Geography of New York Harbor
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This article provides a brief introduction to both natural and manmade geographic features of New York Harbor from a maritime or aquatic perspective, followed by a catalogue by type of features. The system of waterways surrounding Upper New York Bay forms one of the most intricate natural harbors in the world, a fact that is reflected in the diversity of place names. Although the overall form of the Harbor remains unchanged from the time of Giovanni da Verrazzano, no part of it remains unaffected by human activity, and some parts, such as Hell Gate and Ellis Island have been almost completely altered. In the greatest hidden change, the navigational channels have been deepened from the natural 17 feet depth to 45 feet, in some places requiring blasting of schist, marble or gneiss bedrock.
New York Harbor lays at the confluence of three major bodies of waters. The harbor opens onto the New York Bight (Atlantic Ocean) to the southeast and Long Island Sound to the northeast. Both of these are essentially marine bodies with both tides and saltwater, but the Sound compared to the Atlantic is about 20-30% less saline (as an estuary), and the tide is about 3 hours later with as much as 70% more variation. The Hudson River adds a fresher, non-tidal inflow from the north, although the tide and brackishness extend well up river. These three combine to generate an extremely complex system of tides and currents throughout the extended hydrologic system from Albany to Montauk Point to the Hudson Canyon region of the New York Bight.
The list below includes features adjacent to of New York City and neighboring New Jersey that are part of the Harbor with a waterborne emphasis starting with natural features. Where possible the list proceeds from Lower Bay entrance approximately clockwise around Harbor. The alternative sorting is by jurisdiction. Official references are the NOAA Coastal pilot<ref name="nyh_pilot"> Chapter 11, New York Harbor and Approaches, Coast Pilot 2, 35th Edition, 2006, Office of Coast Survey, NOAA. </ref>, NOAA nautical charts<ref name="nyh_chart">NOAA nautical charts 12327 New York Harbor (1:40,000 scale), 12324 Sandy Hook to Little Egg, 12350 Jamaica Bay and Rockaway Inlet, 12402, 12401 New York Lower Bay, 12331 Raritan Bay and southern part of Arthur Kill, 12332 Raritan River, 12333 Kill van Kull and northern part of Arthur Kill, 12334 New York Harbor (Upper Bay and Narrows, 12337, 12335, 12338, 12341, 12339, 12366 Long Island Sound and East River, found on page Nautical charts Atlantic Coast charts online, Office of Coast Survey, NOAA.</ref>, and USGS topographic maps.<ref name="usgs_topo"> USGS topographic maps, 1:24,000 scale, listed from west to east (in a row), then north to south:
- Yonkers, Mount Vernon, Mamaroneck;
- Orange, Weehawken, Central Park Flushing, Seacliff;
- Elizabeth, Jersey City, Brooklyn, Jamaica, Lynbrook;
- Perth Amboy, Arthur Kill The Narrows, Coney Island, Far Rockaway;
- South Amboy, Keyport, Sandy Hook West, Sandy Hook East.</ref>
Many jurisdictional issues appear in U.S. law.<ref name="usc33"> Title 33.Navigation And Navigable Waters USC. See Section 59.</ref>
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[edit] Rivers and streams
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Bi-state
New Jersey |
New York |
[edit] Tidal straits
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Inter-state |
New York |
[edit] Bays, inlets and coves
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Lower Bay
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East River
Long Island Sound
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[edit] Islands
[edit] New Jersey
- Robbins Reef
- Plum Island, Sandy Hook Bay
- Ellis Island<ref name="ellis_nj">
All of the landfill portion of Ellis Island beyond its 1834 waterfront is in Hudson, County, NJ. All water surrounding Liberty and Ellis Islands is in Hudson County.</ref>
[edit] New York
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Bronx County |
Kings County Jamaica Bay islands
New York County Upper Bay islands
East River islands |
Queens County Jamaica Bay islands
Richmond County Westchester County |
[edit] Land features
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[edit] Banks and shoals
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Lower Bay
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Upper Bay
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East River
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[edit] Navigational channels
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Lower Bay
Raritan Bay
Jamaica Bay
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Arthur Kill
Newark Bay
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Kill van Kull
Upper Bay
USACE, Nov. 2004: "Partial Anchorage Channel:Starts approximately 3,990 Ft. seaward of Red Gas #2; Ends approximately 1,660 Ft. landward of Red Light & Bell #21. Authorized project: Width: 2000 ft, Length: 2.34 nmiles, Depth 45 ft.... Shoaling exists and begins approximately 2,230 Ft. seaward of Red Gas #2 and proceeds landward with a length of approximately 600 Ft. and a width of approximately 60 Ft." Also Hearing Notice for Department of the Army Corps of Engineers, N.Y.S. Department of Environmental Conservation 21/1/2004. Simplified map Bayonne Peninsula Chap. 6, CPIP Toolkit, PANYNJ.</ref>
Hudson River
East River
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[edit] Port facilities
New Jersey numerous bulk facilities, especially petroleum, not listed
- Auto Marine Terminal Bayonne and Jersey City
- Port Newark-Elizabeth Marine Terminal
New York
Brooklyn
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Queens |
Staten Island |
[edit] Lights and lighthouses
For lists see<ref name="lights-nps">of Historic Light Stations New Jersey Lighthouses and Inventory of Historic Light Stations New York Lighthouses NPS lists.</ref> and <ref name="lights-friends"> New York Lighthouses and New York Lighthouses Lighthouse Friends 2001-2005.</ref>. Active unless noted.
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[edit] Waterfront jurisdictions
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[edit] Notes
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