Geography of New York–New Jersey Harbor Estuary
Geography of New York–New Jersey Harbor Estuary
The New York–New Jersey Harbor Estuary, also known as the Hudson-Raritan Estuary, is in the Mid-Atlantic states of New Jersey and New York on the East Coast of the United States. The system of waterways of the Port of New York and New Jersey forms one of the most intricate natural harbors in the world.[1][2] The harbor opens onto the New York Bight in the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast and Long Island Sound to the northeast.
Although the overall form of the estuary remains unchanged from the time of Giovanni da Verrazzano's visit in 1524, 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 (5.2 m) depth to 45 feet (14 m), in some places requiring blasting of bedrock.[3]
There is an extremely complex system of tides and currents. Both the Bight and the Sound 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. Rivers add a fresher, non-tidal inflow although the tide and brackishness extend well up rivers [4] throughout the extended hydrologic system from Albany to Montauk Point to the Hudson Canyon region of the New York Bight. The New York Harbor Observing and Prediction System (NYHOPS [30] ) utilizes information from sensors, weather forecasts, and environment models to provide real-time forecasts of meteorological and oceanographic conditions in the area.
Since the Ash Wednesday Storm of 1962 beaches along the shores of the East Coast have been regularly replenished with sand pumped in from off-shore.[5][6] The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) coordinates the projects.[7][8] In 2016 the USACE and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey produced a comprehensive restoration plan for the harbour region, which included proposals to mitigate the effects of sea-level rise through projects to restore natural areas.[9]
Features of the harbor estuary
The lists below includes features of the Port of New York and New Jersey with a waterborne emphasis, starting with natural features. Where possible the list proceeds from the Lower Bay entrance approximately clockwise around the Harbor. The alternative sorting is by jurisdiction.
Rivers and streams
Bi-state
Hudson River lowest section also called the North River
New Jersey
Berrys Creek
Dwars Kill
Elizabeth River
Hackensack River
Overpeck Creek
Passaic River First River (a.k.a. Mill Brook) Second River Third River
Rahway River
Raritan River
Shrewsbury River
Morses Creek
Piles Creek
New York
Alley Creek
Bronx River
Coney Island Creek
Flushing River
Fresh Kills
Gerritsen Creek
Gowanus Canal (formerly Gowanus Creek)
Hawtree Creek
Hook Creek
Hutchinson River
Luyster Creek
Main Creek
Newtown Creek Dutch Kills English Kills Maspeth Creek Whale Creek
Richmond Creek
Sherman Creek
Smith Creek
Springville Creek
Tibbetts Brook
Tidal straits
Inter-state
Arthur Kill
Kill Van Kull
Long Island Sound
New York
Bronx Kill
Buttermilk Channel
East River
Grass Hassock Channel
Harlem River
Hell Gate
The Narrows
Pumpkin Patch Channel
Rockaway Inlet
Spuyten Duyvil
Bays, inlets and coves
New York Bay
Lower New York Bay Gravesend Bay Great Hills Harbor Jamaica Bay Bergen Basin Fresh Creek Basin Grassy Bay Head of Bay Thurston Basin Mill Basin Norton Basin Paerdegat Basin Leonardo Harbor Prince's Bay Raritan Bay Rockaway Inlet Dead Horse Bay Sheepshead Bay
Upper New York Bay Atlantic Basin Communipaw Erie Basin Gowanus Bay Harsimus Cove John's Cove Long Canal Morris Canal Basin Newark Bay Weehawken Cove
East River
Bowery Bay
Bushwick Inlet
Flushing Bay Little Bay
Hallets Cove
Newtown Creek
Powell's Cove
Wallabout Bay (Navy Yard Basin)
Westchester Creek
Long Island Sound
City Island Harbor
Eastchester Bay
Little Neck Bay
Pelham Bay
Islands
Bi-state
Ellis Island—All of the landfill portion of Ellis Island beyond its 1834 waterfront is in Jersey City, New Jersey, as is all water surrounding Liberty and Ellis Islands. The original island is an exclave in New York State.[15]
Liberty Island, exclave of New York within surrounding waters of Jersey City
Shooters Island at head of Kill Van Kull in Newark Bay, part in New Jersey and part in New York
New Jersey
Plum Island, Sandy Hook Bay
Robbins Reef
New York
Land features
New Jersey
Bergen Neck
Bergen Point
Constable Hook
Droyer's Point
Kearny Point
New Barbadoes Neck
Paulus Hook
Sandy Hook
New York
Coney Island (formerly an island)
Fort Washington Point
Red Hook
Rockaway Point
Rodman's Neck
Throgs Neck
Ward's Point
Willets Point
Banks and shoals
Navigational channels
Port facilities
One of the many duties of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is to develop trade interests in the New York-New Jersey area. The Port Authority operates most of the containerized port facilities listed here, and also collaborates with the Army Corps of Engineers to maintain shipping channels in the harbor.
