The Chesapeake Bay mouth (see Map) is the link between the Chesapeake Bay and the coastal waters of the adjacent continental shelf. The Chesapeake Bay mouth is about 25 km wide with shoals about 8 m deep and three channels 15 m to 25 m deep: from south to north, Thimble Shoal (TSC), Chesapeake (CC), and Beach (BC) Channels. Only Thimble Shoal and Chesapeake Channels have a direct communication deeper than 10 m to the adjacent continental shelf.
Since April 1992 and always during high spring tides, the Center for Coastal Physical Oceanography with support from the Department of Ocean, Earth & Atmospheric Sciences, Old Dominion University has completed 139 hydrographic sections of the Chesapeake Bay mouth (as of January 2003). The section runs approximately parallel to the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and Tunnel. CTD stations are approximately 1.8 km (1 nm) apart.
The temperature, salinity, density, transmissivity, and chlorophyll fluorescence measurements collected in all of the cruises can be accessed using the menus below. Click on "GO!" for the most recent cruise, June 2004, or choose a year, month and field first.
