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| name = Biscayne Bay
| image = Downtown Miami alt photo D Ramey Logan.jpg
| caption = Northern Biscayne Bay with the [[Greater Downtown Miami|Downtown Miami]] skyline in the background
| image_map =
| caption_map =
| pushpin_map = USA Florida
| pushpin_map_caption = Location of Biscayne Bay in [[Florida]]
| coords = {{coord|25|33|57|N|80|12|59|W|source:GNIS_scale:500000|display=inline,title}}
| oceans=Atlantic Ocean
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| reference=Length & width:{{sfn|Brown|McAdory|Nail|Sarruff|2003|pp=1–2}}<br>Area:{{sfn|Smith|2001|p=224}}
}}
'''Biscayne Bay'''
The part of the lagoon that is traditionally called "Biscayne Bay" is approximately {{convert|35|mi}} long and up to {{convert|8|mi}} wide, with a surface area of {{convert|221|sqmi|km2}}. Various definitions may include Dumfoundling Bay, Card Sound, and Barnes Sound in a larger "Biscayne Bay", which is {{convert|60|mi}} long with a surface area of about {{convert|271|sqmi|km2}}.
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=== Other names ===
The lagoon has been known by several names. [[Juan Ponce de León]] called it ''Chequescha'' in 1513, and [[Pedro Menéndez de Avilés]] called it ''Tequesta'' in 1565. Those names are variant spellings of "[[Tequesta]]", the name of the people who lived around the lagoon at the time. The British, during their occupation of Florida (1763–1783), called the lagoon "Cape River", "Dartmouth Sound", and "Sandwich gulph".{{sfn|Blank|1996|p=13}}
==Geography==
[[File:Biscayne Bay sunset.jpg|thumb|330x330px|Biscayne Bay during the sunset; to the right you can see Pelican Island.]]
Biscayne Bay is a semi- or [[Subtropics|subtropical]] lagoon extending most of the length of [[Miami-Dade County, Florida|Miami-Dade County]], from [[North Miami Beach, Florida|North Miami Beach]] to the upper [[Florida Keys]]. Biscayne Bay, in the strictest sense, extends from a point between North Miami Beach and [[Sunny Isles Beach, Florida|Sunny Isles Beach]] south to the [[Arsenicker Keys#In Biscayne Bay|Arsenicker Keys]] and the Cutter Bank just to the east of those islands. Many discussions about the lagoon include Dumfoundling Bay, a small lagoon just north of North Miami Beach, as part of Biscayne Bay, and include Card Sound and [[Barnes Sound]], in southern Miami-Dade County adjacent to [[Key Largo]], as either part of a system of connected lagoons including Biscayne Bay, or as part of Biscayne Bay itself. The lagoon is bordered on its west by the mainland of Florida, and is separated from the Atlantic Ocean to the east by a string of [[barrier island]]s in the northern part of the lagoon, a large [[shoal]] in the central section, and the northernmost of the Florida Keys in the south. The lagoon is about {{convert|35|mile}} long from Dumfoundling Bay (25° 58′ North latitude) (north of North Miami Beach) to Card Sound, and another {{convert|25|mile}} to [[Jewfish Creek Bridge|Jewfish Creek]] (25° 24′ North latitude), if Card Sound and Barnes Sound are included in the lagoon. The lagoon is {{convert|8|mile}} across at its widest point. The lagoon, from Dumfoundling Bay to the Arsenicker Keys, has a surface area of about {{convert|572|km2|sqmi}}. The larger lagoon, including Card Sound and Barnes Sound, has a surface area of about {{convert|703|km2|sqmi}}. It has an average depth of {{convert|1.8|m|ft}} and, except where channels have been [[Dredging|dredged]], a maximum depth of {{convert|4|m|ft}}.{{sfn|Brown|McAdory|Nail|Sarruff|2003|pp=1–2}}{{sfn|Smith|2001|p=224}}{{sfn|Corcoran|Brown|Baddour|Chasens|2005|pp=ix, 2–3}}{{sfn|Wang|Luo|Ault|2003|pp=695, 696 (map)}}{{sfn|Milano|2000|loc=Introduction}}
