AIM: What types of ecosystems make up our environment? DO NOW: Try to label the land areas and bodies of water on the worksheet. Jaclyn Augustine Hoahing University Neighborhood High School

Image taken from the DEP 2003 NY Harbor Water Quality Report

Image from -

The Hudson River flows 315 miles from Lake Tear of the Clouds in the Adirondacks to the Battery in New York City. Many smaller tributaries join the Hudson on the way. A tributary is a small stream or river that flows into a larger body of water. A watershed is an area of land that is drained by a body of water. In the image to the right the area that is green is the Hudson River Watershed meaning that any water that falls in that area ends up in the Hudson River. concentration of salt water increases down river and toward the bottom of the river. This is because salt water is more dense than fresh water. Map from

The New York Harbor is an Estuary An estuary is the ecosystem created where a river flows into an ocean. Estuaries have brackish water. That means it is a mix of fresh water (from the river) and salt water (from the ocean). Estuaries are extremely productive ecosystems because they have a lot of nutrients. They have the nutrients from the river and the ocean coming together.

Animals that live in the NY Harbor Estuary Pictures from dredge of the Hudson River during River Summer 2009 Robin fish Squid (calamari) Striped bass Skate