| Jamaica Bay | |
|---|---|
| Grassy Bay | |
 Map of Jamaica Bay, with subway lines and major roads | |
  Jamaica Bay | |
| Location | New York City and Nassau County |
| Coordinates | 40°37′04″N73°50′33″W / 40.61778°N 73.84250°W /40.61778; -73.84250 |
| Etymology | Lenape |
| Primary outflows | Rockaway Inlet |
Jamaica Bay (also known asGrassy Bay) is anestuary on the southern portion of the western tip ofLong Island, in theU.S. state ofNew York. The estuary is partially man-made, and partially natural. The bay connects withLower New York Bay to the west, throughRockaway Inlet, and is the westernmost of the coastal lagoons on the south shore of Long Island. Politically, it is primarily divided between the boroughs ofBrooklyn andQueens inNew York City, with a small part touchingNassau County.
The bay contains numerous marshy islands. It was known asGrassy Bay as late as the 1940s. Jamaica Bay is located adjacent to the confluence of theNew York Bight and New York Bay, and is at the turning point of the primarily east-west oriented coastline of southernNew England and Long Island and the north-south oriented coastline of the mid-Atlantic coast.
The name derives from the nearby town ofJamaica, which in turn derives fromYameco, a corruption of a word for "beaver" in theLenape language spoken by the Native Americans who lived in the area at the time of first European contact.[1] The liquid "y" sound of English is spelled with a "j" in Dutch, the language of the first people to write about the area; the English retained this Dutch spelling, but, after repeated reading and speaking of "Jamaica", slowly replaced the liquid sound with the hard "j" of the English pronunciation of the name today.[2] (The name of the Caribbean island countryJamaica is unrelated, coming from theTaíno termXaymaca, meaning "land of wood and water" or "land of springs"; the "x" spelling became a hard "j".[3][4])
The location of Jamaica Bay, combined with its rich food resources, make it an important habitat for both plants and animals.[5] This geographic location also provides valuable feeding habitat to marine andestuarine species migrating between the New York Bight and theHudson River andRaritan River estuaries, and to a diverse community of migratory birds and insects that use the Bay for refueling during transit between summer breeding and overwintering grounds.[6] While the resident wildlife of Jamaica Bay are poorly studied, survey data indicate that Jamaica Bay and theRockaways support seasonal or year-round populations of at least 325 bird species, more than 100 species of fish, and more than 80 butterfly species.[5]
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Jamaica Bay is asaline tobrackish,eutrophic (nutrient-rich) estuary covering about 25,000 acres (100 km2), with a mean depth of 13 feet (4.0 m), a semidiurnal tidal range averaging 4.9 ft (1.5 m), and aresidence time of about three weeks. The bay communicates with Lower New York Bay and the Atlantic Ocean via Rockaway Inlet, a high current area that is 0.6 mi (0.97 km) wide at its narrowest point, with an average depth of 23 ft (7.0 m). Measurements taken during recent surveys in Jamaica Bay indicate average yearly ranges for temperature of 34 to 79 °F (1 to 26 °C), salinity of 20.5 to 26 parts per thousand,dissolved oxygen of 3.5 to 18.5 milligrams/liter, and pH of 6.8 to 9. Loadings of nutrients and organic matter into the bay fromsewage treatment plants and runoff result inphytoplankton blooms and highsuspended-solid concentrations which, in turn, result inturbid water and low bottom dissolved oxygen concentrations.
