Delaware Bay
Delaware Bay | ||
---|---|---|
Primary inflows Delaware River | | |
Basin countries | United States | |
Surface area | 782 square miles (2,030 km2)[2] | |
Surface elevation | 0 feet (0 m)[1] | |
Official name | Delaware Bay Estuary | |
Designated | 20 May 1992 | |
Reference no. | 559[3] |
Delaware Bay is the estuary outlet of the Delaware River on the northeast seaboard of the United States, lying between the states of Delaware and New Jersey. It is approximately 782 square miles (2,030 km2) in area,[2] the bay's freshwater mixes for many miles with the saltwater of the Atlantic Ocean.
The bay is bordered inland by the states of Delaware and New Jersey, and the Delaware Capes, Cape Henlopen and Cape May, on the Atlantic. Delaware Bay is bordered by six counties: Sussex, Kent, and New Castle in Delaware, along with Cape May, Cumberland, and Salem in New Jersey. The Cape May–Lewes Ferry crosses Delaware Bay from Cape May, New Jersey, to Lewes, Delaware. The bay's ports are managed by the Delaware River and Bay Authority.
The shores of the bay are largely composed of
Delaware Bay was designated a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance on May 20, 1992. It was the first site classified in the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network.
Hydrology
While the Delaware River is by far the largest tributary of Delaware Bay, numerous smaller rivers and streams also drain to the bay. These include the Appoquinimink River, Leipsic River, Smyrna River, St. Jones River, Mispillion River, Broadkill River and Murderkill Rivers on the Delaware side, and the Salem River, Cohansey River, and Maurice Rivers on the New Jersey side.
Ecology
Delaware Bay ecosystem is a key stopover site for over 30 species of migrating shorebirds that migrate north come May. Many birds like red knots use this Bay area to fuel up their energy reserves on horseshoe crab eggs after the long journey. Delaware Bay hosts the largest population of horseshoe crabs in the world.[4][5][6][7][8]
History
At the time of the arrival of the Europeans in the early 17th century, the area around the bay was inhabited by the Native American Lenape people. They called the Delaware River "Lenape Wihittuck", which means "the rapid stream of the Lenape". Delaware Bay was called "Poutaxat", which means "near the falls".[9] [10]
In 1523, Lucas Vázquez de Ayllón had received from Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor a grant for the land explored in 1521 by Francisco Gordillo and slave trader Captain Pedro de Quejo (de Quexo). Ayllón sent Quejo northward in 1525 and received reports of the coastline from as far north as Delaware Bay. That same year, De Ayllon and Captain Quejo called Delaware Bay by the name "Saint Christopher's Bay". In the 1600s, the bay was known as "Niew Port May" after Captain Cornelius May.[10]
Another recorded European visit to the bay was by
Conflicting crown grants were made to the
The strategic importance of the bay was noticed by the
In 1855, the United States government systematically undertook the formation of a 26 ft (7.9 m) channel 600 ft (180 m) wide from Philadelphia to deep water in Delaware Bay. The Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899 provided for a 30-foot (9.1 m) channel 600 feet (180 m) wide from Philadelphia to the deep water of the bay. Other names for the bay have been "South Bay" and "Zuyt Baye".[10]
Today
The bay is one of the most important navigational channels in the United States; it is the second busiest waterway after the
The U.S Coast Guard sector for Delaware Bay was established in 2005, and has 570 active personnel, and 195 reservists.[13]
See also
- Partnership for the Delaware Estuary
- Lewes and Rehoboth Canal
- Chesapeake and Delaware Canal
- Broadkill River
- St. Jones River
References
- ^ a b "Delaware Bay". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
- ^ a b Overview of the Delaware River Watershed Archived 2005-01-10 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Delaware Bay Estuary". Ramsar Sites Information Service. Archived from the original on 14 June 2018. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
- ^ "Horseshoe Crab: A Key Player in Ecology, Medicine, and More". Encyclopedia Britannica. Archived from the original on 2021-08-17. Retrieved 2021-08-17.
- ^ "Horseshoe Crab Conservation". dnr.maryland.gov. Archived from the original on 2021-08-17. Retrieved 2021-08-17.
- ^ "Horseshoe Crab". National Wildlife Federation. Archived from the original on 2021-08-17. Retrieved 2021-08-17.
- ^ "Ecology". www.horseshoecrab.org. Archived from the original on 2021-07-20. Retrieved 2021-08-17.
- ^ Fisheries, NOAA (2021-04-28). "Horseshoe Crabs: Managing a Resource for Birds, Bait, and Blood | NOAA Fisheries". NOAA. Archived from the original on 2021-08-17. Retrieved 2021-08-17.
- philly.com
- ^ a b c d e Delaware Place Names Archived 2017-08-11 at the Wayback Machine United States Geological Survey
- ^ Historic Background Archived 2016-12-21 at the Wayback Machine Delaware Department of Transportation
- ^ Wroth, Lawrence C. “Some American Contributions to the Art of Navigation 1519-1802.” Proceedings of the Massachusetts Historical Society, vol. 68, 1944, pp. 91ff. JSTOR website Retrieved 15 Dec. 2022.
- ^ "USCG Sector Delaware Bay Philadelphia, PA". atlanticarea.uscg.mil. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
Further reading
- Myers, Albert Cook, ed. Narratives of Early Pennsylvania, West New Jersey, and Delaware, 1630 -1707. (New York, NY: Charles Scribner's Sons. 1912)
- Ward, Christopher. Dutch and Swedes on the Delaware, 1609 – 1664 (University of Pennsylvania Press. 1930)
- Leiby, A. C. The Early Dutch and Swedish Settlers of New Jersey (Princeton: D. Van Nostrand Co. 1964)