Nitrogen in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed A Century of Change 1950-2050

Abstract

This section presents an overview of the major findings of this circular. The succeeding sections provide background on the environmental, nitrogen, and historical setting of the Chesapeake Bay watershed as a precursor for the main chapters and final thoughts. “The Chesapeake Bay watershed includes 166,000 square kilometers of mixed land uses, multiple nutrient sources, and variable hydrogeologic, soil, and weather conditions, and Bay restoration is complicated by the multitude of nutrient sources and complex interacting factors affecting the occurrence, fate, and transport of nitrogen and phosphorus from source areas to streams and the estuary.”