Editing Pamlico Sound

{{Short description|Largest lagoon along the North American East Coast}}
[[File:PamlicoSound-EO.JPG|thumb|Pamlico Sound with the southern [[Outer Banks]]. Orbital photo courtesy of NASA.]]
[[File:Pamlicorivermap.png|right|thumb|Map of the Pamlico Sound and its watershed]]

'''Pamlico Sound''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|p|æ|m|l|ᵻ|k|oʊ}} {{respell|PAM|lik-oh}}) is a large [[estuary|estuarine]] [[lagoon]] in [[North Carolina]].  The largest lagoon along the [[North American]] [[East Coast of the United States|East Coast]], it extends {{convert|80|mi|km|abbr=on}} long and {{convert|15|to|20|mi|km}} wide. It is part of a large, interconnected network of similar lagoons that includes [[Albemarle Sound]], [[Currituck Sound]], [[Croatan Sound]], [[Roanoke Sound]], Pamlico Sound, [[Bogue Sound]], [[Back Sound]], and [[Core Sound]]<ref name="uri" /><ref name="outer" /> known collectively as the Albemarle-Pamlico sound system. With over 3,000 sq. mi. (7,800&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>) of open water<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|title = NCDEQ - Fast Facts|url = http://portal.ncdenr.org/web/apnep/fastfacts|website = portal.ncdenr.org|access-date = 2015-09-29}}</ref> the combined estuary is second only in size to {{convert|4479|sqmi|abbr=on}} [[Chesapeake Bay]] in the United States. 

The Pamlico Sound is separated from the [[Atlantic Ocean]] by the [[Outer Banks]], a row of low, sandy [[bar (landform)|barrier islands]] that include [[Cape Hatteras National Seashore]], [[Cape Lookout National Seashore]], and [[Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge]]. The Albemarle-Pamlico Sound is one of nineteen great waters recognized by the America's Great Waters Coalition.<ref>{{cite news|author= National Wildlife Federation|title= America's Great Waters Coalition|date= August 18, 2010|url= http://www.nwf.org/Wildlife/What-We-Do/Waters/Great-Waters-Restoration/Great-Waters-Coalition.aspx|access-date= 2011-08-18|archive-date= 2011-08-15|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110815213851/http://www.nwf.org/Wildlife/What-We-Do/Waters/Great-Waters-Restoration/Great-Waters-Coalition.aspx|url-status= dead}}</ref>

== Hydrology ==

Pamlico Sound is connected to the [[north]] with [[Albemarle Sound]] through [[Channel (geography)|passages]] provided by the [[Roanoke Sound]] and [[Croatan Sound]].  [[Core Sound]] is located at the Pamlico's narrow southern end.<ref name="uri">{{cite web|title=Albemarle-Pamlico Sound|url=http://omp.gso.uri.edu/ompweb/doee/science/descript/albpam.htm|publisher=University of Rhode Island}}</ref><ref name="outer">{{cite web|title=Pamlico Sound|url=http://www.outerbanks.com/pamlico-sound.html|publisher=Outer Banks}}</ref> It is fed by the [[Neuse River|Neuse]] and [[Pamlico River|Pamlico]] rivers (the latter of which is the [[estuary]] of the [[Tar River]]) from the west, and from the east by [[Oregon Inlet]], [[Hatteras Inlet]], and [[Ocracoke Inlet]], which also provide passage to the [[Atlantic Ocean]].<ref name=":0" /> The [[salinity]] of the sound averages 20 [[Parts-per notation|ppt]], compared to an average coastal salinity of 35 ppt in the Atlantic and 3 ppt in the Currituck Sound, which is located north of the Albemarle Sound.<ref name=":2" />

