Marine ecorregions in Carolinian Atlantic

The Carolinian Atlantic Region, with its numerous wetlands and tidal marshes, serves as a nursery area for many marine fishes and is an important region for shellfish. It is also highly stressed by land-based activities such as factory farming. In addition, the region combines coastal development and severe hurricanes with the most disagreeable results. The region is bounded to the south by the Atlantic coast of Florida offshore of Palm Beach, where the shelf widens and the Gulf Stream begins to diverge from the coast, and to the north by the Outer Banks and Cape Hatteras. The region is defined by a broad continental shelf, which extends up to 150 km from the coast at Georgia, and by several Coastal Plain watersheds that terminate at the coastal margin. The Carolinian Atlantic Region is bounded to the east by the edge of the Florida-Hatteras slope and the Gulf Stream.

Rationale: Region defined by similar sea surface temperature, faunal composition and oceanographic currents. The northern boundary represents a major biogeographic transition.

Major community types and subtypes: Large estuaries, coastal salt marshes, coastal embayments, barrier islands, river mouths, sandy beach, soft bottom, oyster reefs, tidal channels, and seagrass beds.

Species at risk: North Atlantic right whale, fin whale, West Indian manatee, green turtle, hawksbill turtle, leatherback turtle, loggerhead turtle, diamondback terrapin, shortnose sturgeon, Atlantic sturgeon, speckled hind, barndoor skate, night shark, dusky shark, sand tiger shark, and Oculina varicosa coral.

Human activities and impacts: Fishing, tourism, commercial shipping, navigation and agriculture. Pig farming in the Carolinas has created highly contaminated surface runoff and eutrophic conditions in rivers and estuaries.