Abstract |
A critical step in understanding the effects of toxic substances on the Chesapeake Bay's ecosystems is knowing the types and quantities of substances being delivered to the estuary. The Chesapeake Bay Fall Line Toxics Monitoring Program was established in April, 1990 as a pilot study to define the magnitude and timing of toxic substances entering the Chesapeake Bay from the area above the fall line of the Susquehanna and James rivers. This report focused on samples collected between March 1992 and March 1993. The purpose of this study was to: determine the ambient concentrations, nature, and transport of selected metals and organic contaminants over a range of hydrologic conditions in three major tributaries to the Chesapeake Bay; improve monthly and annual load estimates of metals and organic contaminants entering the estuary at three tributaries to the Chesapeake Bay by employing ultra clean sampling techniques and lowering analytical quantitation levels; and upgrade the quality assurance program by increasing the number of quality-control samples in order to ensure the adequacy of sampling procedures and sample analysis. |