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CBEFS

Chesapeake Bay Environmental Forecast System

Use our forecasts of temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, and other physical and chemical factors within the Chesapeake Bay to help monitor Bay health and plan your on-the-water activities. Based on observations and computer models developed by the Virginia Institute of Marine Science and partners, these tools accurately predict the current status of important environmental variables and how they are likely to change in the short-term.

Our Chesapeake Bay Environmental Forecast System simulates 4 conditions for each selected variable:

  1. Today's Forecast: present-day status of selected variable in Chesapeake Bay
  2. 2-Day Forecast: status of selected variable in the Bay for tomorrow, and
  3. 5-Day Forecast: status of selected variable for 5-day forecast, and
  4. Forecast Trend: difference between today's forecast and 5-day forecast (change over 5 days)

Click a selection below to access the specified simulation. Please see the contact information page for data requests and general contact information.

Dissolved Oxygen

Dissolved Oxygen (DO)

Discover when and where low-oxygen "dead zone" conditions may form.
Hypoxic Volume in Chesapeake Bay

Dead Zone Size

Track "hypoxia" in the Bay, as measured by the volume of waters where DO levels are below 2 mg/L.
DO Profile

Depth to Low Oxygen

Find the depth to fish-unfriendly waters where dissolved oxygen levels fall below 3 mg/L.
Dissolved Oxygen Time Series

Hypoxia through Time

View DO levels through time to understand the seasonal cycle in the Chesapeake Bay.
Bay Acidity

Acidification

Maps and line-plots of acidification metrics such as pH in the Bay and its lower tributaries
Bay Salinity

Bay Salinity

View salinity through time to understand its seasonal and weekly changes in the Chesapeake Bay.
Chesapeake Bay Temperature

Bay Temperature

View temperature through time to understand its seasonal and weekly changes in the Chesapeake Bay.
Tributary Salinity

Tributary Salinity

View a close-up of surface salinity in the James, York, and Rappahannock rivers.
Tributary Temperatures

Tributary Temperature

View a close-up of surface temperature in the James, York, and Rappahannock rivers.
Bay Nettles Forecast

Sea Nettles

Discover your chance of seeing sea nettles based on forecasts of salinity and water temperature.
HAB Forecast

Harmful Algal Blooms

View an experimental forecast of your likelihood of encountering a Harmful Algal Bloom.