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===North Bay===
[[File:North Biscayne Bay.pdf|thumb
[[File:View of Biscayne Bay and Miami Beach from Bayfront Park in Miami Shores.jpg|thumb|Biscayne Bay seen from Bayfront Park in [[Miami Shores, Florida|Miami Shores]]]]
The North Bay of Biscayne Bay principally lies between [[Miami Beach]] on a [[barrier island]] and [[Miami]] on the [[mainland]], from Dumfoundling Bay on the north to the [[Rickenbacker Causeway]] to the south.{{sfn|Corcoran|Brown|Baddour|Chasens|2005|p=3}} Other municipalities on the western shore of the lagoon include [[Aventura, Florida|Aventura]] (on Dumfoundling Bay), North Miami Beach, [[North Miami, Florida|North Miami]], and [[Miami Shores, Florida|Miami Shores]]. Municipalities bordering the lagoon on the barrier islands north of Miami Beach include Sunny Isles Beach, [[Bal Harbour, Florida|Bal Harbour]], [[Bay Harbor Islands, Florida|Bay Harbor Islands]], [[Surfside, Florida|Surfside]], and [[Indian Creek Village, Florida|Indian Creek Village]]. [[North Bay Village, Florida|North Bay Village]] is located on two artificial islands in the middle of the lagoon. North Bay is the part of the lagoon that has been most modified by human works, including channels and other dredged areas, and spoil banks and [[artificial islands]] created with material dredged from channels. More than 40% of the area of North Bay had either been dredged or [[Land reclamation|filled]] to form artificial islands, and more than half of the remaining lagoon bottom is barren. Coastal wetlands have been almost eliminated in North Bay. [[Turbidity]] is high in North Bay due to erosion from spoil islands and banks, and the lack of vegetation on the lagoon bottom. The spoil islands host large quantities of [[Invasive species|invasive plant species]].{{sfn|Brown|McAdory|Nail|Sarruff|2003|p=2}}{{sfn|Corcoran|Brown|Baddour|Chasens|2005|p=3}}{{sfn|Milano|2000|loc=Introduction}}
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* [[MacArthur Causeway]], connecting Miami and Miami Beach via [[Watson Island]].
More than 20 islands in North Bay north from the MacArthur Causeway have been created, in whole or in part, with material dredged from the lagoon bottom. Most of the islands, such as the Venetian Islands, are residential. [[Brickell Key]], another residential island, is just south of the mouth of the Miami River. [[Dodge Island]], across the main ship channel to the south of the MacArthur Causeway, was enlarged in the 1960s when the [[PortMiami|Port of Miami]] was moved there from the mainland north of Bayfront Park. The [[Miami Marine Stadium]] was built on the north side of the Rickenbacker Causeway extending from the east side of Virginia Key in the early 1960s. There are also many undeveloped spoil islands in North Bay, such as [[Sandspur Island]] and the [[Picnic Islands]].
===Central Bay===
[[File:Central Biscayne Bay chart.pdf|thumb
Central Bay is the largest part of the bay. It extends from the [[Rickenbacker Causeway]] and [[Virginia Key]] on the north to the Featherbed Bank, which runs across the bay from Black Point to [[Boca Chita Key]].
