New York Harbor: Resilience in the face of four centuries of development
Introduction
It is no coincidence that the New York–New Jersey Harbor Estuary is home to one of the most vibrant and economically important metropolitan areas in the United States, and the world (NYNJHEP, 2012). The rich resources of the estuarine environment and the intricate shoreline, islands and protective harbors made this region ideal for human settlement (NYNJHEP, 2012). New York Harbor, with its iconic skyline, is one of the most recognizable ports globally, due to its long history as an economic and cultural hub for commerce and trade. Given the extent of development and exploitation of the harbor over this extended period of time, it is not surprising that it has experienced severe environmental degradation. The urban context of the NYNJ Harbor Estuary makes it one of the most challenging restoration and conservation environments in the nation (Boicourt et al., NYNJHEP 2015). However, significant progress has been made over the last few decades in establishing conservation and restoration plans for the harbor, including improvements in water quality, with the overall health of the ecosystem now much better than it was 30 years ago (NYNJHEP, 2012). New challenges have presented themselves as well, including climate change, especially the impacts of inundation due to sea level rise, and potential increase in severe storm activity. The effects that can occur were clearly made evident in October 2012 with the landfall of Superstorm Sandy, which revealed the vulnerability of the surrounding community and infrastructure to such events. This review highlights some of the major features and challenges that face New York Harbor as a global partner in the World Harbour Project.
Section snippets
Geomorphology
New York Harbor is in a unique geographic setting, adjacent to a large bight of the Atlantic Ocean between the states of New York and New Jersey and situated at the mouth of a major river (Hudson River), as well as several smaller rivers (Hackensack, Passaic, Rahway, Raritan Rivers). The Harbor is technically referred to as the ‘New York–New Jersey Harbor Estuary’; however, for simplicity sake we will refer to it as ‘New York Harbor’. New York Harbor comprises a large outer harbor (Lower Bay,
History
New York Harbor was originally settled by the Lenape Native Americans. Europeans explored the region as early as 1524 (Giovanni Verrazano) and 1609 (Henry Hudson), with the initial European settlement beginning in 1624 by the Dutch (New Amsterdam), followed by English settlement. New York City has been a key entry point for immigration into the United States, both as an immigration center (e.g., Ellis Island), and as a settlement area (e.g., tenements) (Kurlansky, 2006).
When the early European
Pollution
New York Harbor is one of the most well-researched, monitored, and documented harbors in the World Harbour Project. The wealth of information about the types and extent of pollution that this estuary has been subjected to over the last century began to be compiled over a century ago, with the realization of the obvious depletion of its resources. By the beginning of the 20th century New York City residents and business owners saw the harbor as a ‘noxious eyesore’, beaches were often closed and
The Billion Oyster Project
The Billion Oyster Project is a combined ecosystem restoration and education project spearheaded by the New York Harbor Foundation, which is based on Governors Island in New York Harbor. The goal of the project is to restore one billion live oysters to the waters of New York Harbor. The project lifecycle begins with students at Urban Assembly New York Harbor School, a NYC Department of Education public high school specializing in marine science and technology, which produce aquaculture oyster
Conclusion
New York Harbor is an iconic region due to its complex natural ecosystems and intense human development. Present-day New York Harbor conditions, depicted with conceptual cross sections, are a result of a long history of environmental challenges, including fisheries depletions, shoreline modifications, dredging and water quality degradation. In spite of historic environmental degradation, a variety of activities are taking place to make New York Harbor the 6th borough of New York City, including
Acknowledgments
The authors thank the P. Steinberg and J. Banks of the World Harbour Project, Sydney Institute of Marine Science, for organizing this series of papers. We thank T. Saxby for help with scientific illustration of CCERS-curriculum (STEM C) structure diagram; National Science Foundation Division of Research on Learning Award #1440869. This is UMCES Contribution # 5201.
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2020, Regional Studies in Marine ScienceCitation Excerpt :Central to the city’s history of cultural and economic development are the complex waterways that comprise New York Harbor and the associated estuarine rivers that surround it. Given the extent of development over a period of four hundred years and exploitation of the harbor’s resource over this time, it is not surprising that its waterways have experienced severe environmental degradation (O’Neil et al., 2016). However, significant progress has been made over the last few decades in establishing conservation and restoration plans for the harbor including steps to improve water quality and to improve the overall health of the ecosystem.
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2020, Regional Studies in Marine ScienceCitation Excerpt :The obvious degradation of natural habitats reached a critical point in the 1970s, which saw the beginning of the environmental movement that has slowly changed the population’s perception and appreciation of their urban waterways (Sekovski et al., 2012). As a result, over the last few decades, we have seen an increase in accessibility and recreational activities on these urban waterways and many cities are reclaiming access to their harbors, rivers, and creeks (Healthy Waterways, 1998; Boicourt et al., 2016; O’Neil et al., 2016). With these changes has come the recognition that these waterways are not devoid of life, and can still be diverse and productive habitats (Levinton and Waldman, 2006).
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