Jamaica Bay is in the southern portion of theNew York metropolitan area, and the uplands around the bay, as well as much of the Rockaway barrier beach, are dominated by urban residential, commercial, and industrial development. The bay itself has been disturbed bydredging, filling, and development. About 49 square kilometres (19 sq mi) of the original 65 square kilometres (25 sq mi) of wetlands in the bay have been filled in, mostly around the perimeter of the bay. Extensive areas of the bay have been dredged for navigation channels and to provide fill for theairports and other construction projects. This includesJohn F. Kennedy International Airport (commonly known as JFK Airport) on the northeastern side of the bay, as well as the historic and now-defunctFloyd Bennett Field on the western side.[7]
The center of the bay is dominated bysubtidal open water and extensive low-lying islands with areas of salt marsh, intertidal flats, and uplands important for colonial nesting waterbirds. The average mean low tide exposes 350 acres (1.4 km2) ofmudflat, 940 acres (3.8 km2) of low salt marsh dominated by low marsh cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora), and 520 acres (2.1 km2) of high marsh dominated by high marsh cordgrass (Spartina patens). The extensive intertidal areas are rich in food resources, including a variety ofbenthicinvertebrates andmacroalgae dominated bysea lettuce (Ulva latuca). These rich food resources attract a variety of fish, shorebirds, and waterfowl. In addition, two freshwater impoundments were created on Rulers Bar Hassock in theJamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge; the smaller 49 acres (0.20 km2) freshwater West Pond is kept as open water, and the larger 120 acres (0.49 km2) slightly brackish East Pond is controlled to expose mudflats. Some of theislands in the bay have upland communities, includinggrasslands consisting oflittle bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium),switchgrass (Panicum virgatum), andseaside goldenrod (Solidago sempervirens); scrub-shrub containingbayberry (Myrica pensylvanica),beach plum (Prunus maritima),sumac (Rhus spp.), andpoison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans); developingwoodland consisting ofhackberry (Celtis occidentalis),willow (Salix spp.),black cherry (Prunus serotina), andtree-of-heaven (Ailanthus altissima); and beachgrass (Ammophila breviligulata) dune. Species introduced in the refuge to attract wildlife includeautumn olive (Elaeagnus umbellata),Japanese black pine (Pinus thunbergii), and Japanese barberry (Berberis thunbergii).
Some modifications to Jamaica Bay were conducted in the early 20th century as a result of a never-realized plan to develop Jamaica Bay as a seaport. As early as 1886, the U.S. Engineering Department (a part of theArmy Corps of Engineers) had created plans to dredgeRockaway Inlet in preparation for constructing a largeseaport in Jamaica Bay. These plans were scrapped because there was not enough commercial traffic to justify the construction.[8] Over the next two decades, commercial activity in New York City increased.[9] New proposals for the Jamaica Bay seaport emerged in the 1900s. By 1905, the value of the city's manufacturing sector was assessed at $1.5 billion, a figure cited by supporters of the Jamaica Bay project.[10][8]
In 1910, developers unveiled a plan to convert Jamaica Bay to a seaport district as part of theNew York State Barge Canal project, which would connectHudson River to theGreat Lakes by way of a new canal inupstate New York.[10][8] The new seaport would convert existing inland creeks into barge canals with lengths of up to 1.5 miles (2.4 km), and the 25 square miles (65 km2) area of the bay was to be dredged. An aggregate 4,200 acres (1,700 ha) of marshlands in the bay would be converted to land that could be built upon, while residential communities would be built on Long Island for port workers. Railroads would be built to collect cargo from piers, and a canal would extend northward across Long Island to theLong Island Sound.[10]
The project began in 1911,[11] despite doubts about the feasibility of the project. Some engineers believed that shifting sand dunes and the tides in Jamaica Bay might make it impossible to construct the seaport district.[12][9] The next year, developers began dredging within Jamaica Bay in order to make it navigable for the large vessels that were supposed to use the bay.[13][14] Significant progress on the dredging had been completed by 1918, and the city allowed the construction of several piers.[11] However, only one pier was built nearBarren Island. The pier, which was to receive landfill for the other proposed piers, stretched 1 mile (1.6 km) northeast and was 700 feet (210 m) wide.[15] A total of six such piers were planned for this area.[16] In June 1918, a 447-foot-long (136 m) municipally owned pier was opened atMill Basin. At the time, there were proposals to fill in 8,000 acres (3,200 ha) between Mill and Barren Islands so 14 more piers could be built.[17] With the United States' entry intoWorld War I, the project was abandoned.[18][9]