Fresh water sources for Central Bay include the Coral Gables Waterway and [[Snapper Creek]]. Tidal flow between Central Bay and the ocean is through Bear Cut ===South Bay===
[[File:South Biscayne Bay to Barnes Sound.pdf|thumb
South Bay is nearly as large as Central Bay, and is defined as extending from the Featherbed Bank to the [[Arsenicker Keys#In Biscayne Bay|Arsenicker Keys]], or to Cutter Bank, which is to the east of the Arsenicker Keys. (Brown et al. define South Bay as consisting of Card Sound and Barnes Sound.) It is separated from the ocean by the northernmost of the [[Florida Keys]], from
====Card Sound and Barnes Sound====
Card Sound is an extension of Biscayne Bay to the south of South Bay. Little Card Sound is the next south, separated from Card Sound by Card Bank. The causeway of the [[Card Sound Bridge]] now separates Barnes Sound to the south of Little Card Sound. Manatee Bay is to the west of Barnes Sound. Card Sound and Barnes Sound are bounded on the east by [[Key Largo]].{{sfn|Smith|2001|pp=224–225}} South Biscayne Bay is sometimes defined as including Card Sound and Barnes Sound.{{sfn|Brown|McAdory|Nail|Sarruff|2003|p=2}} Barnes Sound is connected to [[Florida Bay]] through a few small channels.
'''Manatee Bay''' is partially separated from Barnes Sound by Short Key and Main Key. In 1994, it was described as having particularly undisturbed habitat for a location in the Florida Keys. Due to its distance from the open ocean and the restrictive passages between other components of Biscayne Bay, Manatee Bay experiences low tidal exchange, while the C-197 canal allows fresh water from the C-111 canal to flow into Manatee Bay. [[Salinity]] levels in Manatee Bay range from 14 [[Parts-per notation|parts-per-thousand]] (ppt) to 45 ppt (seawater has an average salinity of 35 ppt). In July 2023, the bay was in the news when a bouy there recorded a water temperature of {{Convert|101.1|F|C}}.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Ishman |first1=Scott E. |last2=Cronin |first2=Thomas M. |last3=Brewster-Wingard |first3=G-Lynn |last4=Willard |first4=Debra A. |last5=Verardo |first5=David J. |date=1998 |title=A Record of Ecosystem Change, Manatee Bay, Barnes Sound, Florida |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/25736129 |journal=Journal of Coastal Research |page=126 |jstor=25736129 |issn=0749-0208}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Hernandez |first=Joe |date=July 26, 2023 |title=With Florida ocean temperatures topping 100, experts warn of damage to marine life |work=[[WUFT (TV)|WUFT]] |url=https://www.npr.org/2023/07/26/1190218132/florida-ocean-temperatures-101-marine-life-damage |access-date=September 16, 2023}}</ref>
===Safety Valve=== <!-- Proper name of geological feature, target of redirect, leave capitalized -->
[[File:Biscayne Bay Safety Valve.png|thumb
The '''Safety Valve''' is a series of shallow sand flats separated by tidal flow channels, stretching about {{convert|8|mi|km}} from the south end of [[Key Biscayne]] to the [[Ragged Keys]] just north of the [[Florida Keys]]. The term "safety valve" was applied to the tidal flats by [[Ralph Munroe]], who argued against building a causeway and bridges connecting Key Biscayne to the Ragged Keys and beyond on the grounds that such construction would block the free outflow of storm surges from the bay across the flats to the ocean. It is believed that it does moderate the effects of storm surges on the bay. The transportation of sand southward along the Atlantic Coast of Florida by [[longshore drift]] ends in the area of the Safety Valve. The structure of the Safety Valve has been stable for at least the last century. (The area was called ''Bocas de Miguel de Mora'' on Spanish maps and [[
{{wide image|BiscayneBayPanorama.jpg|1200px|Panoramic view of the bay from the [[PortMiami]]||none}}
==History==
[[File:Romans' map of Biscayne Bay.jpg|thumb|
