METRIC: An interactive framework for integrated visualization and analysis of monitored and expected load reductions for nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment in the Chesapeake Bay watershed

Abstract

Reductions of nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment loads have been the focus of watershed restoration in many regions for improving water quality, including the Chesapeake Bay. Watershed models and riverine monitoring data can provide important information on the progress of load reductions but do not always generate consistent interpretations. A new framework for integrated visualization and analysis of monitoring and modeling data, named “Monitored and Expected Total Reduction Indicator for the Chesapeake (METRIC),” was developed to provide spatially explicit trends for the subwatersheds of the Chesapeake Bay. METRIC contains up-to-date information on nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment at 83, 66, and 66 stations, respectively, which can help watershed managers gauge expectations on the trajectory and pace of progress at localized scales. These results were further synthesized to better understand the spatial patterns of the response classes (i.e., agreement between the expected and monitored trends) across the Chesapeake Bay watershed.