The Fire Island Wilderness Breach: Ecological Resilience in Great South Bay
Remillard J, McDivitt P, Gottschalk Druschke C. 2016. The Fire Island Wilderness Breach: Ecological Resilience in Great South Bay
In October 2012, Hurricane Sandy created a breach in the Otis Pike Fire Island High Dune Wilderness. This change altered water circulation patterns in eastern and central parts of the bay and caused higher salinity in eastern parts of the bay. It also increased the exchange of organisms between ocean and bay waters. As a result, the ecosystem of Great South Bay has matured. There is an increase in species diversity, leading to a better, more complex food web. The breach also improved water quality in Bellport Bay and eastern Great South Bay in the immediate vicinity of the wilderness breach by increasing water clarity, diluting the bay’s harmful nitrogen levels with ocean water, and prompting a decrease in brown tides. The National Park Service will complete a Breach Management Plan/Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to determine how best to manage the breach within Fire Island’s wilderness area. The science summarized here and public input will support the planning process.
- Type
- Resource Brief
- Authors
- Remillard, Jamie; McDivitt, Paul; Gottschalk Druschke, Caroline
- Date of Issue
- 2016-10
- Units
- FIIS , NCBN
- Keywords
- Bellport Bay, breach, Breach Management Plan/Environmental Impact Statement, brown tides, ecological resilience, EIS, FIIS, Fire Island National Seashore, Great South Bay, Hurricane Sandy, NCBN, nitrogen levels, Northeast Coastal and Barrier Network, Otis Pike High Dune Wilderness, water clarity