Vocabulary
- Estuary – a partly enclosed coastal body of water in which river water is mixed with seawater.
- Sound – a body of water open only on one side, with the other 3 sides surrounded by land.
Fun Facts About the Long Island Sound!
- The Long Island Sound is an estuary, with 90% of its fresh water coming from the Thames, Connecticut and Housatonic rivers.
- The Long Island Sound is 90 miles long and has approximately 600 miles of coastline. It is about 21 miles across at its widest.
- There are 18 trillion gallons of water in Long Island Sound. Its maximum depth is around 300ft, but the average depth is only 78 ft.
- Over 120 species of fin fish are native to the Long Island Sound, and about 50 species of fish spawn here.
- 90% of CT’s population lives within 50 miles of the Long Island Sound.
- Overall, the Long Island Sound is getting cleaner each year!