Pamlico Sound

Pamlico Sound

Pamlico Sound (PAM-lik-o) in North Carolina, is the largest lagoon along the U.S. East Coast being 129 km (80 miles) long and 24 to 48 km (15 to 30 miles) wide. It is a body of water separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Outer Banks, a row of low, sandy barrier islands, including Cape Hatteras. The Neuse and Pamlico rivers (the latter is the estuary of the Tar River) flow in from the west. Pamlico Sound is linked on the north with Albemarle Sound through Roanoke Sound and Croatan Sound (passages). Core Sound is the narrow southern end. Explorer Giovanni da Verrazzano mistook the sound for the Pacific Ocean. The sound and its ocean inlets are noted for wide expanses of shallow water and occasional shoaling, making the area hazardous for larger vessels. In addition, the shallow nature of the sound makes it susceptible to wind and barometric pressure driven tidal fluctuations. This effect is amplified on the tributary rivers where water levels can change by as much as two feet in three hours when winds are aligned with the rivers' axes and are blowing strongly.

Pamlico Sound is part of a large interconnected network of lagoon estuaries, which as a whole is the second largest estuary in the United States (Chesapeake Bay being the largest). There are seven sounds making up the whole: Albemarle Sound, Currituck Sound, Croatan Sound, Pamlico Sound, Bogue Sound, Core Sound, and Roanoke Sound.

Cape Hatteras National Seashore and Cape Lookout National Seashore are located on the barrier islands. Along the coastal areas are numerous waterfowl nesting sites, including Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge and Swanquarter National Wildlife Refuge on the mainland.

External links

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* [http://www.visitwashingtonnc.com/pages/boating.php Pamlico Sound Boating]


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  • Pamlico Sound — mit Einzugsgebiet Der Pamlico Sound im Bundesstaat North Carolina in den Vereinigten Staaten von Amerika, bildet mit einer Länge von 129 Kilometern und einer Breite von 24 bis 48 Kilometern die größte Lagune an der Ostküste der Vereinigten… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Pamlico Sound — [pam′li kō΄] [earlier Pampticough < Algonquian tribal name] inlet of the Atlantic between the coast of N.C. and narrow offshore islands: c. 80 mi (129 km) long …   English World dictionary

  • Pamlico Sound — /pam li koh / a sound between the North Carolina mainland and coastal islands. * * * Shallow body of water, eastern shore of North Carolina, U.S. It is separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Outer Banks. It extends 80 mi (130 km) south from… …   Universalium

  • Pamlico Sound — Pam′li•co Sound′ [[t]ˈpæm lɪˌkoʊ[/t]] n. geg a sound between the North Carolina mainland and coastal islands …   From formal English to slang

  • Pamlico Sound — /pam li koh / a sound between the North Carolina mainland and coastal islands …   Useful english dictionary

  • Pamlico Sound — /pæmləkoʊ ˈsaʊnd/ (say pamluhkoh sownd) noun an Atlantic inlet between North Carolina, US, and the islands off its eastern coast …  

  • Pamlico River — Einzugsgebiete des Tar, Pamlico und Neuse River Daten …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Sound (geografía) — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda Øresund del Norte …   Wikipedia Español

  • Pamlico River — Pamlico River, Fluß im Staate Nord Carolina (Nordamerika), entspringt als Taw River in der Grafschaft Granville, fließt südöstlich an Tarborough, Greenville u. Washington vorüber u. fällt in den Pamlico Sound, eine Bucht (Meeresarm) des… …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • Pamlico — The Pamlico (or Pomouik ) were a Native American people of North Carolina, U.S.A.. They spoke an Algonquian language also known as Pamlico or Carolina Algonquian . Geography The Pamlico Indians lived on the Pamlico River in North Carolina.… …   Wikipedia

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