The sound and its ocean inlets are noted for wide expanses of shallow water and occasional [[shoal]]ing, making the area hazardous for larger vessels. While the deepest hole of the estuary ({{convert|26|ft|m|abbr=on|disp=semicolon}}) can be found in the Pamlico Sound,<ref name=":3">{{Cite web|title = The Albemarle-Pamlico Estuary {{!}} Outer Banks Catch|url = http://www.outerbankscatch.com/news/blog/2015/02/04/albemarle-pamlico-estuary|website = www.outerbankscatch.com|access-date = 2015-09-29|url-status = dead|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150930131522/http://www.outerbankscatch.com/news/blog/2015/02/04/albemarle-pamlico-estuary|archive-date = 2015-09-30}}</ref> depths generally range from {{convert|5|to|6|ft|m}}.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.outerbanks.com/pamlico-sound.html|title=Pamlico Sound - OuterBanks.com|website=www.outerbanks.com|access-date=19 April 2018}}</ref>  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.<ref name="uri" /><ref name="outer" />

== 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.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title = Pamlico Sound - OuterBanks.com|url = http://www.outerbanks.com/pamlico-sound.html|website = www.outerbanks.com|access-date = 2015-09-29}}</ref> 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 [[Walter Raleigh|Raleigh]] expeditions (circa 1584).<ref>{{Cite web|title = Pamlico Indians {{!}} NCpedia|url = http://ncpedia.org/pamlico-indians|website = ncpedia.org|access-date = 2015-09-29}}</ref>

Three locations of Pamlico Sound in the [[Outer Banks]] between [[Cape Hatteras]] and [[Cape Fear, N.C.|Cape Fear]] were once under serious consideration by the [[United States Atomic Energy Commission]] as an [[Nuclear weapons testing|atomic bomb test]] site during the late 1940s and early 1950s.<ref>[http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news042112.htm Project Nutmeg] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160505191947/http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news042112.htm |date=2016-05-05 }} Ocracoke Newsletter; (April 21, 2012); ''Village Craftsman''; retrieved: December 12, 2016.</ref><ref>[http://www.ieer.org/latest/i131quot.html Excerpts from documents and books regarding the decision to locate the test site in Nevada]; Retrieved December 10, 2016.</ref>  Portions of Pamlico Sound are used as a bombing and training range for [[Camp Lejeune]].<ref>[http://www.wcti12.com/news/military-releases-information-on-continued-exercises-going-on-in-area/16037805 Military releases information on continued exercises going on in area]; Retrieved: December 10, 2016.</ref>

In 1987, Congress declared the Albemarle-Pamlico Sound an "estuary of national significance."<ref name=":1" />  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.<ref name=":0" /> In 2012, the economic impact of tourism to the Albemarle-Pamlico Sound area exceeded $1.3 billion.<ref name=":1" />

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.<ref>{{Cite web|title = North Carolina's blue crab dilemma - Commercial Fishing Data|url = http://cmast.ncsu.edu/cmast-sites/synergy/bluecrab/bshcomfsh.html|website = cmast.ncsu.edu|access-date = 2015-09-29}}</ref>

