Distribution of Submerged Aquatic Vegetation in the Chesapeake Bay and Tributaries and Chincoteague Bay - 1992

W&M ScholarWorks Reports 12-1993 Distribution of Submerged Aquatic Vegetation In The Chesapeake Bay and Tributaries and Chincoteague Bay - 1992 Robert Orth Virginia Institute of Marine Science Judith F. Nowak Virginia Institute of Marine Science Gary Anderson Virginia Institute of Marine Science Jennifer R. Whiting Virginia Institute of Marine Science Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.wm.edu/reports Part of the Environmental Sciences Commons Recommended Citation Orth, R., Nowak, J. F., Anderson, G., & Whiting, J. R. (1993) Distribution of Submerged Aquatic Vegetation In The Chesapeake Bay and Tributaries and Chincoteague Bay - 1992. Virginia Institute of Marine Science, William & Mary. http://dx.doi.org/doi:10.21220/m2-pt4t-fh95 This Report is brought to you for free and open access by W&M ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Reports by an authorized administrator of W&M ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Map of Chesapeake Bay and Tributaries and Chincoteague Bay. 77° 00' 76° 00' 39° oo' 38° oo' 37° 37° 00' oo' 0 10 20 30 NAUTICAL MILES 11° oo' 76° 00' ,· 1 ' Distribution of Submerged Aquatic Vegetation In The Chesapeake Bay and Tributaries and Chincoteague Bay - 1992 by Robert J. Orth, Judith F. Nowak, Gary F. Anderson, and Jennifer R. Whiting College of William and Mary School of Marine Science Virginia Institute of Marine Science Gloucester Point, VA 23062 Funded by: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (Grant CB003909-01) National Oceanographic Atmospheric Administration (Grant No. NA270Z0312-01) College of William and Mary, School of Marine Science, Virginia Institute of Marine Science Maryland Department of Natural Resources (C324-93-006) U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (14-16-0005-92-9031) Allied-Signal Foundation Final Report Submitted to: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Chesapeake Bay Program Offic,:: Aimapolis, MD 21403 December 1993 Cover Photograph: The Susqueha1ma River, Maryla:1.d, 1992: Eunsian watermilicil I, (Myriophyllum spicatum) bed on the south shore near the mouth. (Photography court12sy l of Robert Even Owens of Air Photographies, Inc., Martinsburg, West Virg·inia.) I! . q ...I ==================================;.:;:_:;-··-·------·-------J, --·------:.-~..--~---4.ll!t .... '11""4' CONTENTS Page TABLES ............... V FIGURES ................... Vl EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ...................... ix ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS xiv SAV SPECIES . 1 METHODS ........................................... 2 Introduction . .. 2 Aerial photography . 2 Mapping process . 5 SAY perimeter digitization and area calculation ................... 9 Tests of precision and accuracy . ....... 9 Standard operating procedures for QA/QC ..................... 10 Choice of representative SA V bed . ....... 10 Conversion of SAV perimeter points from X,Y centimeters to Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) coordinates in ARC/INFO 5.0.1 format ....... 11 Calculation of 1992 SAV areas . 11 Organizational procedures for analysis and discussion ............. 12 Ground surveys and other data bases . 17 RESULTS ................... 19 Data presentation . ............ 19 1992 Summary . 19 Upper Bay Zone . 19 Middle Bay Zone . 37 Lower Bay Zone . 38 Chincoteague Bay . 38 Discussion of sections arranged within zones . 38 Upper Bay Zone . 38 Susquehanna Flats (Section 1) ............................. 38 Upper Eastern Shore (Section 2) . 40 Upper Western Shore (Section 3) ............................ 40 Chester River (Section 4) . 43 Middle Bay Zone ..................................... 43 Central Western Shore (Section 5) ........................... 43 Eastern Bay (Section 6) . 43 Choptan.k River (Section 7) . 47 iii CONTENTS (continued) Page RESULTS (continued) Patuxent River (Section 8) . 49 Middle W estem Shore (Section 9) . 49 Lower Potomac River (Section 10) . 49 Upper Potomac River (Section 11) . • . • . • . • . 53 Middle Eastern Shore (Section 12) . 53 Mid-Bay Island Complex (Section 13) . , . 53 Lower Bay Zone . 57 Lower Eastern Shore (Section 14) . 57 Reedville Region (Section 15) . 57 Rappahannock River Complex (Section 16) . 60 New Point Comfort Region (Section 17) . 60 Mobjack Bay Complex (Section 18) . 60 York River (Section 19) . 64 Lower Western Shore (Section 20) . 64 James River (Section 21) . 67 Chincoteague Bay . 67 LITERATURE CITED . 71 APPENDICES . 73 A. Species of submerged aquatic plants found in the Chesapeake Bay and tributaries . 75 B. Latitude and longitude coordinate points defining the 21 Chesapeake Bay sections and Chincoteague Bay . 89 C. USGS 7.5 minute quadrangles for Chesapeake Bay and Chincoteague Bay showing distribution, abundance, and ground trothing of SAV in 1992 95 Map Legend . 