The Outer Barrier, also known as the Long Island and New York City barrier islands, refers to the string of
barrier islands that divide the
lagoon
A lagoon is a shallow body of water separated from a larger body of water by a narrow landform, such as reefs, barrier islands, barrier peninsulas, or isthmuses. Lagoons are commonly divided into ''coastal lagoons'' (or ''barrier lagoons'') an ...
s south of
Long Island, New York
Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York (state), New York state, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land are ...
from the
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...
. These islands include
Long Beach Barrier Island,
Barnum Island,
Jones Beach Island,
Fire Island
Fire Island is the large center island of the outer barrier islands parallel to the South Shore of Long Island in the U.S. state of New York.
In 2012, Hurricane Sandy once again divided Fire Island into two islands. Together, these two isl ...
and
Westhampton Island. The outer barrier extends along the
South Shore of Long Island, from the
Rockaway Peninsula in
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
to the east end of
Shinnecock Bay in
Suffolk County.
The lagoons enclosed by the barrier islands are
Jamaica Bay,
Brosewere Bay,
Hewlett Bay,
Reynolds Channel,
Middle Bay,
East Bay
The East Bay is the eastern region of the San Francisco Bay Area and includes cities along the eastern shores of San Francisco Bay and San Pablo Bay. The region has grown to include inland communities in Alameda and Contra Costa counties. Wi ...
,
South Oyster Bay,
Great South Bay, and arms of the Great South Bay that have their own geographic names: Great Cove, Nicoll Bay,
Patchogue Bay, Bellport Bay, Narrow Bay,
Moriches Bay, Quantuck Bay, Tiana Bay, and Shinnecock Bay.
East Rockaway Inlet,
Jones Inlet,
Fire Island Inlet,
Old Inlet,
Moriches Inlet, and
Shinnecock Inlet pierce the barrier, forming the individual sandy islands. The resort communities of
Atlantic Beach,
Long Beach, and
Westhampton Beach; the
Fire Island National Seashore,
Robert Moses State Park,
Jones Beach State Park, and other recreational areas are found there. The low-lying islands are subject to wave erosion, and, during storms, they are sometimes inundated and cut through.
The islands
New York City islands
Coney Island,
Plumb Beach,
Barren Island, several smaller islands in
Jamaica Bay, and parts of what is now the
Rockaway peninsula formerly comprised the westernmost Outer Barrier islands. Of these, Coney Island was the westernmost island. Most of these islands were either connected to mainland Long Island or combined with each other in the early 20th century.
Long Beach Barrier Island
Long Beach Barrier Island lies off the
south shore of
Long Island
Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York (state), New York state, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land are ...
. The island is shared by the hamlet of
Atlantic Beach to the west, the city of
Long Beach and the hamlet of
Lido Beach in the central part of the island, and the hamlet of
Point Lookout at the eastern end of the island. (The three hamlets — Atlantic Beach, Lido Beach, and Point Lookout — are part of the town of
Hempstead, New York.)
Within its section of the barrier island, the city of Long Beach spans the entire north-south width of the island, fronting on both
Reynolds Channel to the north and the
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...
to the south. A
drawbridge
A drawbridge or draw-bridge is a type of moveable bridge typically at the entrance to a castle or tower surrounded by a moat. In some forms of English, including American English, the word ''drawbridge'' commonly refers to all types of moveable b ...
, the
Long Beach Bridge, connects it to
Island Park, a small island which lies between Long Beach and the mainland of Long Island. To the west, the
Atlantic Beach Bridge connects the island to
Lawrence on Long Island. The
Loop Parkway, located to the east where
Lido Beach and
Point Lookout border one another, connects the island to
Jones Beach.
Jones Beach Island
Jones Beach Island is a
barrier island
Barrier islands are a Coast#Landforms, coastal landform, a type of dune, dune system and sand island, where an area of sand has been formed by wave and tidal action parallel to the mainland coast. They usually occur in chains, consisting of an ...
off the southern coast of
Long Island
Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York (state), New York state, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land are ...
in the
U.S. state of
New York. It is named for the father of historian
Thomas Jones. It is sometimes referred to as Oak Beach Island, and the former home of the infamous
Oak Beach Inn. It is separated from Long Island by
Great South Bay. The island straddles the county line between
Nassau and
Suffolk
Suffolk ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Norfolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Essex to the south, and Cambridgeshire to the west. Ipswich is the largest settlement and the county ...
counties and includes the
census-designated place
A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only.
CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...
s of
Gilgo,
Oak Beach, and
Captree.
The southern side of the island is known for its beaches that face the open
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...
.
Jones Beach State Park, on the western tip of the island is a summer recreational destination for the
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
area.
It is accessible from Long Island on its western end by the
Meadowbrook Parkway to
Merrick, New York, the
Loop Parkway to
Long Beach, New York and the
Wantagh Parkway to
Wantagh, New York. Its eastern end is linked to
Babylon, New York as well as to
Fire Island, New York by the
Robert Moses Causeway via the
Great South Bay Bridge and the
State Boat Channel Bridge. The
Ocean Parkway connects all three
causeway
A causeway is a track, road or railway on the upper point of an embankment across "a low, or wet place, or piece of water". It can be constructed of earth, masonry, wood, or concrete. One of the earliest known wooden causeways is the Sweet T ...
s and runs the length of the island, while The
Fire Island Inlet Bridge continues on the
Robert Moses Causeway finding its way to the New York's Fire Island on the
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...
.
Fire Island
Fire Island is a
barrier island
Barrier islands are a Coast#Landforms, coastal landform, a type of dune, dune system and sand island, where an area of sand has been formed by wave and tidal action parallel to the mainland coast. They usually occur in chains, consisting of an ...
