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Chesapeake Bay NERR in Virginia

CBNERR-VA Water Quality Data Portal

The Chesapeake Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve in Virginia (CBNERR-VA) manages and analyzes data products associated with two water quality monitoring databases and associated web applications, including the Virginia Estuarine and Coastal Observing System (https://vecos.vims.edu) and the Chesapeake Monitoring Cooperative Data Explorer (https://cmc.vims.edu/), accounting for hundreds of millions of water quality observations in the Chesapeake Bay. 

Virginia Estuarine and Coastal Observing System (VECOS) 

The Virginia Estuarine and Coastal Observing System (VECOS) distributes water quality data observed by the CBNERR-VA and its partners in Virginia tidal waters of the Chesapeake Bay.

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 Click image for link to app dashboard.

VECOS Data Applications

VECOS translates near real-time water quality measurements into interactive dashboards on key topics such as marine heatwaves, speckled trout cold stuns, and algal blooms. Browse the dashboards here.

 

 

 

 

CMC Data Explorer

In partnership with the Chesapeake Monitoring Cooperative, CBNERR-VA develops and manages the CMC Data Explorer, a tool for storing and sharing data collected by a network of community-science based water quality and benthic macroinvertebrate monitors working at locations throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed . These data are publicly accessible and are shared directly with the Chesapeake Bay Program and other data users.

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Virginia Data Explorer

Through a partnership with Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, CBNERR-VA develops and maintains the Virginia Data Explorer, an extension of the CMC Data Explorer supporting data collected by a network of community-science based water quality and benthic macroinvertebrate monitors working at locations throughout Virginia. 

West Virginia Data Explorer

Through a partnership with the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, CBNERR-VA develops and maintains the West Virginia Data Explorer, an extension of the CMC Data Explorer supporting data collected by a network of community-science based water quality and benthic macroinvertebrate monitors working at locations throughout West Virginia.

 

Regional and National Partnerships

In addition to providing data through our local monitoring platforms, CBNERR-VA contributes water quality and environmental monitoring data to several regional and national data portals. These shared data systems help make long-term monitoring information more accessible to researchers, resource managers, educators, and the public.

Our data can also be accessed through the following partner portals:

  • NERRS Centralized Data Management Office (CDMO) — National access point for National Estuarine Research Reserve System monitoring data. CBNERR-VA submits water quality, meteorological, and Submerged Aquatic Vegetation (SAV) monitoring data associated with Reserve's System-Wide Monitoring Program to the CDMO. 
  • Chesapeake Bay Program Data Hub — Chesapeake Bay Program (CBP) Data Hub portal  for searching and downloading environmental data from across the watershed. CBNERR-VA contributes verification data associated with the Shallow Water Quality Monitoring Program to the CBP Data Hub.  
  • NOAA Chesapeake Bay Interpretive Buoy System — National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) portal providing real-time Chesapeake Bay buoy observations. CBNERR-VA maintains multiple buoys in Virginia tidal waters. 

For questions regarding the CBNERR-VA data products, please reach out to Cassia Pianca or David Parrish.