Turbidity and the Chesapeake


2007 Bernie Fowler Wade-In in the Patuxent River. Photo courtesy of Alicia Pimental

Every spring, hundreds of people around the watershed conduct wade-ins into the Chesapeake or one of its many rivers. At these events, participants wade into the water until they can no longer see their feet. In addition to raising awareness about the health of the Bay, these folks are conducting their own science experiment about turbidity. What is turbidity anyway?

Turbidity is the decreased clarity in a body of water due to the suspension of silt or sedimentary material. Said another way, it is the amount of solid particles that are suspended in water and that cause light rays shining through the water to scatter.

Water clarity is a measure of the amount of sunlight that penetrates into the water. When there is high turbidity and low water clarity in the Bay and its rivers, the water is generally "cloudy" or "muddy".

Take an interactive journey to find out what factors affect the clarity of water and learn about turbidity's impact on the most famous wade-in of all! Just click on the arrow below to start the activity.

Return to: Investigate Turbidity

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