Wetlands of South Carolina

Carolina Bay Wetlands

Carolina Bays are ovate shaped shallow depressions and occur abundantly across a broad band of the coastal plain from southern North Carolina to the South Carolina-Georgia border. They represent a type of bog or bog-lake complex unique to the southeastern coastal plain, and are thought to have been formed by a meteor or comet impact.

"Carolina bays, depression wetlands of the southeastern United States Coastal Plain, are "islands" of high species richness within the upland landscape and are the major breeding habitat for numerous amphibians...Most Carolina bays are not naturally connected with stream drainages or other water bodies, and their hydrology is driven primarily by rainfall and evapotranspiration....Water levels in these wetlands may vary seasonally and across years from inundated to dry, and organisms inhabiting Carolina bays must be adapted to fluctuating and often unpredictable hydrologic conditions. The ecological importance of these wetlands as habitats for species that require an aquatic environment for a part of their life cycle has been well-documented...If these wetlands are not protected in the future, a major source of biological diversity in the southeastern United States will be lost."

--Excerpt from Carolina Bay Wetlands: Unique Habitats of the Southeastern United States by Rebecca R. Sharitz, Keynote Speaker

Southeastern Coastal Marshes

Coastal salt marshes all exist in a balance between the buildup of sediment for their roots and the level of the sea that washes over them with tides. South Carolina has an estimated 400,000 acres of coastal marshes and 100,000 acres of tidal swamps. Charleston County with 439.72 acres of water vs. 917.42 acres of land) has one of the greatest share of salt marshes in the state. Tthe Santee, Stono, Ashley and Cooper Rivers feed brackish marshes upstream.  There are also many tidal fresh marshes and swamps along the drainage basins of Combahee, Savannah, Edisto, Pee Dee, Waccamaw, Santee, Cooper and Ashepoo Rivers. Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge, Edisto Beach State Park, Huntington Island State Park, and Charleston’s Folly Beach County Park have all preserved areas of coastal marshland.
 

Last updated: Monday, 20 June 2005