What is now Biscayne Bay was a freshwater basin 4,000 years ago. As the sea level rose, ocean water entered the basin, turning it into an estuary/lagoon. Before the 20th century, a [[Miami Rock Ridge|coastal ridge]] west of and parallel to the bay caused most of the ground water west of the ridge to flow towards the [[Everglades]] and [[Florida Bay]], while ground water on the narrow coastal strip east of the ridge flowed into the bay. Freshwater marshes were located all along the western shore of the bay, and fresh water springs were located along the shore and on the bottom of the bay. [[Ralph Munroe]] noted in the late 19th century that potable water could be pumped from one of those bay bottom springs. Springs can still be found in the bay, but the water from them is now brackish.{{sfn|Corcoran|Brown|Baddour|Chasens|2005|pp=2–3}}<ref>{{Cite web|title=Freshwater Springs in Biscayne Bay, ca. 1890|url=http://dpanther.fiu.edu/dpService/dpPurlService/purl/RM00010005/00001|url-status=live|access-date=April 23, 2021|website=FIU Libraries|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210423193930/http://dpanther.fiu.edu/dpService/dpPurlService/purl/RM00010005/00001 |archive-date=2021-04-23 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Gonzalez|first=Christina Joy|date=April 1, 2007|title=Detection, mapping and analysis of freshwater springs in western Biscayne Bay, Florida|url=https://scholarship.miami.edu/discovery/fulldisplay/alma991031447217802976/01UOML_INST:ResearchRepository|url-status=live|access-date=April 23, 2021|website=University of Miami|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210423193929/https://scholarship.miami.edu/discovery/fulldisplay/alma991031447217802976/01UOML_INST:ResearchRepository |archive-date=2021-04-23 }}</ref>{{sfn|Wang|Luo|Ault|2003|p=697}}
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[[Juan Ponce de León]] visited Biscayne Bay in 1513, and [[Pedro Menéndez de Avilés]] did so in 1565.{{sfn|Blank|1996|p=13}}
Early accounts by Spanish explorers indicated the existence of one or more inlets somewhere on the long [[barrier spit]] then separating the northern end of Biscayne Bay from the ocean (one called "Boca Rattones" appears on the 1770s map by Bernard Romans), but such inlets open and close over time. At the beginning of the 19th century, there was no inlet through the barrier spit between the [[New River (Broward County, Florida)|New River]] inlet in [[Fort Lauderdale, Florida|Fort Lauderdale]] and Bear Cut, at the south end of what is now [[Virginia Key]]. Hurricanes in [[
The opening of [[Government Cut]] in 1905 separated Fisher Island from Miami Beach and slightly shortened the barrier spit. The dredging of [[Baker's Haulover Inlet]] in 1925 across the barrier spit near the north end of the bay converted that part of the barrier spit where Miami Beach was located into a barrier island. Modification of the flow of fresh water through waterways, and the opening of Government Cut and the Baker's Haulover Inlet during the 20th century increased the salinity of the lagoon. Dredging of the ship channel and turning basin for the [[PortMiami|Port of Miami]] and other navigation channels, including the [[Intracoastal Waterway]], has resulted in the build up of artificial islands in the Northern Bay. {{As of|1981}} more than 40% of the area of North Bay had either been dredged or [[Land reclamation|filled]] to form artificial islands. [[Seawall]]s line almost all of the shoreline of North Bay.{{sfn|Leynes|Cullison|1998|p=22}}{{sfn|Brown|McAdory|Nail|Sarruff|2003|p=3}}{{sfn|Corcoran|Brown|Baddour|Chasens|2005|p=3}}{{sfn|Milano|2000|loc=Introduction}}
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==Causeways==
[[File:Virginiakeybeach.jpg|thumb