== Wildlife ==

Along the coastal areas are numerous [[waterfowl]] nesting sites, including [[Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge]] on the Outer Banks, and [[Swanquarter National Wildlife Refuge]] on the mainland.<ref name="uri" /><ref name="outer" /> [[Dolphin]]s and [[sea turtle]]s<ref>Epperly P.S.. Braun J.. Veishlow A.. 1995. [http://www.sefsc.noaa.gov/turtles/PR_Epperly_etal_1995_ConBio.pdf Sea Turtles in Noerh Carolina Waters] {{JSTOR|2386782}}. the Conservation Biology
Vol. 9, No. 2 (Apr., 1995), pp. 384-394. Retrieved on December 10. 2014</ref> are abundant,<ref>Donnelly M.. 2007.   [http://www.conserveturtles.org/velador.php?page=velart68 Sea Turtles and North Carolina Inshore Fisheries] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141214115115/http://www.conserveturtles.org/velador.php?page=velart68 |date=2014-12-14 }}. VELADOR - the Sea Turtle Conservancy Newspaper. Issue 2 (2007). The [[Sea Turtle Conservancy]]. Retrieved on December 10. 2014</ref> with occasional visits by [[Pinniped|seal]]s such as [[harp seal]] in early January and February. Many other [[cetacean]]s including rare species such as [[fin whale]]s, [[Cuvier's beaked whale]]s, and [[orca]]s are present off Outer Banks and Cape Hatteras. [[Whale]]s such as [[gray whale|Atlantic gray]] (now extirpated),<ref>[http://www.fmap.ca/ramweb/media/biodiversity_loss/downloads/RegionalExtinctionExamples.pdf Regional Species Extinctions - Examples of regional species extinctions over the last 1000 years and more.] {{webarchive|url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20110425162323/http://www.fmap.ca//ramweb/media/biodiversity_loss/downloads/RegionalExtinctionExamples.pdf |date=2011-04-25 }}. Retrieved on December 10. 2014</ref> [[North Atlantic right whale|North Atlantic right]] (critically endangered), and [[humpback whale|North Atlantic humpback]] were historically common. Endangered species such as [[leatherback turtle]]s,<ref>Young N..2006. [http://dukespace.lib.duke.edu/dspace/bitstream/handle/10161/106/Young%20MP%202006.pdf?sequence=1. GUIDELINES FOR DEVELOPING APOTENTIAL BIOLOGICAL REMOVAL (PBR)FRAMEWORK FOR MANAGING SEA TURTLEBYCATCH IN THE PAMLICO SOUNDFLOUNDER GILLNET FISHERY]. Master of Environmental Management degree in the Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences of [[Duke University]]. Retrieved on December 10. 2014</ref> [[whale shark]]s, and [[basking shark]]s are also known to visit the sound as well.<ref name=":2">Schwartz J.F.. 2010. [http://dc.lib.unc.edu/cgi-bin/showfile.exe?CISOROOT=/jncas&CISOPTR=3965. 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</ref>

The sound also sports a variety of fish populations including [[red drum]], speckled trout, [[flounder]], [[striped bass]] (known as rockfish by local populations), [[Sciaenidae|croaker]], spot, [[pompano]], [[King mackerel|kingfish]], and [[bluefish]]. In addition, shellfish populations including [[Callinectes sapidus|blue crab]], [[Caridea|shrimp]], [[oyster]]s, and [[clam]]s are healthy.<ref name=":3" />

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Pamlico Sound from Buxton sunset.jpg|A sunset on Pamlico Sound as seen from The Inn on Pamlico Sound in [[Buxton, North Carolina]].
File:PamlicoSoundSouthOfSalvo.JPG|Sunset over the Sound just south of [[Salvo, North Carolina]].
</gallery>

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{GNIS|1023621|Pamlico Sound}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20061017065752/http://www.visitwashingtonnc.com/pages/boating.php Pamlico Sound Boating]

{{Geographic Location
|Centre    = Pamlico Sound
|North     = [[Hyde County, North Carolina|Hyde County]]
|Northeast = [[Dare County, North Carolina|Dare County]]
|East      = [[Dare County, North Carolina|Dare County]]
|Southeast = [[Dare County, North Carolina|Dare County]]
|South     = [[Carteret County, North Carolina|Carteret County]]
|Southwest = [[Carteret County, North Carolina|Carteret County]]
|West      = [[Pamlico County, North Carolina|Pamlico County]]
|Northwest = [[Beaufort County, North Carolina|Beaufort County]]
}}
{{Outer Banks}}

{{coord|35|18|46|N|75|56|14|W|scale:1000000|display=title}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Estuaries of North Carolina]]
[[Category:Bodies of water of Carteret County, North Carolina]]
[[Category:Bodies of water of Dare County, North Carolina]]
[[Category:Bodies of water of Hyde County, North Carolina]]
[[Category:Bodies of water of Pamlico County, North Carolina]]
[[Category:Lagoons of North Carolina]]
[[Category:Outer Banks]]
[[Category:Sounds of North Carolina]]