The plans were revived by 1927. At the time, the docklands were expected to gain a connection to theLong Island Rail Road.[19] Planners wanted to create a spur of theBay Ridge Branch south to Flatlands, with two branches toCanarsie and Mill Basin.[20] A connection toStaten Island would be built via the plannedStaten Island Tunnel, which would in turn allow freight to be delivered and shipped to the rest of the continental United States.[16] By 1928, theBarren Island Airport was being constructed on the bay's west shore, and advocates for the seaport project were pushing the city to construct the docklands simultaneously.[21] ThePort Authority of New York and New Jersey offered to build the new railroad link for $2 million and lease it to the city.[22] In 1930, the city approved of a report recommending the acquisition of aright-of-way for a proposed LIRR branch toPaerdegat Basin. The railroad would connect to theNew York Connecting Railroad, which would then connect to the national railroad system at large. Dredging Paerdegat Basin was a key part of the plan, as it would allow easier access for ships headed to Canarsie. As part of the updated proposal, two artificial islands for shipping operations would be built in Jamaica Bay.[23]
In January 1931, theNew York City Board of Estimate approved a plan to build railroads on both sides of Paerdegat Basin, connecting the LIRR toCanarsie Pier to the east and toFloyd Bennett Field to the west.[24] By that time, the city had spent $10 million, and the federal government $2 million, toward improving the bay for a proposed seaport district. Supporters of the new proposal included MayorJimmy Walker, President of AldermenFiorello La Guardia, City Comptroller Charles Berry, and Brooklyn's and Queens' borough presidents.[25]New Jersey opposed the Jamaica Bay project, since it wanted to build the competingPort of Newark. There was enough federal money for both projects, though.[26] However,Robert Moses, the New York City Parks Commissioner at the time, was critical of the seaport project. He instead proposed a series of parks and parkways around New York City, includingBelt Parkway along the northern and western shores of Jamaica Bay.[27] Under Moses's leadership, theNew York City Department of Parks and Recreation moved to convert much of the Jamaica Bay area into a city park.[28] In 1949, theNew York City Board of Estimate approved Moses's proposal, ending all plans for the seaport project.[29] The only thing that was completed was the dredging of Paerdegat Basin to a 16-foot (4.9 m) depth. In the 1950s and 1960s, much of the city-owned land around the basin was sold off to private developers.[30]
On March 1, 1962,American Airlines Flight 1, aBoeing 707, crashed on takeoff from JFK Airport after its rudder jammed. It crashed intoPumpkin Patch Channel, a remote area ofmarshland on Jamaica Bay that is part of the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. All 95 people on board were killed, including 87 passengers and 8 crew members.[31][32]
On November 12, 2001,American Airlines Flight 587, anAirbus A300, crashed after takeoff from JFK Airport after its vertical stabilizer separated in-flight and landed in Jamaica Bay. The aircraft crashed intoBelle Harbor, Queens. All 260 people on board were killed, as well as five more people on the ground.[33]
 | This section needs to beupdated. The reason given is: The section needs current data on marshland loss and nitrogen deposition, at least. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(July 2024) |
Thesalt marshes of Jamaica Bay offer primehabitat formigratory birds and otherwildlife. Most of the waters and marshes have been protected since 1972 as part of theGateway National Recreation Area. Though much improved, pollution is still a problem, and after once enjoying a worldwide reputation foroysters and supporting a vigorous fishing industry the area has been closed to shellfishing since the early 20th century. The marshlands are also fast diminishing.
Within Jamaica Bay, 1,290 acres (520 ha) of marshland disappeared between 1924 and 1974, of which 780 acres (320 ha) was due toland filling and dredging. Another 526 acres (213 ha) disappeared in 1974–1994, and 220 acres (89 ha) was lost during 1994–1999.[34] By 2007, the bay was losing wetlands at a rate of 33 acres (13 ha) a year, nearly twice the rate in 2001.[35] As of 2003, marshland is being lost at the rate of approximately 40 acres (160,000 m2) per year. The reasons for this loss are still unclear, but one hypothesis is that the loss is the result of risingsea levels. To test this, in the hope of preventing further losses, theNational Park Service plans to dredge a small area of the bay in order to build up the soil in about 1 acre (4,000 m2) of marsh. Opponents are concerned that the dredging may be harmful, perhaps leading to greater loss of marshland than the area saved.
