2018 Maryland Coastal Bays Report Card

Abstract

The aim of this report card is to provide a transparent, timely, and geographically detailed assessment of 2018 Coastal Bays health. Coastal Bays health is defined as the progress of four water quality indicators (total nitrogen, total phosphorus, chlorophyll a, dissolved oxygen) and two biotic indicators (seagrass, hard clams) toward scientifically derived ecological thresholds or goals. In past years, the six indicators were combined into one Coastal Bays Health Index, which was presented as the report card score. In 2018, however, inclement weather and equipment issues prevented the gathering of hard clams and seagrass data, so an overall score could not be calculated. The water quality score (which excluded biotic indicators) for 2018 was a B.