Roanoke sound
A NC estuary
Location
The Roanoke Sound is a sound that separates Roanoke Island from Bodie Island of the Outer Banks. To the north of the Roanoke Sound lies the Albemarle Sound and to the south lies the Pamlico Sound.
The importance of estuaries
They provide goods and services that are economically and ecologically indispensable. Often called nurseries of the sea, estuaries provide vital nesting and feeding habitats for many aquatic plants and animals.
Plants and animals
Cattails, sawgrass, giant cordgrass and black needlerush provide habitats for many waterfowl and serve as fish nurseries. The sound is also home to the Blue Crab
Feeding waterways
Pamlico sound, Croatan sound, and the Atlantic ocean.
Threats to estuaries
The complex ecosystem of North Carolina estuaries is harmed by changes to the land bordering and surrounding the estuaries and by contamination of river and ocean water.