Long Island Sound

Long Island Sound is an estuary of the Atlantic Ocean and various rivers in the United States. It lies between the coast of Connecticut to the north and Long Island, New York to the south. The mouth of the Connecticut River at Old Saybrook, Connecticut empties into the sound. On the extreme western end, the sound is bounded on the north side by Westchester County, New York and the Bronx, and connects to the East River. On its eastern end it opens to Block Island Sound. The sound is considered by some to be the natural border between New England and the Mid-Atlantic states.

Shoreline

Mansions and wealthy neighborhoods characterize a good portion of the coast of the sound from Whitestone, Queens out to Setauket and Port Jefferson on Long Island; and from Greenwich to beyond Madison in Connecticut. Property values in Connecticut and Long Island are among the highest in the nation, mostly due to the proximity to New York City and "the sound." Southwestern Connecticut is famed the "Gold Coast" because of the affluent communities situated along the shore.

Several major cities are situated along the Long Island Sound, resulting in a total of more than 8 million people living within its watershed. Major Connecticut cities on the Sound include Bridgeport, New London, Stamford, Norwalk, and New Haven. New York cities on the Sound include Port Jefferson and New York City (the boroughs of Queens and the Bronx).

Climate and geography

The Long Island Sound is an estuary, giving a muddy, dark look to the water, especially in the west. Fresh water from the Connecticut and other rivers makes it less salty than the open ocean. Average water temperature for Long Island Sound is around 34°F (1°C) in January; some of the shallow inlets freeze over during winter. In July the water temperature is typically around 65°F (19°C), and typically peaks around 75°F (24°C) in mid-August, which contributes to relatively mild summer temperatures for Long Island and coastal Connecticut.

The northern shore of Long Island is rocky while the southern shore on the Atlantic Ocean is sandy. This is due the glaciers which formed the fish-shaped island nearly 10,000 years ago and the subsequent outwash from the terminal moraine.

The Sound is 110 miles (177 km) long and 21 miles (34 km) wide at its widest point. It has an average depth of 65 feet (20 m), with the deepest point being 150 feet (45 m). The volume of water in the Sound is 8 trillion US gallons (30 km³). Including all islands, the Long Island Sound has a shoreline of 548 miles (882 km)..

History

The first European to record the existence of Long Island Sound was the Dutch navigator Adriaen Block, who entered the sound from the East River in 1614. The sound was known as The Devil's Belt in colonial times ^[1] and the reefs that run across the sound were known as Devil’s Stepping Stones.

Uses

Transportation

Ferries provide service between Long Island and Connecticut, notably between Port Jefferson, New York and Bridgeport, Connecticut, and Orient Point, New York and New London, Connecticut. Some of the ferries that cross the Long Island Sound carry automobiles, trucks and buses, as well as passengers.

Fishing

Long Island Sound has historically had rich recreational and commercial fishing, including oysters, lobsters, scallops, blue crabs, flounder, striped bass, and bluefish. However, in recent years the western part of the sound has become increasingly deficient of marine life. The fishing and lobster industries have encouraged efforts to identify the cause of the dead water and rectify the problem.

Further development

Underwater cables transmit electricity under the Long Island Sound, most notably a new and controversial Cross Sound Cable that runs from New Haven in western Connecticut, to Shoreham in central Long Island and an older one from Rye to Oyster Bay. Scientists debate whether Submarine power cables are safe for fragile underwater lifeforms.

Broadwater Energy LLC, a joint venture between the Shell Oil Company and TransCanada Corporation, has proposed building a floating liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal 11 miles from the Connecticut shore and 9 miles from Long Island. The installation is estimated to save the region in excess of $600 million a year in energy costs. The terminal would regasify LNG offloaded from ships, and this gas would flow through pipelines under the sound to New York and Connecticut. Some politicians from both states, such as New York Senator Chuck Schumer are fiercely opposed to the terminal, claiming that alternative energy sources and conservation should be pursued instead of adding new distribution lines and supply sources. Local Connecticut politicians have little influence since the terminal would be located entirely within waters that are part of New York state (although Connecticut senators and congressmen may be able to stop the platform at the federal level).

Over the years, bridges over the sound have been proposed, including a bridge from Rye, New York to Oyster Bay, New York, from New Haven, Connecticut to Shoreham, from Bridgeport, Connecticut to Port Jefferson, New York on Long Island, or from Orient Point, New York to Rhode Island. ^[2] A tunnel under the sound, as from Rye, New York to Oyster Bay, New York has also been proposed to carry both freeway lanes and railroads. However, no crossing has been built since the Throgs Neck Bridge in the late 1960s.

Pollution

Major environmental problems currently affecting the Sound include hypoxia, toxic substance and pathogen contamination, debris and other man-made pollution, and overdevelopment.^[3][4]

See also

• Sound (geography)
• Geography and environment of New York City
• Long Island Crossing - Descriptions of the various proposed bridges between Long Island and Connecticut/Rhode Island

References

1. ^ Moriches Bay
2. ^ Eastern Long Island Sound Crossing
3. ^ Long Island Sound Study
4. ^ http://www.epa.gov/ne/eco/lis/ EPA: Long Island Sound

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