The first bridge across Biscayne Bay was the {{convert|2.5|mi|adj=on}} wooden [[Collins Bridge]] built in 1912 by [[John S. Collins]] and his son-in-law Thomas Pancoast, who formed the Miami Beach Improvement Corporation; financing was provided by [[Carl G. Fisher]] and the Miami banker brothers John N. Lummus and James E. Lummus.{{sfn|Blank|1996|p=159}}{{sfn|Whitaker|2011|p=133}} Construction began on July 22, 1912.{{sfn|Whitaker|2011|p=133}} Although the cost of the project was initially $75,000, the construction project faced delays and cost overruns.{{sfn|Whitaker|2011|p=133}} The bridge was partially completed in 1913.{{sfn|Whitaker|2011|p=133}} The bridge was "hailed as the longest wooden vehicle bridge in the world, and opened up the area as a luxury winter resort and playground."{{sfn|Blank|1996|p=159}} The bridge terminated at the Dixie Highway, built by [[Carl G. Fisher]].{{sfn|Reilly|2005|p=200}} The bridge was a [[toll bridge]]; in 1920, the toll was reduced from 20 cents each way (for two-seat cars) to 15 cents one way (and 25 cents round-trip).{{sfn|Reilly|2005|p=33}} The bridge was sold to the Biscayne Bay Improvement Association, which developed five [[artificial island]]s that became known as the [[Venetian Islands, Florida|Venetian Islands]]: [[Biscayne Island|Biscayne]] and [[San Marco Island|San Marco]] in Miami, [[San Marino Island|San Marino]], [[Di Lido Island|Di Lido]], and [[Rivo Alto Island|Rivo Alto]] in Miami Beach.{{sfn|Reilly|2005|pp=33–34}}{{sfn|Klepser|2014|p=24}} The bridge was torn down in 1925 and replaced with the "more substantial" [[Venetian Causeway]] the next year.{{sfn|Reilly|2005|pp=33–34}}{{sfn|Klepser|2014|p=24}}
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==Parks and marinas==
[[File:Biscayne National Park Map 2009.png|thumb
[[File:Florida - Biscayne Bay - NARA - 23936555 (cropped).jpg|thumb|right|Biscayne Bay Causeway in 1931]]
Most of Central Bay and almost all of South Bay, as well as the Safety Valve and the Florida Keys north of Key Largo, are within the boundaries of [[Biscayne National Park]]. A number of other state and local parks front on the lagoon, primarily on North Bay and the northern rim of Central Bay.
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The [[Crocodile Lake National Wildlife Refuge]] on Key Largo includes {{Convert|650|acre|km2}} of open water in Card Sound and Barnes Sound.<ref>{{Cite web|date=December 3, 2015|title=Crocodile Lake National Wildlife Refuge: About the Refuge|url=https://www.fws.gov/refuge/Crocodile_Lake/about.html|url-status=live|access-date=May 2, 2021|website=U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160112005356/http://www.fws.gov:80/refuge/Crocodile_Lake/about.html |archive-date=2016-01-12 }}</ref> Lobsters are protected year-round in the Biscayne Bay-Card Sound Lobster Sanctuary. The sanctuary includes all of the lagoon from a line running from Cape Florida to Matheson Hammock County Park south to the Card Sound Bridge and causeway.<ref>{{Cite web|date=December 21, 2017|title=Biscayne Bay-Card Sound Lobster Sanctuary|url=https://www.nps.gov/bisc/planyourvisit/biscayne-bay-card-sound-lobster-sanctuary.htm|url-status=live|access-date=May 2, 2021|website=U.S. National Park Service|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070125052104/http://www.nps.gov:80/bisc/planyourvisit/biscayne-bay-card-sound-lobster-sanctuary.htm |archive-date=2007-01-25 }}</ref>
In August 2020 the depletion of dissolved oxygen in the waters of Biscayne Bay triggered a [[fish kill]]. Fish that had suffocated were floating to the surface. Authorities took the emergency measure of dispatching [[fireboat]]s to aerate the water, by spraying the water high into the air with their water cannons.<ref>{{cite news|last= Aquirre|first= Louis|title= Miami-Dade fireboats hit the water to help with major fish kill in South Florida waters|url= https://www.local10.com/news/local/2020/08/15/miami-dade-fireboats-hit-the-water-to-help-with-major-fish-kill-in-south-florida-waters/|date= August 15, 2020|work = [[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]]|access-date= August 16, 2020|quote= Two fireboats were deployed into Biscayne Bay to the most critical areas showing dangerously low oxygen levels, which has killed thousands of fish and other marine life over the past week.}}</ref>
==Threats==
