Information AboutChesapeake Bay |
|
empties into it.]] The Chesapeake Bay is the largest , Pennsylvania , Delaware , Maryland , Virginia , and West Virginia . More than 150 rivers and streams drain into the Bay. The main stem of the Bay itself is about 189 Mile s (304 Km ) long, from the Susquehanna River in the north to the Atlantic Ocean in the south. At its narrowest point near Annapolis , Maryland, the Bay is 4 miles (6.4 km) wide; at its widest point, near the mouth of the Potomac River , it is 30 miles (50 km) wide. Total shoreline for the Bay is 11,684 miles (18 804 km), and the surface area of the Bay and its major tributaries is 4,479 mi&2 (11 600 km&2). The narrowest point of the Bay is spanned by the Chesapeake Bay Bridge . The Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel spans a 23 mile (37 km) section of the Bay at near its mouth. Geology The Bay is the Drowned Valley of the Susquehanna, meaning that was where the river flowed when sea level was lower. It is ''not'' a Fjord , since the Laurentide Ice Sheet never reached as far south as the northernmost point on the bay. Rather, the Bay's geology and its present form and its very location have also been affected by a Bolide Impact Event at the end of the Eocene (about 35.5 million years ago), forming the Chesapeake Bay Impact Crater . Parts of the Bay, especially the big parts by the coast line of Calvert County , are lined by cliffs as the result of receding waters millions of years ago. These cliffs, generally known as Calvert Cliffs , are famous for their Fossils , especially fossilized Shark teeth. Fossilized shark teeth are commonly found washed up on the beaches next to the cliffs. Scientist's Cliffs is a beach community in Calvert County , named so because of the cliffs' propensity for geological finds and numerous fossils. Much of the bay is quite shallow. At the point where the Susquehanna River flows into the bay the average depth is 30', although this soon diminishes to an average of 10' from the city of Havre de Grace for about 35 miles, to just north of Annapolis. A person 6 feet 7 inches (2 M ) tall could traverse some 700,000 Acre s (2 800 km&2) of the bay without being entirely submerged. On average, the depth of the Bay is less than 30 Feet or 9 Meters . The climate of the area surrounding the bay is primarily Humid Subtropical , with hot, very humid summers and mild, rainy winters. Only the area around the mouth of the Susquehanna River is continental in nature, and the mouth of the Susquehanna River and the Susquehanna flats often freeze in winter. History .]] The Chesapeake Bay was the site of the Battle Of The Chesapeake in 1781 , during which the French fleet defeated the Royal Navy in the decisive naval battle of the American Revolutionary War . Today, the Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant uses water from the Bay to cool its reactor. The bay is also known for the Chesapeake Bay Retriever , a Dog Breed developed in this area. Watershed The largest rivers flowing into the Bay are:
Fishing Industry of Chesapeake Bay]] The word ''Chesepiooc'' is an Algonquian word meaning "Great Shellfish Bay." The Bay was once known for its great seafood production, especially Blue Crabs , Clam s and Oyster s. The plentiful oyster harvests led to the development of the Skipjack , the State Boat of Maryland, which is the only remaining working boat type in the United States still under sail power. Today, the body of water is less productive than it used to be, because of runoff from urban areas (mostly on the western shore) and farms (especially on the Eastern Shore ), overharvesting, and invasion of foreign species. The bay though, still yields more Fish and Shellfish (about 45,000 short Ton s or 40 000 Tonnes yearly) than any other estuary in the United States. The Bay is famous for its Rockfish , also known as Striped Bass . Once on the verge of extinction, rockfish have made a significant comeback and are now able to be fished in strictly controlled and limited quantities. The Bay serves as the predominate source of Eel in the United States. In 2005 , local governments began debate on the introduction to certain parts of the Bay of a species of asian Oyster , to revive the lagging shellfish industry. Deteriorating environmental conditions In the that a wader may lose sight of his feet before his knees are wet. Efforts of local and state government, and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation , to restore or at least maintain the current water quality have had mixed results. One particular obstacle to cleaning up the Bay is that much of the polluting substances arise far upstream in tributaries lying within states far removed from the Bay itself. See also External links
|