Module 10 Assignment Three
Pamlico Sound || By Logan Hale
Location
The pamlico sound is located off the southern shore of North Carolina, and occupies most of the space between the main landmass of NC and the outer banks.
Importance
Estuaries are prime environments for life due to the combination of salt and freshwater that creates them. Plant and animal life thrives in estuaries, and many aquatic creatures use them as breeding grounds since they generally provide shelter and are nutrient rich.
Animals in the Pamlico
The Pamlico Sound, like most estuaries, is loaded with life. Dolphins and sea turtles are in abundance, as well as many species of fish and waterfowl. Other animals are known to visit the sound as well, including rare and endangered species such as leatherback turtles, great white sharks, fin whales, and the north atlantic humpback whale.
Connections
Both the Tar River and the Neuse River flow into the Pamlico Sound, and the Pamlico is also connected to the Atlantic Ocean
Threats to the Sound
Wetlands are a crucial part of estuaries and really enhance the capacity for life in estuaries, but it is these habitats that are the most at risk. Entire ecosystems of wetlands are filled in for human development, and others are drained for agriculture. In the Pamlico and in all estuaries, wetlands are not treated with enough care.
Sources
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pamlico_Sound
http://www.fws.gov/nc-es/edout/albewhatwrong.html
Images
http://assets.worldwildlife.org/photos/1257/images/hero_small/SeaTurtle-1600x600px.jpg?1345590072
http://www.outerbanks.com/img/content/pamlico-sound-1.jpg
https://owpubauthor.epa.gov/resource_performance/planning/images/WT-2a_b-Measure.jpg