96 D. Number of square meters of SA V for individual beds and totals for density categories for each USGS 7.5 minute quadrangle in 1992 . 203 E. 1992 SAV ground survey data listed by USGS 7.5 minute quadrangle quadrangle and by 1992 SA V bed . 231 Key to Appendix E . 232 F. 1992 Hom Point Environmental Laboratory SA V ground survey of the Choptank River and Eastern Bay with listings by latitude and longitude coordinates . 247 iv TABLES Number Page 1 Guidelines followed during acquisition of aerial photographs 4 2 List of uses 7.5 minute quadrangles for Chesapeake Bay and Chincoteague Bay SAV study areas with corresponding code numbers . 7 3 Area descriptions for each of the 21 sections of the Chesapeake Bay SAV study area . 15 4 Total area of SAV in hectares by uses 7.5 minute quadrangles for 1991 and 1992 . 20 5 Number of hectares of SAVin 1991 and 1992 for the 21 sections and three zones of Chesapeake Bay, and for Chincoteague Bay . 24 6 Number of square meters of SAV in 1992 for each USGS 7.5 minute quadrangle of the 21 sections of Chesapeake Bay and of Chincoteague Bay . 25 7 Number of square meters of SA V in 1992 by density class for the 21 sections of Chesapeake Bay and for Chincoteague Bay . 33 V FIGURES Number Page 1 Map of Chesapeake Bay and tributaries with Upper, Middle, and Lower zones, and of Chincoteague Bay, with locations of all SA V beds in 1992 . x 2 A comparison of the total hectares of SAV for the Upper, Middle, and Lower zones of the Chesapeake Bay in 1991 and 1992 . xi 3 Number of hectares SAV per density class in 1992 by section and zone of the Chesapeake Bay. xii 4 Map of Chesapeake Bay, its tributaries, and of Chincoteague Bay with approximate locations of flight lines for 1992 SAV photography.. 3 S Location of USGS 7.5 minute quadrangles in the Chesapeake Bay, its tributaries, and in Chincoteague Bay with corresponding code numbers. 6 6 Crown density scale used for determining density of SAV beds ... 13 7 Location of Chincoteague Bay and Chesapeake Bay with Upper, :Middle, and Lower zones and 21 sections used for delineation of SAV distribution patterns . 14 8 Distribution of SAV in the Susquehanna Flats in 1992 (Section 1) . 39 9 Distribution of SAV in the Upper Eastern Shore in 1992 (Section 2) . 41 10 Distribution of SAV in the Upper Western Shore in 1992 (Section 3) . 42 11 Distribution of SAV in the Chester River in 1992 (Section 4) ..... 44 12 Distribution of SA Vin the Central Western Shore in 1992 (Section 5) 45 13 Distribution of SAV in the Eastern Bay in 1992 (Section 6) ..... 46 14 Distribution of SAV in the Chop tank River in 1992 (Section 7) . 48 15 Distribution of SAV in the Patuxent River in 1992 (Section 8). 50 vi FIGURES (continued) Number Page 16 Distribution of SAV in the Middle Western Shore in 1992 (Section 9) . 51 17 Distribution of SAV in the Lower Potomac River in 1992 (Section 10) 52 18 Distribution of SA V in the Upper Potomac River in 1992 (Section 11) 54 19 Distribution of SAV in the Middle Eastern Shore in 1992 (Section 12) . 55 20 Distribution of SA Vin the Mid-Bay Island Complex in 1992 (Section 13) . 56 21 Distribution of SAY in the Lower Eastern Shore (Section 14) ..... 58 22 Distribution of SAY in the Reedville Region in 1992 (Section 15) . 59 23 Distribution of SAV in the Rappahannock River Complex in 1992 (Section 16) . 61 24 Distribution of SAV in the New Point Comfort Region in 1992 (Section 17) . 62 25 Distribution of SAV in the Mobjack Bay Complex in 1992 (Section 18) . 63 26 Distribution of SAV in the York Riverin 1992 (Section 19) . 65 27 Distribution of SAV in the Lower Western Shore in 1992 (Section 20) .. 66 28 Distribution of SAV in the James River in 1992 (Section 21) ...... 68 29 Distribution of SAV in the Chincoteague Bay in 1992 69 30 Illustration of Chara spp. (Muskgrass) . 78 31 Illustration of Nitella spp. (Stonewort) . 79 32 Illustration of Najas guadalupensis (Southern naiad) .......... 80 33 Illustration of Vallisneria americana (Tapegrass) ............ 81 34 Illustration of Egeria spp. (Water-weed) ... 82 35 Illustration of Hydrilla verticillata (Hydrilla) 83 vii FIGURES (continued) Number Page 36 A comparison: illustrations of Hydrilla verticillata, Elodea canadensis, and Egeria spp. 84 37 A comparison: illustrations of Hydrilla verticillata, Elodea canadensis, and Egeria spp. 85 38 Illustration of Ceratophyllum demersum (Coontail) . 86 39 Illustration of Trapa natans (Water chestnut) . 87 40 illustration of Myriophyllum spicatum (Eurasian waterrnilloil) . 88 viii EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The distribution of submerged aquatic vegetation, principally rooted vascular macrophytes, in the Chesapeake Bay, its tributaries, and Chincoteague Bay, was mapped during May to October 1992 at a scale of 1:24,000 using black and white aerial photography. SAY bed perimeter information was digitized

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