Other scientists suggest that the 3,500 lb (1,600 kg) ofnitrogen pouring into the bay every day, 92 percent from four sewage treatment plants ringing the bay, may be partly to blame. They hypothesize that the high levels of nitrogen may stimulate the growth of sea lettuce, smothering other plants. The excess energy may also cause smooth cordgrass to reallocate energy from its roots to its shoots, making it harder for marsh soil to hold together.[36]
The loss of marshlands has also contributed to flooding in communities surrounding the bay. In 2020 alone, surrounding neighborhoods were flooded 15 times; dredging, the loss of marshland, and global sea-level rise contributed to the flooding in nearly all of these cases.[37] In an effort to reduce the amount of nitrogen being discharged into Jamaica Bay, theNew York City Department of Environmental Protection announced the installation of enhanced treatment measures. An innovative technology, called theAmmonia Recovery Process, is now being designed byThermoEnergy Corporation, which will further reduce nitrogen discharges from the bay by 3,000 pounds per day by 2014.[38][39]
The majority of land and water within this complex is owned by theUnited States federal government, and the city of New York. Most of Jamaica Bay proper and portions of the uplands andbarrier beach are part of theGateway National Recreation Area's Jamaica Bay Unit. Administered by the National Park Service, the Jamaica Bay Unit includes the 9,100 acres (37 km2) ofJamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, as well asBreezy Point Tip,Fort Tilden,Jacob Riis Park andFloyd Bennett Field. There are two state parks at Jamaica Bay,Shirley Chisholm, andBayswater Point.
There are severalcity parks within the bay complex, includingMarine Park,Spring Creek Park andRockaway Community Park, and numerous smaller parcels of city-owned land such asTribute Park and Sunset Cove at Broad Channel. Portions of the wetlands and uplands are part of JFK Airport, owned by the city of New York and operated by thePort Authority of New York and New Jersey. Occasionally the airport becomes a route of migration of some wildlife species disrupting the traffic.[40][41] Small areas in the upland buffer around the bay and on the Rockaway Peninsula remain in private residential or commercial ownership.
Jamaica Bay has been designated and mapped as an otherwise protected beach unit pursuant to the federalCoastal Barrier Resources Act, prohibiting incompatible federal financial assistance orflood insurance within the unit. TheNew York State Natural Heritage Program, in conjunction withThe Nature Conservancy, recognizes two Priority Sites for Biodiversity within the Jamaica Bay and Breezy Point habitat complex: Breezy Point (B2 – very high biodiversity significance) and Fountain Avenue Landfill (B3 – high biodiversity significance). Jamaica Bay and Breezy Point have been designated as Significant Coastal Fish and Wildlife Habitats by theNew York State Department of State, and the bay up to the high tide line was designated as a Critical Environmental Area by theNew York Department of Environmental Conservation. Jamaica Bay was also designated as one of three special natural waterfront areas by theNew York City Department of City Planning. A comprehensivewatershed management plan for the bay was completed in 1993 by the New York City Department of Environmental Protection in order to better protect and restore habitats and improve water quality. Wetlands are regulated in New York under the state's Freshwater Wetlands Act of 1975 and Tidal Wetlands Act of 1977. These statutes are in addition to federal regulation under Section 10 of theRivers and Harbors Act of 1899, Section 404 of theClean Water Act, and variousExecutive Orders.
In 2012, the City of New York and theNational Park Service signed an agreement to jointly manage Jamaica Bay and restore its parkland and greenspaces.[42]Hurricane Sandy hit the city in force in October 2012, causing billions of dollars of damage, and inundating coastal regions, including Jamaica Bay, with a storm surge estimated at close to 2.5 meters.[43] The impact of Hurricane Sandy revealed the vulnerability of the city's coastal infrastructure to storm surges, and with projections suggesting that the frequency of such storms is likely to increase over the coming century,[44] New York City released "A Stronger, More Resilient New York"[45] in June 2013, an extensive report outlining a plan to reinforce and rebuild NYC infrastructure in order to create a city better able to withstand future storms. Later that year, MayorBloomberg, together with the then Secretary of the InteriorSally Jewell, announced the establishment of theJamaica Bay Science and Resilience Institute, a multidisciplinary consortium of academic, governmental and community partners coordinated by theCity University of New York.[46] The Institute, subsequently renamed the Science and Resilience Institute at Jamaica Bay (SRIJB), is currently housed atBrooklyn College, but will be relocating to a permanent home atFloyd Bennett Field within the next 3 years.
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