The sound and its ocean inlets are noted for wide expanses of shallow water and occasional shoaling, making the area hazardous for larger vessels. While the deepest hole of the estuary (26ft; 7.9m) can be found in the Pamlico Sound,[7] depths generally range from 5 to 6 feet (1.5 to 1.8m).[8] In addition, the shallow waters are 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.[1][2]
History and current use
In March 1524, Italian Explorer Giovanni da Verrazzano mistook the sound for the Pacific Ocean because of its wide expanse and separation from the Atlantic Ocean by the Outer Banks barrier islands.[5] The sound was named for the Pamlico that lived along the sound's mainland banks and who were referred to as the Pamouik by the Raleigh expeditions (circa 1584).[9]
In 1987, Congress declared the Albemarle-Pamlico Sound an "estuary of national significance."[3] For vacationers to the Outer Banks, the Pamlico Sound is a "watersports playground" providing opportunities for fishing and crabbing, boating, kayaking, sailing, windsurfing, kiteboarding, parasailing, paddleboarding, and more.[5] In 2012, the economic impact of tourism to the Albemarle-Pamlico Sound area exceeded $1.3 billion.[3]
The sound also supports local commercial fishing, crabbing, shrimping, clamming, and oystering. 90% of North Carolina's commercial fishing catches are attributed to the Pamlico Sound, generating almost $100 million per year.[13]
Schwartz J.F.. 2010. BASKING AND WHALE SHARKS OF NORTH CAROLINA. Journal of the North Carolina Academy of Science, 126(3), 2010, pp. 84–87. Retrieved on December 10. 2014
This article uses material from the Wikipedia article Pamlico_Sound, and is written by contributors.
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