- Shinnecock Inlet
Shinnecock Inlet is the easternmost of five major inlets [http://www.nd.edu/~adcirc/shinnecock.htm] connecting bays to the
Atlantic Ocean through the narrow 100-mile-longbarrier islands that stretch fromNew York City toSouthhampton, New York on the south shore ofLong Island .The inlet was formed by the
Great Hurricane of 1938 which killed several people when it permanently broke through the island inHampton Bays, New York .Maintenance of the inlet has been controversial.
It saves boaters in the Hamptons several miles in access to the Atlantic Ocean. The inlet is almost directly lined up with the
Shinnecock Canal between Shinnecock Bay and thePeconic Bay which allows a shortcut to the ocean for boaters on the north fork of Long Island.Consequently management has been geared to keep the inlet dredged and open. However, the inlet has interrupted the flow of sand (which normally flows east to west) and consequently there has been major beach erosion on the west side of the inlet including the November 1992
Nor'easter that wiped out much ofWest Hampton Dunes, New York . The phenomenon is calledlongshore drift .Efforts to prevent erosion with jetty
groynes have just pushed the problems further and further east resulting in serious beach erosion problems onFire Island . West Hampton Dunes incorporated in 1993 specifically to have legal standing in the skirmishes withCorps of Engineers regarding the practice.The major inlets on the barrier beach are:
*
Rockaway Inlet
*East Rockaway Inlet [http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=40.587625,-73.57338+(East+Rockaway+Inlet)&ll=40.587625,-73.57338&spn=0.148873,0.390015&t=k]
*Fire Island Inlet
*Moriches Inlet
*Shinnecock Inlet External links
* [http://www2.sunysuffolk.edu/mandias/38hurricane/geological_impact.html State University of New York Description of the Issues]
* [http://3dparks.wr.usgs.gov/nyc/parks/loc75.htm USGS Page on 1992 Westhampton Nor'easter]
* [http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=40.842126,-72.47680+(Shinnecock+Inlet)&t=k Google Satellite Image]
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