The Ecosystem Impacts of Habitat Loss in the Chesapeake Bay, Predicted By An Atlantis Model

The Atlantis ecosystem modeling approach is an end-to-end simulation, integrating system information from array of disciplines and data at a variety of scales.  The approach complements existing stock assessment approaches by linking geophysical information, watershed nutrient dynamics, habitat studies, and fish and invertebrate population dynamics to fisheries production.  With results from simulations of the Chesapeake Atlantis Model, we discuss how the loss of marsh habitat in the Chesapeake Bay is predicted to affect Chesapeake populations, and what the consequences may be for ocean production of those species that rely on the largest estuary in the US.