The condition of the Chesapeake Bay has weakened over the past year, possibly because of extreme weather, including both drought and intense rainfall, according to an annual report card from the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science.
The overall health score for the Chesapeake Bay was a C (50%), five points below last year’s score of a C+ (55%). Even with the decrease, the report said the area maintains its upward trajectory of improvement that began in the 1980s.
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Seven indicators are evaluated to determine health. They are water clarity, dissolved oxygen, total nitrogen, total phosphorus, chlorophyll a, benthic community and aquatic grasses.
Of these, the report shows that only chlorophyll a and water quality have declining long-term trends.
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