Chesapeake Bay Program partners released information on Nov. 30 on the state of the 2021 Chesapeake Bay “dead zone.”

While last year’s dead zone was the second smallest observed since 1985, this year’s assessment paints a more complex picture of the bay’s health.

Throughout the year, researchers track bay oxygen conditions using a variety of methods. Oxygen and nutrient levels are measured as part of the Chesapeake Bay Monitoring Program, a bay-wide effort involving watershed jurisdictions, several federal agencies, 10 academic institutions and over 30 scientists. Among these institutions, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Virginia Department of Environmental Quality and Old Dominion University conduct nine cruises between May and October to track summer hypoxia in the bay. Results from each monitoring cruise can be accessed through the Eyes on the Bay website for the Maryland portion of the bay and the VECOS website for the Virginia portion. Scientists at the Virgin...