitoring Networks (436.67 KB)
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03-02-21 PSC Monitoring Presentation (829.87 KB)
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04-08-21 MB Monitoring Presentation (1.13 MB)
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06-02-21 PSC Monitoring Presentation (1.15 MB)
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May 2021 Monitoring Network News (376.1 KB)
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June 2021 Monitoring Network News (597.05 KB)
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July 2021 Monitoring Network News (521.47 KB)
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11-23-21 PSC Monitoring Presentation (716.89 KB)
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02-17-22 MB Monitoring Presentation (1.08 MB)
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03-02-22 PSC Monitoring Presentation (1.68 MB)
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05-17-22 PSC Monitoring Presentation (1.02 MB)
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Summary of Monitoring Needs and Investments (312.8 KB)
Building Environmental Intelligence (BEI) (formerly BASIN)
Building Environmental Intelligence (BEI) -- formerly BASIN -- is an effort to develop new approaches to expand and sustain of the Chesapeake Bay Program (CBP) monitoring activities to meet the needs of the 2014 Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement. It is a three-part effort by the Chesapeake Bay Partnership’s Scientific, Technical, Assessment and Reporting (STAR) Team experts to discover new, smarter approaches for both sustaining and expanding the Bay Program’s vast water quality monitoring networks. More information is availble through this link: https://www.chesapeakebay.net/who/group/building_and_sustaining_integrated_networks_basin
Strategic Science and Research Framework
The GITs, STAR and STAC have worked together to develop an approach that will identify, and help prioritize, both short- and longer-term science needs. The approach will result in a Strategic Science and Research Framework that will be an on-going, repeatable process that supports the SRS decision framework. The results will be used to help focus existing science resources, and leverage the research enterprise, to more effectively provide science to advance Chesapeake restoration and conservation efforts and decision making. All science needs are available on the CBP Science Needs Database.
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Strategic Science and Research Framework Briefing Paper - Updated March 6, 2019 (348.1 KB)
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Moving Toward a Strategic Science and Research Framework presentation (2.35 MB)
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List of potential project ideas for fy2020 git funding project by Peter Tango 04222020 (137.92 KB)
Chesapeake Bay Dissolved Oxygen Profiling
Water quality impairment in the Chesapeake Bay, caused primarily by excessive long-term nutrient input from runoff and groundwater, is characterized by extreme seasonal hypoxia, particularly in the bottom layers of the deeper mainstem (although it is often present elsewhere). In addition to obvious negative impacts on ecosystems where it occurs, hypoxia represents the integrated effect of watershed-wide nutrient pollution, and monitoring the size and location of the hypoxic regions is important to assessing Chesapeake Bay health and restoration progress.
Chesapeake Bay Program direct water quality monitoring has been by necessity widely spaced in time and location, with monthly or bi-monthly single fixed stations separated by several kilometers. The need for continuous, real time, vertically sampled profiles of dissolved oxygen has been long recognized, and improvements in hypoxia modeling and sensor technology make it achievable. Recent results of Bever, et al. (2018) show that total Chesapeake Bay hypoxic volume can be estimated using a few analytically selected fixed continuous dissolved oxygen profiles.
The project is to pilot a cost effective, real-time dissolved oxygen vertical monitoring system for characterizing mainstem Chesapeake Bay hypoxia. The approach for this project is to use a lightweight, low-powered real-time inductive CTDO2 mooring with sensors at multiple vertical measurement levels. The reports provide details on the proposed tasks for this project and expected outcomes and deliverables.
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Chesapeake Bay Trust Hypoxia Project Presentation (1.3 MB)
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Chesapeake Bay Dissolved Oxygen Proposal Description (687.04 KB)
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Hypoxia Kick Off Minutes 7.18.19 (100.33 KB)
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Hypoxia Appendix b (68.98 KB)
Cross-Goal Team Mapping Project January 2017
The Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement recognizes that “to be successful in achieving its goals and outcomes, progress must be made in a strategic manner, focusing on efforts that will achieve the most cost-effective results.” It further acknowledges that using place-based approaches, where appropriate, will help produce recognizable benefits to local communities while contributing to larger ecosystem goals.
STAR, with the CBP GIS Team, is supporting a cross-outcome mapping effort for the Goal Implementation Teams (GITs) to more effectively collaborate on inter-related outcomes, This project is helping to identify places where the CBP can more strategically make progress toward inter-related outcomes.
