Area Map & Photos - Jamaica Bay

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Jmaica Bay Area Map Duck Point Marsh Congressman Bridge Jamaica Bay Aerial Photo Yellow Bar Artificial substrate site, pier off Kennedy Int'l Airport Eastern shore of Norton Basin looking east Broad Channel Marsh Ruffle Bar Floyd Bennett Field, looking soutwest West of Marine Pkwy. Bridge

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Jamaica Bay is located in the southern portions of Brooklyn and Queens and is bounded by the eastern shore of Brooklyn, the southern shore of Queens, and the northern shore of the Rockaway Peninsula. Community Districts 5 and 18 in Brooklyn, 10, 13 and 14 in Queens border the bay. The bay is an estuarine lagoon, opening onto the Lower New York Bay and the Atlantic Ocean through Rockaway Inlet. Numerous tidal tributaries are contiguous to the bay with very few natural freshwater sources. A majority of the freshwater sources are discharges by water pollution control plants, combined sewer overflows, and storm sewers along its shores and to its tributaries. Jamaica Bay covers over 16,000 acres and is characterized by open waters, islands, wetlands and shipping channels. The mean water depth in Jamaica Bay is approximately 13 feet with a semi-diurnal tidal range of 5 to 6 feet. A significant amount of dredging and filling has historically altered the bay and its shores. This includes the alteration of tidal marshes to channelized and bulkheaded tributaries and the creation of islands. The surrounding land is characterized by residential, recreational, municipal, commercial and industrial uses. Recreational activities along and on the bay are typified by bird watching, hiking, picnicking, boating and fishing. Typical shorelines on the bay include rip rap and bulkheads, beaches and upland forests. Jamaica Bay is one of the most valuable natural resources within the New York City urban area, despite having been disturbed by dredging, filling and development. The ecological significance of the bay has been recognized by city, state and federal agencies. Jamaica Bay is a unit of Gateway National Recreation Area. Its shorelines support a diverse array of habitats and a variety of plants, fish, and wildlife utilize its waters and shores.

 

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