Cape Hatteras
Pamlico Sound
Pamlico Sound in North Carolina is the largest lagoon along the U.S. East Coast. “Lagoon” is defined as shallow body of water separated from a sea by sandbars or coral reefs. In the case of Pamlico, the sea is the Atlantic Ocean. “Sound” is much the same as “Lagoon;” an inlet of the ocean, often parallel to the coast. With semantics class over concerning the conflicting, or complementary, descriptions, move on again to Pamlico.
Pamlico Sound is eighty miles long (129 km) with a width varying from fifteen to thirty miles (24-48 km). The Outer Banks, barrier islands that include Cape Hatteras, is the partition between the Sound and the sea. Pamlico Sound is part of a large, interconnected network of lagoon estuaries. An estuary is a partly cnclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers flowing into it, and with a connection to the open sea. As a whole, Pamlico is the second largest estuary in the United States; Chesapeake Bay is the largest and is addressed elsewhere in this volume. Pamlico Sound is linked to the north with Albemarle Sound and Roanoke Sound. The southern end of Pamlico ties to Core Sound.
The Sound and its ocean inlets are noted for wide expanses of shallow water making the area hazardous for larger vessels. In addition, the shallow waters are susceptible to wind and tidal fluctuations. This effect is amplified on the feeder rivers, where water levels can change by as much as two feet in three hours depending on wind direction and strength. All this, of course, simply makes Pamlico Sound an enjoyable challenge for recreational boaters.
Cape Hatteras on the coast of North Carolina, is the North America land point that protrudes the farthest to the southeast along the northeast-to southwest line of the Atlantic coast. Currents at the point, the southerly moving and cold Labrador Current and the northerly and warm Florida Current, (the Gulf Stream) come together sometimes violently, producing turbulence that, coupled with the unpredictable shallow sandbars, also creates a boating challenge. This combination of conditions creates shoals, called Diamond Shoals on the water map, that, with the frequent storms in the region, add to the sailing risk. So many ships have been lost off Cape Hatteras that the area is known as the “Graveyard of the Atlantic.”
Cape Hatteras is infamous for frequently being struck by hurricanes; Hurricae Isabel in 2003 was particularly damaging to the area. Isabel all but destroyed the entire Outer Banks and split Hatteras Island. The Cape is actually a bend in Hatteras Island, which is one of the long barrier islands that make up the Outer Banks.
The first lighthouse at the Cape was built in 1803. That one was was replaced in 1870 by the current Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, which at 198.48 feet from the ground to the tip of its lightning rod is the tallest lighthouse in the United States and one of the tallest brick lighthouses in the world. In 1999, as the receding shoreline encroached dangerously close, the 4830-ton lighthouse was lifted and moved inland a distance of 2900 feet.
The name “Hatteras” is the sixth oldest surviving English place-name in the U.S. An inlet north of the Cape was named “Hatrask” in 1585 by the leader of the Roanoke Colony expedition authorized by Sir Walter Raleigh. That name later was applied to the island and Cape as well, and modified to “Hatteras.”
The Cape and the Sound are prime recreation spots for locals and visitors, and is not limited to water activities and attractions. For the less active visitor, perhaps bent on educational research or simply birdwatching, the coastal areas are home to numerous waterfowl nesting sites, including Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge and Swanquarter National Wildlife Refuge. Truly the coastal region of Norh Carolina offers something for almost everyone.
Now available in Kindle books - specially selected original articles.
Our Splendid Earth (South Africa Sampler )
Our Splendid Earth II (Random America)
* Other article on this site.
The City Under Seattle * * Tombstone *Sedona – Red Rock Country * * A True Ghost Town *The Redwood Forest * Donner Pass * California Coastal Trips *Los Vegas *Ancient Bristlecone Pines *