New Jersey (numerous privately operated bulk facilities, especially petroleum, are not listed)
Auto Marine Terminal [31] , Bayonne and Jersey City — Port Authority
Global Marine Terminal [32] , Jersey City — privately operated
Port Jersey
Port Newark–Elizabeth Marine Terminal, Newark and Elizabeth — Port Authority
New York
Brooklyn Red Hook Container Terminal — Port Authority South Brooklyn Marine Terminal — City of New York
Staten Island Howland Hook Marine Terminal — Port Authority
Lights and lighthouses
New Jersey
Conover Beacon (Chapel Hill Front Range)
Great Beds Light
Old Orchard Shoal Light
Robbins Reef Light
Romer Shoal Light
Sandy Hook Light
West Bank Light (Range Front)
New York
Ambrose Light
Lightship Ambrose (to Scotland Station, NJ, 1933; decommissioned 1968)
Blackwell Island Lighthouse (decommissioned 1934)
Coney Island Light (Nortons Point)
Execution Rocks Light
Fort Wadsworth Light (decommissioned 1965)
Jeffreys Hook Light
Kings Point Light
New Dorp Light (Swash Channel Range Rear, decommissioned 1964)
Prince's Bay Light (decommissioned 1922)
Staten Island Range Light
Statue of Liberty (discontinued 1902)
Stepping Stones Light
Throgs Neck Light
Whitestone Point Light
Waterfront jurisdictions
Government and other agencies
Immigration and Customs Enforcement
National Park Service
New Jersey Meadowlands Commission
Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor
State, county, municipal
Monmouth County Waterwitch Highlands Atlantic Highlands Leonardo Belford Port Monmouth Keansburg Port Comfort Union Beach Keyport
Middlesex County Laurence Harbor Morgan South Amboy Perth Amboy Sewaren Port Reading Chrome Carteret
Union County Tremley Point Grasselli Linden Elizabeth Elizabethport
Essex County Newark
Hudson County Bayonne Port Johnson Liberty State Park Jersey City Hoboken Weehawken West New York North Bergen Edgewater
New York
New York City Manhattan, New York County[15][22] Brooklyn, Kings County Floyd Bennett Field Manhattan Beach Brighton Beach Coney Island Gravesend Bensonhurst Fort Hamilton Bath Beach Bay Ridge Red Hook South Brooklyn Brooklyn Heights Queens, Queens County Lower Bay Far Rockaway Rockaway Point Breezy Point East River Flushing Willets Point La Guardia Airport The Bronx, Bronx County City Island Staten Island, Richmond County Port Richmond Elm Park Mariners Harbor West New Brighton Sailors Snug Harbor New Brighton Tottenville Charleston Port Socony Travis Chelsea St. George Tompkinsville
See also
New York Harbor Storm-Surge Barrier
Marine life of New York–New Jersey Harbor Estuary
Newark Basin
New York Harbor