Pamlico Sound
Pamlico County, North Carolina
The Importance of Estuaries
Estuaries provide two critical ecosystem services including habitat protection and water filtration. Pesticides, herbicides, and other toxins are often filtered out of the water in estuaries, which also provide safe habitats for wildlife.
Estuaries also protect the mainland from erosion, while also preventing flooding.
Chowan, Roanoke, Pasquotank, and Pamlico river are all flow into Pamlico sound.
Wildlife
Some of the wildlife that reside in estuaries includes Loggerhead sea turtles, many varieties of underwater plants, spotted sea trout, flounder, herons, and bay scallops.
Threats to Pamlico Sound
Pamlico sound is currently threatened by the impending danger of rising sea levels essentially turning Pamlico sound into Pamlico bay, resulting in the destruction of the Outer Banks and the ocean and its storms to affect the sound virtually unimpeded. Some of the other problems faced by all estuaries and not specifically Pamlico sound include habitat loss and pollution.
Sources
http://wunc.org/post/changing-carolina-coast-managing-threat-rising-water#stream/0
http://www.fws.gov/nc-es/edout/albewhatwrong.html
http://www.learnnc.org/lp/pages/544?ref=search
http://www.outerbanks.com/pamlico-sound.html
http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/education/kits/estuaries/estuaries03_ecosystem.html