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Cross GIT Collaboration Mapping Project 2017 Updated Jan 18, 2017 (904.21 KB)
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Revised Management Questions Master January 23, 2017 (225.53 KB)
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Composite maps April 2017 (288.22 KB)
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Conservation Composite Data Inventory April 2017 (242.18 KB)
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Opportunity Threat Overlays March 2017 (110.98 KB)
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Restoration Composite Data Inventory January 2017 (181.45 KB)
Measure and Explain Water-Quality Changes
Midpoint Assessment Priority Work Plan: Measure and Explain Water Quality Changes
Lead: Scientific, Technical Analysis, and Report (STAR) Team
Full Title of Priority: Enhanced Analysis and Explanation of Water-Quality Data for the TMDL Mid-Point Assessment
The Chesapeake Bay Program (CBP) will enhance the analysis and explanation of monitoring information as part of the Mid-Point Assessment for the Chesapeake Bay Total Maximum Daily Load for Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Sediment (Bay TMDL).
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STAR Measure and Explain Water Quality Trends Update 2016 Draft Dec 9 (186.98 KB)
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A History of Nutrient and Sediment Inputs to Chesapeake Bay, 1985 - 2016 (2.61 MB)
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Dissecting Drivers of Nutrient Trends in Chesapeake Bay Streams (5.93 MB)
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Nutrient Loads and Trends in Chesapeake Bay Nontidal Network Streams (5.79 MB)
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Understanding the Influence of the Conowingo Reservoir Infill on Expectations for States Nutrient and Sediment Pollutant Load Reductions (2.35 MB)
American Shad Indicator Action Team
The American Shad Indicator Action Team (ASIAT) was assembled in summer 2012 as a joint effort between the Scientific and Technical Analysis and Reporting (STAR) Team and the Sustainable Fisheries Goal Implementation Team (Fisheries GIT). ASIAT’s purpose was to determine how to most accurately track the recovery progress of American Shad in the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries. The ASIAT met seven times from August 2012 through August 2013 to review and update the Chesapeake Bay Program’s American Shad Abundance Indicator . In that time, the team added two new data sets to the indicator and updated the abundance targets for all Virginia tributaries based on historic population data. The team also agreed to a new weighting scheme for individual tributaries to calculate the Baywide shad abundance index. ASIAT may reconvene in late 2014 or 2015 to consider adding additional data to the indicator. Until then, Chesapeake Bay Program staff are working with ASIAT members to keep the indicator web page updated with the most recent data.
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ASIAT Membership List (58.95 KB)
Evolving the STAR Team to Meet the Watershed Agreement (2011)
The purpose of this report is to provide an implementation plan for Chesapeake Bay Program (CBP) Scientific, Technical Assessment, and Reporting (STAR) team to expand its science capacity to better meet the needs of the Goal Implementation Teams (GITs). The plan provides a revised purpose and functions of STAR, based on an adaptive-management approach, and recommends actions for evolving the STAR to include a broader group of science providers and enhancing interaction with the GITs to address their science needs.
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Final Report: Evolving the Scientific, Technical Assessment, and Reporting (STAR) Team to Better meet the Science needs of the Chesapeake Bay Program (February 2011) (1.19 MB)
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Presentation of Final Report to the CBP Management Board (March 2011) (623.07 KB)
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New Proposed Structure of STAR (November 2009) (1.43 MB)
Toxic Contaminants Action Team
For many years, scientists and resource managers have recognized that exposure to toxiccontaminants can result in adverse effects on biological resources within the Chesapeake Bay and its watershed. In 2010, the President’s Chesapeake Bay Executive Order (EO 13508) Strategy directed Federal agencies to prepare a report summarizing information on the extent and severity of occurrence of toxic contamination in the Bay and its watershed. In responce to the Executive Order the Toxic Contaminants Action Team was charged with the task of developing this report. Findings in this report will be used by the CBP partnership to consider whether to adopt new goals for reducing inputs of toxic contaminants entering the Bay. This report also identifies research and monitoring gaps that could be considered to improve the understanding of the extent and severity occurrence of toxic contaminants in the Chesapeake Bay and its watershed.
Publications
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May 01, 2017
Chesapeake Bay Program Methods and Quality Assurance for Chesapeake Bay Water Quality Monitoring Programs
The purpose of this document is to provide field and laboratory methods and associated quality control requirements for use in Chesapeake Bay water quality monitoring programs, which will result in the generation of known...
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November 28, 2017
Ambient Water Quality Criteria for Dissolved Oxygen, Water Clarity and Chlorophyll a for the Chesapeake Bay and Its Tidal Tributaries 2017 Technical Addendum
A total of seven addendum documents have been published by EPA since April 2003. Four addenda were published documenting detailed refinements to the criteria attainment and assessment procedures (U.S. EPA 2004a, 2007a, 2008,...
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September 01, 2008
Review of Phase 5 Watershed Model Hydrologic Calibration
The hydrologic calibration of the phase 5 watershed model was evaluated through 9 published acceptable criteria used in HSPF Expert system. The specific flow characteristics evaluated are: Error in total volume; Error in...