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==Sources==
*{{Cite book|last=Blank|first=Joan Gill|title=Key Biscayne: A History of Miami's Tropical Island and the Cape Florida Lighthouse|year=1996|publisher=[[Pineapple Press]]|location=Sarasota, Florida|isbn=1-56164-096-4}}
*{{Cite book|last=Bramson|first=Seth|year=2005|title=Miami Beach|publisher=[[Arcadia Publishing]]|location=Charleston, South Carolina|isbn=0-7385-4174-5}}
*{{Cite web|last1=Brown|first1=Gary L.|last2=McAdory|first2=Robert|last3=Nail|first3=Gregory H.|last4=Sarruff|first4=Maria Soraya|last5=Berger|first5=R. C.|last6=Gtanat|first6=Mitch A.|date=September 2003|title=Development of Two-Dimensional Numerical Model of Hydrodynamics and Salinity for Biscayne Bay, Florida|url=https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA417838.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210422223324/https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA417838.pdf|archive-date=April 22, 2021|url-status=live|access-date=April 22, 2021|website=Defence Technical
*{{Cite web|last1=Corcoran|first1=Eugene F.|last2=Brown|first2=Melvin S.|last3=Baddour|first3=Frederick R.|last4=Chasens|first4=Steven A.|last5=Freay|first5=Anna D.|date=February 2005|title=1983 Biscayne Bay Hydrocarbon Study|url=https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/17765|access-date=April 22, 2021|website=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration}} (automatically downloads pdf)
*{{Cite book|last=Klepser|first=Carolyn|year=2014|title=Lost Miami Beach|publisher=[[Arcadia Publishing#The History Press|The History Press]]|isbn=9781626194281}}
*{{cite web|last1=Leynes|first1=Jennifer Brown|last2=Cullison|first2=David|title=Biscayne National Park: Historic Resource Study|url=http://www.nps.gov/bisc/historyculture/upload/bischistoricresourcestudy.pdf|publisher=U.S. National Park Service|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130414062612/http://www.nps.gov/bisc/historyculture/upload/bischistoricresourcestudy.pdf|archive-date=April 14, 2013|access-date=April 9, 2019|date=January 1998}}
*{{Cite web|last=Milano|first=Gary R.|title=Island Restoration and Enhancement in Biscayne Bay, Florida|date=2000|url=https://www.miamidade.gov/environment/library/reports/island-restoration.pdf|access-date=April 21, 2021|website=Miami-Dade Department of Environmental Resources Management}}
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*{{Cite journal|last=Smith|first=Ned P.|date=Summer 2001|title=Tides of Biscayne Bay, Card Sound, Little Card Sound, Barnes Sound, and Manatee Bay, Florida|journal=Florida Scientist|volume=64|pages=224–236|jstor=24321024}}
*{{cite web|last=Thornberry-Erlich|first=Trista L.|title=Biscayne National Park Geologic Resource Management Issues Scoping summary|url=http://nature.nps.gov/Geology/inventory/publications/s_summaries/BISC_scoping_summary_20050421.pdf|publisher=U.S. National Park Service|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170511022358/http://nature.nps.gov/Geology/inventory/publications/s_summaries/BISC_scoping_summary_20050421.pdf|archive-date=May 11, 2017|access-date=April 9, 2019|date=February 9, 2005}}
*{{Cite journal|last1=Wang|first1=John D.|last2=Luo|first2=Jiangang|last3=Ault|first3=Jerald S.|date=May 2003|title=Flows, salinity, and some implications for larval transport in South Biscayne Bay, Florida|url=https://www.
*{{Cite book|last=Whitaker|first=Sigur E.|year=2011|title=James Allison: A Biography of the Engine Manufacturer and Indianapolis 500 Cofounder|publisher=[[McFarland & Company]]|location=Jefferson, North Carolina|isbn=978-0-7864-6165-3}}
==Further reading==
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{{Authority control}}
[[Category:Lagoons of Florida]]▼
[[Category:Bays of Florida on the Atlantic Ocean]]
[[Category:Biscayne National Park]]
[[Category:Bodies of water of Miami-Dade County, Florida]]
[[Category:Geography of Miami]]
[[Category:
▲[[Category:Lagoons of Florida]]
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