Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee Publications
A Path Forward in Considering Future Environmental Scenarios in Chesapeake Bay Restoration Efforts
Publication date:STAC Workshop Report
The STAC Workshop, "CBP Climate Change Modeling III: Post-2025 decisions," convened May 2024 to refine and expand existing climate modeling efforts for the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem. This workshop, the third in a series over the past eight years, aimed to advance modeling frameworks to better assess climate change impacts, in preparation for the reconsideration of the Chesapeake Bay Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) Planning Targets in 2027
Understanding Genetics for Successful Conservation and Restoration of Resilient Chesapeake Bay Brook Trout Populations
Publication date:STAC Workshop Report
The STAC Workshop, "Understanding Genetics for Successful Conservation and Restoration of Resilient Chesapeake Bay Brook Trout Populations," convened September 2021 to bring together experts in the field of fish and Brook Trout genetics with fishery managers and practitioners to share general knowledge of fish genetics and recent scientific advances. The main objectives were to: 1. communicate the importance of genetic information for Brook Trout management and review key conservation genetics concepts, and 2. explore available genetics datasets and explain how they can be used to support management.
The State of the Science and Practice of Stream Restoration in the Chesapeake: Lessons Learned to Inform Better Implementation, Assessment, and Outcomes
Publication date:This report summarizes the proceedings of a workshop that reviewed and distilled lessons learned from past stream corridor restoration projects to improve future restoration outcomes.
Using Carbon to Achieve Chesapeake Bay (and Watershed) Water Quality Goals and Climate Resiliency: The Science, Gaps, Implementation Activities and Opportunities
Publication date:This report summarizes the proceedings of a workshop to evaluate and translate biochar research for integration into Chesapeake Bay protocols.
Achieving Water Quality Goals in the Chesapeake Bay: A Comprehensive Evaluation of System Response (CESR)
Publication date:This report evaluates why progress toward the Chesapeake Bay Total Maximum Daily Load and water quality standards has been slower than expected and offers options for how progress can be accelerated.
Evaluating an Improved Systems Approach to Wetland Crediting: Consideration of Wetland Ecosystem Services
Publication date:This report summarizes the proceedings of a workshop to explore the wetland accounting system and provide insight on improved approaches to promote wetland projects.
Using Ecosystem Services to Increase Progress Toward, and Quantify the Benefits of Multiple CBP Outcomes
Publication date:This report summarizes the proceedings of a workshop to shape a framework for identifying impactful and durable ways to embed ecosystem services considerations in decision-making.
Using Local Monitoring Results to Inform the Chesapeake Bay Program’s Watershed Model
Publication date:The workshop, “Using Local Monitoring Results to Inform the Chesapeake Bay Program’s Watershed Model”, was held in March 2023 to provide insight on the scope of local water quality monitoring efforts within and outside of the Bay watershed that could be used to inform the CBWM. Scientists and managers developed recommendations that could be used by modelers for either calibration or knowledge generation to inform the Phase 7 version of the CBWM currently under development for a 2028 decision by the CBP, recommendations for how local monitoring efforts could be designed or altered to better inform the CBWM, and recommendations for how monitored trends could be used in management. The preliminary presentations for the workshop provided essential background information on the CBWM and data used to parameterize it. This information was the foundation for discussions on existing data gaps, the importance of current local monitoring networks, and best practices for developing future monitoring networks.
Best Management Practices to Minimize Impacts of Solar Farms on Landscape Hydrology and Water Quality
Publication date:As solar energy becomes a lower cost and more efficient source of renewable energy, major utility-scale solar panel installations, or solar farms, are being proposed and installed around the Mid-Atlantic region. These solar farms constitute a major land transformation. This transformation is particularly of interest because there can be substantial alteration of land characteristics in the development process, and solar farms also create a unique land cover with impervious surface over pervious surface, generating potential changes in hydrologic and water quality processes. There is currently wide variability in guidance and understanding of best practices relating to the land development and management of solar farms in the Chesapeake Bay region. Thus, a STAC-led workshop gathered speakers and participants from universities, industry, non-governmental organizations, and multiple levels of government across the Chesapeake Bay watershed to address the following questions in April 2023:
Improving Understanding and Coordination of Science Activities for Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed
Publication date:Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have been manufactured and used in a variety of industries in the United States since the 1940s. PFAS are ubiquitous and persistent in the environment and have the potential to have adverse human and ecological health effects. There are more than 12,000 unique compounds, making analysis and reporting difficult. A STAC workshop gathered speakers from Chesapeake Bay jurisdictions, federal agencies, and academic institutions, including representatives from across the Nation, to better understand the state of the science, improve science coordination, and propose approaches to improve our knowledge of PFAS. The workshop was designed to (1) summarize current understanding of sources, occurrence, and fate of PFAS, (2) identify current efforts and approaches to inform the potential effects on fish and wildlife, and their consumption by humans, (3) consider study designs, and comparable sampling and analysis methods, for a more coordinated PFAS science effort, (4) determine and prioritize knowledge gaps, and (5) provide actionable scientific recommendations for monitoring and research.