About the Upper Chesapeake -- Follow the links to dive deeper.
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1.
The present shape and shorelines of the Chesapeake Bay estuary are only 8,000 years old. The bay began to form about 16,000 years ago as the world climate warmed, melted ice caps, raised global sea levels, and flooded the lower end of the Susquehanna River. The upper bay extends from Havre de Grace to Rock Hall.
2.
The fortified Susquehanna Flats, the largest bed of underwater grasses in the Chesapeake Bay and a popular fishing spot, seems able to withstand a major weather punch. Its resilience is contributing to an overall increase in the Bay’s submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV), a key indicator of ecosystem health. US EPA
3.
The upper Bay is the link between the Chesapeake and the Delaware Bay systems. The Elk River meets the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal just a few miles up river from Turkey Point Lighthouse. The canal saves approximately 300 miles on the route between Wilmington and Baltimore, and similar for Philadelphia to Baltimore... otherwise ships would have to go around the entire DELMARVA peninsula
4
Much of the Bay is shallow. At the point where the Susquehanna River flows into the Bay, the average depth is 30 feet (9 m), although this soon diminishes to an average of 10 feet (3 m) southeast of the city of Havre de Grace, Maryland, to about 35 feet (11 m) just north of Annapolis. On average, the depth of the Bay is 21 feet (6.4 m), including tributaries;[13] over 24 percent of the Bay is less than 6 ft (2 m) deep.[14]