, approximately 31 miles (50 km) long and varying between approximately 0.1 mile (160 m) to 0.25 mile (400 m) wide. Fire Island passes through southern
Suffolk County, New York
Suffolk County ( ) is the easternmost county in the U.S. state of New York, constituting the eastern two-thirds of Long Island. It is bordered to its west by Nassau County, to its east by Gardiners Bay and the open Atlantic Ocean, to its no ...
, and is southeast of
Long Island
Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York (state), New York state, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land are ...
separated from the main land by the
Great South Bay in the
U.S. state of
New York, running approximately SW to NE. The land area is 8.687 sq. mi. (22.5 km
2), and a permanent population of 491 people was reported as of the
2000 census. (There are hundreds of thousands of summertime residents, groupers and daytrippers.) The island is composed of three communities, as defined by the Census Bureau. The largest of these is
Fire Island (CDP), which is unincorporated and stretches through the southern portion of the towns of
Babylon
Babylon ( ) was an ancient city located on the lower Euphrates river in southern Mesopotamia, within modern-day Hillah, Iraq, about south of modern-day Baghdad. Babylon functioned as the main cultural and political centre of the Akkadian-s ...
,
Islip, and
Brookhaven.
There are several ocean front communities such as,
Davis Park and
Watch Hill that are on the eastern side of the
Great south bay. Fire Island has a variety of ocean front communities that can be reached by private boat, or seasonal
ferry
A ferry is a boat or ship that transports passengers, and occasionally vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A small passenger ferry with multiple stops, like those in Venice, Italy, is sometimes referred to as a water taxi or water bus ...
service from
Long Island
Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York (state), New York state, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land are ...
's mainland.
Fire Island
Fire Island is the large center island of the outer barrier islands parallel to the South Shore of Long Island in the U.S. state of New York.
In 2012, Hurricane Sandy once again divided Fire Island into two islands. Together, these two isl ...
has a 2000 census population of 310 inhabitants. There are also two villages in the Islip section of the island,
Saltaire (pop. 43) and
Ocean Beach (pop. 138). In addition, a part of Fire Island CDP is not even on the island, but on a separate island adjacent to
West Hampton Dunes.
Fire Island Inlet is an inlet on the south shore of Long Island, New York. It connects the Great South Bay with the
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...
, passing between
Robert Moses State Park (the western end of Fire Island) on the south and Oak Beach and
Captree State Park (the eastern end of Jones Island) on the north. The stated land area and population figures result when this section is subtracted out. The inlet is directly south of West Islip, the nearest town on the main part of Long Island.
The inlet has evolved over the years due to natural processes, especially
longshore drift. Jones Island and
Fire Island
Fire Island is the large center island of the outer barrier islands parallel to the South Shore of Long Island in the U.S. state of New York.
In 2012, Hurricane Sandy once again divided Fire Island into two islands. Together, these two isl ...
at one time were connected. The
Fire Island Light was at the mouth of the inlet when built in 1858, but is now six miles east of the inlet.
Westhampton Island
Westhampton Island is the easternmost outer barrier island in the
Town of Southampton. The barrier island was part of
Fire Island
Fire Island is the large center island of the outer barrier islands parallel to the South Shore of Long Island in the U.S. state of New York.
In 2012, Hurricane Sandy once again divided Fire Island into two islands. Together, these two isl ...
until a
nor'easter
A nor'easter (also northeaster; see below) is a large-scale extratropical cyclone in the western North Atlantic Ocean. The name derives from the direction of the winds that blow from the northeast. Typically, such storms originate as a low ...
in 1931 created
Moriches Inlet and made Fire Island a proper island. The
1938 New England hurricane created
Shinnecock Inlet and this Westhampton Island.
Cupsogue Beach County Park is located on the western end of the island.
Moriches Inlet is an
inlet
An inlet is a typically long and narrow indentation of a shoreline such as a small arm, cove, bay, sound, fjord, lagoon or marsh, that leads to an enclosed larger body of water such as a lake, estuary, gulf or marginal sea.
Overview
In ...
connecting
Moriches Bay and the
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...
. The inlet created a geographic oddity whereby the
Town of Brookhaven actually has jurisdiction on land immediately west of the village of
West Hampton Dunes although Brookhaven land access to it involves a nearly 20 mile drive through Southampton.
Shinnecock Inlet is the easternmost of five major inlets
connecting bays to the
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...
through the narrow 100-mile-long
barrier islands that stretch from
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
to
Southampton, New York on the south shore of
Long Island
Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York (state), New York state, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land are ...
.
The inlet was formed by the
Great Hurricane of 1938 which killed several people when it permanently broke through the island in
Hampton Bays, New York.
The inlet is almost directly lined up with the
Shinnecock Canal between Shinnecock Bay and the
Peconic Bay and saves miles for boaters going to the open Atlantic. Consequently, management has been geared to keep the inlet dredged and open. However, maintenance of the inlet has been controversial on grounds that it causes
beach erosion on Fire Island.
See also
*
Ocean Parkway (Long Island)
*
Robert Moses Causeway
*
Robert Moses State Park (Long Island)
*
Rockaway Inlet
References
External links
Captree State Park
Jones Beach State ParkNew York State Parks: Robert Moses State Park - Long Island
Ocean Parkway article from NYCROADS Website
{{authority control
Islands of Nassau County, New York
Barrier islands of New York (state)
Beaches of Nassau County, New York
Fire Island, New York
Robert Moses projects
State parks of New York (state)