Ten years after billions of oysters were dumped into the Chesapeake Bay, scientists returned to measure the results—and what they found completely defied expectations. The massive restoration project was launched to revive a species nearly wiped out by overfishing and pollution.
The Chesapeake Bay’s oyster population had fallen to roughly 0.3 percent of its historical levels by 2011, a decline that contributed to the collapse of the estuary’s broader ecosystem. The loss of oysters, which once filtered the bay’s water and built the structure of its floor, led to murky water, oxygen depletion, the disappearance of underwater grasses, and a sharp decline in commercial fisher…
Palaeontologists working along the shores of Chesapeake Bay have been searching for evidence of the largest shark ever to inhabit the oceans, a species known as the megalodon. Their work focuses on
Palaeontologists working along the shores of Chesapeake Bay have been searching for evidence of the largest shark ever to inhabit the oceans, a species known as the megalodon. Their work focuses on fossil remains that may help explain the biology and eventual extinction of this prehistoric predator.One of the most famous accounts associated with the megalodon dates back to 1918, near Broughton Isl…
The Chesapeake Bay’s calm surface hides a brutal geological secret: beneath its mouth lies a 56-mile-wide impact crater, and the land is sinking at twice the global rate. Known for its crab houses and sailboats, the bay is actually a drowned river valley, carved by glaciers and still flooded by a daily push-pull of fresh and salt water.
The Chesapeake Bay is often seen as a relaxed corner of the East Coast, known for its crab houses, sailboats, and wide, calm water. Beneath that surface, however, the bay is a dynamic and complex system shaped by geology, history, and ongoing environmental change. Its shoreline has drowned and re-emerged repeatedly, and many of its most familiar features are tied to hidden structures and events th…