Yaquina Bay

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Yaquina Bay from the north. In the foreground the Oregon Coast Aquarium and in the upper right the Yaquina Bay Bridge

The Yaquina Bay is a shallow bay on the west coast of the United States in the state of Oregon in Lincoln County . The city of Newport lies on either side of the bay, which is spanned by the Yaquina Bay Bridge at the confluence with the Pacific Ocean. It is part of US Highway 101 . The bay's name comes from a Native American tribe that lived on the Oregon coast and is now practically extinct.

Sea lions on a pier in Yaquina Bay

The bay has a length of about five, a width of about 2.5 kilometers and a size of about 8 km 2 . The Yaquina River flows into the bay on the southern side . Until the late 1920s, the main connection to Newport was via ships that docked in the bay. Before the bridge was built, until about 1936, ferries ran across the bay, forming the north-south connection on the coast.

A little east of the mouth of the Yaquina River is an oceanographic measuring station operated by NOAA , the data of which can be accessed on a website. In the north of the bay, a biogeochemical measuring station is anchored on a platform as part of the LOBO project ( Land / Ocean Biogeochemical Observatory ). There is also a marina in the north and south of the bay . The Oregon Coast Aquarium , Rogue Brewery , and Hatfield Marine Science Center are right on the bay in the South Beach district near the southern harbor . Free-roaming seals and California sea lions can also be seen resting on the piers on this site . On the north side, west of US Highway 101, is Yaquina Bay State Park with the historic Yaquina Bay Lighthouse .

Due to its location directly on the Pacific, in the immediate vicinity of the Cascadia subduction zone , the area of ​​the bay and the surrounding coastal areas are very much threatened by tsunamis and earthquakes.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ LA McArthur, 1982, Oregon Geographic Names, Fifth Edition, Oregon Historical Society
  2. ^ Yaquina Indian Tribe History. Retrieved February 14, 2010 .
  3. ^ Tides and currents, South Beach, OR. Retrieved February 14, 2010 .
  4. ^ Land / Ocean Biogeochemical Observatory in the Yaquina Bay. Archived from the original on August 6, 2010 ; accessed on February 14, 2010 (English).
  5. ^ City of Newport. Retrieved February 14, 2010 .
  6. ^ Oregon Parks and Recreation Department: State Parks (Yaquina Bay State Recreation Site). Retrieved February 14, 2010 .
  7. ^ Oregon Coastal Management Program: Oregon Coastal Atlas, Yaquina Bay Estuary. Archived from the original on January 14, 2011 ; accessed on March 9, 2010 (English).

Coordinates: 44 ° 37 ′ 6 ″  N , 124 ° 1 ′ 37 ″  W.