ANNAPOLIS, Md. — The health of the Chesapeake Bay declined in an annual report card on the nation’s largest estuary released Tuesday, with scientists noting the effect of extreme rainfall patterns during the hottest year on record.
The University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science gave the bay a C grade in its report card. That compares to a C-plus grade the bay received last year, which was the highest grade it had received since 2002.
“There was a substantial upturn in the overall Bay Health score in 2024, and it came down a little this year,” said Heath Kelsey, director of UMCES Integration and Application Network. “Over the long term, though, there is still an improving trend from the 1980s until now. We think extreme weather may have had some impact on the scores this year.”…