In the 45,000-square-mile Chesapeake Bay, the nation's largest estuary, nitrogen and phosphorus from sewage treatment plants and urban and agricultural runoff constantly suffocate marine life. "What happens in the Chesapeake Bay is not only important to our residents, but it also affects the seafood industry, recreational and commercial fishermen all along the Atlantic coast," said Allison Colden, chief scientist at the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. , an independent conservation organization. Despite decades of cleanup efforts and evolving Environmental Protection Agency regulations, the bay remains in critical condition. To make matters worse, climate change is exacerbating the region's problems. Increased rainfall, which washes more nutrients into the bay, and warming water temperatures make it harder to reverse the damage already done in the bay. This project was published in association with Baltimore Brew and supported in part by generous grants from the Pulitzer Center, Society of Environmental Journalists, Institute for Journalism and Natural Resources. (By Duy Linh Tu, Sebastian Tuinder)