Chesapeake Bay at a glance
- 7 maverage depth
- 7 mmedian depth
- 47 mmaximum depth
- 9,333 km²water area
Chesapeake Bay is a bay. It is very shallow: nowhere in it is deeper than a few tens of metres in the grid. Inside its outline the GEBCO grid has about 9,333 km² of water, with an average depth of about 7 m (the middle value is 7 m) and a maximum of 47 m, found at 38.34° N, 76.31° W.
Open the map at the deepest cell and tap to read the depth.
How deep is each part of the Chesapeake Bay?
The bar splits the Chesapeake Bay's water by depth. Each colour is a depth band, and the shares add up to 100%.
- 0 to 200 m: 100%
- 200 to 1,000 m: 0%
- 1,000 to 4,000 m: 0%
- 4,000 to 6,000 m: 0%
- below 6,000 m: 0%
Named features near the deepest point: Hudson Canyon (362 km), Gasline Ridge (548 km), Long Point-Erie Ridge (569 km), Clear Creek Ridge (578 km).
The Chesapeake Bay if sea level dropped
The slider on the map lowers the sea in steps. This table shows how much of the Chesapeake Bay's water would be land at each step.
| Sea level lowered by | Becomes land | Share of its water |
|---|---|---|
| 10 m | 6,591 km² | 70.6% |
| 20 m | 9,100 km² | 97.5% |
| 50 m | 9,333 km² | 100% |
| 80 m | 9,333 km² | 100% |
| 120 m | 9,333 km² | 100% |
| 200 m | 9,333 km² | 100% |
| 500 m | 9,333 km² | 100% |
| 1,000 m | 9,333 km² | 100% |
| 2,000 m | 9,333 km² | 100% |
| 3,000 m | 9,333 km² | 100% |
| 4,000 m | 9,333 km² | 100% |
| 6,000 m | 9,333 km² | 100% |
A simple bathtub model: it lowers the sea everywhere by the same amount and does not simulate how water would really drain.
Nearby seas
- Gulf of Saint Lawrence average depth about 163 m
- Sargasso Sea average depth about 5,394 m
- Gulf of Mexico average depth about 1,583 m
- Labrador Sea average depth about 1,948 m
- Caribbean Sea average depth about 2,547 m
- Hudson Bay average depth about 111 m
Nearest by the centre of each outline. All oceans and seas
Frequently asked questions
How deep is the Chesapeake Bay?
On average about 7 m in the GEBCO grid (the middle value is 7 m). The deepest cell inside its outline is 47 m, at 38.34° N, 76.31° W.
How big is the Chesapeake Bay?
About 9,333 km² of water inside its Natural Earth outline, counted from the grid cells that are below sea level.
How much of the Chesapeake Bay would be land if sea level dropped?
With the sea 10 m lower, about 6,591 km² (70.6%) of its water would be land. At 6,000 m lower, 100% would be. This is a simple bathtub model that lowers the sea evenly everywhere.
Data: depths from the GEBCO_2026 grid, statistics worked out inside the Natural Earth outline of the bay. See data sources and licences. The GEBCO Grid should NOT be used for navigation or for any other purpose involving safety at sea.