Ecological functions and values of nontidal wetlands

Reviews the current understanding of the functions of nontidal wetlands, assesses the· problems of assigning values to wetland functions, and surveys the use of these functions and values in management programs of the mid-Atlantic states.https://scholarworks.wm.edu/vimsbooks/1167/thumbnail.jp

Disappearance Of The Natural Emergent 3-Dimensional Oyster Reef System Of The James River, Virginia, 1871-1948

Anecdotal reports have long indicated that oysters, Crassostrea virginica (Gmelin), in the Chesapeake Bay once grew in large 3-dimensional reef structures. However, hard evidence of widespread 3-dimensional oyster reefs in the Chesapeake Bay has been scarce. This study uses data collected from historic charts of the James River, one of the most productive oyster producing tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay, to examine the natural occurrence of these reefs as well as their destruction. An early series of charts from the 1870s clearly documents widespread emergent oyster reefs in the James River from Burwell\u27s Bay to Newport News Point. They were long, fairly wide, and shoal-like and oriented at right angles to the current. A 1940s series of charts indicates that by this time nearly all of these reefs had become submerged. Paired t-tests indicate a significant decrease in reef height and volume but not in reef area. This suggests that oysters and shell have been physically removed from the reefs. This likely had a major impact on water circulation patterns over and around the reefs, which may also have further adversely affected oyster populations

Modeling cumulative impacts and the carrying capacity of small tidal creeks and inlets

The purpose of this project was to identify pollutant loading values which might be used as input for a series of water quality models applied to small tidal creeks and inlets in Virginia\u27s coastal plain. The intent was to identify values from literature sources which might be used in application of the models, absent better or more site specific information. Estimates of biological oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand and fecal coliform loadings were of specific interest

The effects of atrazine on Zostera marina in the Chesapeake Bay, Virginia

This project was designed to assess the effects of agricultural herbicides on submerged aquatic vegetation in the lower Chesapeake Bay. Atrazine was selected for testing because it is the most widely utilized herbicide in the Bay region. Zostera marina was the submerged vegetation studied. The project began with two surveys. The first survey, conducted in 1979, covered forty eight stations throughout the Virginia portion of the Chesapeake Bay. The survey was designed to indicate typical atrazine loading for the lower Bay. A second survey in 1980 was limited to the Severn River, and was intended to indicate the duration of peak atrazine loading. Information generated in the two surveys was ctilized tn design dosing experiments

Summary Tables: 2012 Henrico County, Virginia Shoreline Inventory

The Shoreline Inventory Summary Tables quantify observed conditions based on river systems, such as the combined length of linear features (e.g. shoreline miles surveyed, miles of bulkhead and revetment), the total number of point features (e.g. docks, boathouses, boat ramps) & total acres of polygon features (tidal marshes)