AN ESTUARY OF NATIONAL SIGNIFICANCE
The Albemarle-Pamlico estuarine system is the second largest estuarine complex in the United States’ lower 48 states. The system supports an abundant and rich variety of organisms. It encompasses important habitat areas for fish and shellfish, including key nursery areas for east coast fisheries. The system is composed of seven sounds: Currituck, Albemarle, Roanoke, Croatan, Pamlico, Core and Bogue. The estuarine system is drained by several major river basins: Pasquotank, Chowan, Roanoke, Tar-Pamlico, Neuse and White Oak. The rivers drain a basin of more than 30,000 square miles, including 43 counties in northeastern North Carolina and 38 counties and cities in southeastern Virginia. They discharge freshwater largely into the western side of the sounds.
The sounds of the Albemarle-Pamlico system are characterized by wind-driven tides that effect circulation patterns in the sounds and saltwater concentrations in their tributaries. In contrast to lunar tides, wind tides are more variable and contribute to unpredictable changes in water levels and erosion patterns along the coast. On the eastern side of the sounds, a chain of islands with only a few inlets form a barrier with the Atlantic Ocean. These are widely known as North Carolina’s Outer Banks and are a popular vacation destination for the nation.
The Albemarle-Pamlico estuarine system supports an array of ecological, economic, recreational and aesthetic functions that are of regional and national importance. The critical importance of sustaining the estuarine system in order to fulfill these functions was reflected in its nomination by the governor of North Carolina, and its designation in November 1987 as “an estuary of national significance” in the National Estuary Program by the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.