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CHESAPEAKE BAY BASICS

Discover the unique environment of Chesapeake Bay, the largest estuary in the United States, where saltwater and freshwater mix, providing a home for diverse plants and animals. Learn about the different estuary types and interesting facts about the bay.

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CHESAPEAKE BAY BASICS

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  1. CHESAPEAKE BAY BASICS

  2. Chesapeake as an Estuary • An estuary is a semi-enclosed body of water that has a free connection with the sea and within which seawater is diluted from freshwater runoff from the land.

  3. Chesapeake as an Estuary • Estuaries have more food for organisms, but the organisms usually have to deal with large temperature and salinity changes, high silt content and pollution.

  4. What does that mean? • This unique environment is home to many different plants and animals. • In an estuary, salt water and fresh water mix.

  5. 4 Estuary Types • DrownedRiver Valley • Bar-Built Estuary • Tectonic Estuary • Fjords

  6. Drowned River Valley • This is the most common type of estuary. • Forms during an ice age from glacier melt. • The ChesapeakeBay is a drowned river valley.(12,000 – 18,000 years ago).

  7. Bar-Built Estuaries • Found where sandbars and barrierislands form.

  8. Bar-Built Estuaries • The shallow water behind these barrier islands forms lowsalinity estuaries.

  9. Tectonic Estuaries • These estuaries form where land sank or subsided.

  10. Fjords! • Fjords were created when retreating glaciers cut deep in the earth.

  11. Fjords! • Where in the United States might we find fjords? Alaska!

  12. Estuary Types

  13. Facts About The Chesapeake Bay

  14. The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States.

  15. The bay is shallow. Can you guess its average depth? • 106 ft. • 56 ft • 32 ft. • 21 ft. • 14ft. • 9ft.

  16. THE ANSWER! • 21 feet is the correct answer. • The deepest spot in the bay is 174 feet near Annapolis Md.

  17. A watershed is the drainage area for the bay. • 3 Different Watersheds for Virginia waters • The ChesapeakeBay • The GulfofMexico • The NorthCarolinaSounds

  18. The Chesapeake Bay Watershed • Can you name the 6 states that make up the watershed of the Chesapeake Bay?

  19. Virginia Maryland West Virginia Delaware New York Pennsylvania

  20. Chesapeake Bay WatershedStates New York Pennsylvania Maryland Delaware West Virginia District of Columbia Virginia

  21. The water from over 50 rivers empties into the Bay. Can you name the 5 major rivers that flow into the bay?

  22. From South to North • James • York • Rappahannock • Potomac • Susquehanna

  23. Other Facts • The Susquehanna River provides about 50% of the fresh water coming into the Bay. • The river empties an average of 19 million gallons of water per minute.

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