scholarly journals Vascular flora of the Outer Banks, North Carolina, U.S.A.

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 607-710
Author(s):  
Bruce A. Sorrie
Keyword(s):  
North Carolina ◽  
Range Limit ◽  
Southern Limit ◽  
Vascular Flora ◽  
Outer Banks ◽  
The North ◽  
Northern Range Limit ◽  
Voucher Specimens ◽  
Botanical Research ◽  
Complete Catalogue

A complete catalogue of the vascular flora of the North Carolina Outer Banks is presented. Rarity, habitat, distribution within the Outer Banks, and earliest and latest specimens are given for each taxon. The flora contains 1020 species and infraspecific taxa, plus an additional 80 taxa that lack voucher specimens. Some 770 taxa are considered native; 250 non-native. Fifty-one taxa reach their northern range limit on the Outer Banks; 11 their southern limit. Fifty-five taxa are listed as rare in North Carolina; one of them also listed Threatened by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Twenty-four natural communities are described and assessed for vulnerabil-ity to sea level rise. Prior botanical research is listed chronologically.

Economic Impact of Investments in Bicycle Facilities

2005 ◽  
Vol 1939 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary Paul Meletiou ◽  
Judson J. Lawrie ◽  
Thomas J. Cook ◽  
Sarah W. O'Brien ◽  
John Guenther
Keyword(s):  
North Carolina ◽  
Economic Impact ◽  
Impact Analysis ◽  
Public Investment ◽  
Outer Banks ◽  
North Carolina Department ◽  
Economic Impact Analysis ◽  
The North ◽  
Spending Patterns ◽  
The One

The northern Outer Banks coastal area in North Carolina is well suited to drawing bicycle tourism because of its geography, climate, and attractions. In 2003, the North Carolina Department of Transportation commissioned a study to examine the value of public investment in bicycle facilities that have been constructed in this area over the past 10 years at a cost of approximately $6.7 million. A particular challenge in conducting this study was that tourists visited the Outer Banks for a variety of reasons, not just for cycling. Thus, the collection of information on the amount and nature of bicycling activity and on the spending patterns of bicyclists in the area was critical for the development of an economic impact analysis. Researchers surveyed cyclists using the bicycle facilities (shared-use paths and wide paved shoulders) and obtained data from self-administered surveys of tourists at visitor centers during the primary tourist season. The data collected were then used to determine the economic impact of bicycling visitors to the area. Seventeen percent of tourists to the area reported that they bicycled while there; this translates to 680,000 people annually. The economic impact of bicycling visitors is significant: a conservative annual estimate is $60 million, with 1,407 jobs created or supported per year. This is almost nine times greater than the one-time expenditure required to construct the facilities. Continued investment in bicycle facilities is expected to increase this favorable economic impact and is therefore recommended.

scholarly journals Four Crayfishes (Decapoda: Cambaridae) New to the North Carolina Fauna, With Notes on Other Species in the State

2013 ◽  
Vol 129 (2) ◽  
pp. 53-57 ◽  
Author(s):  
John E. Cooper ◽  
William T. Russ
Keyword(s):  
Invasive Species ◽  
North Carolina ◽  
South Carolina ◽  
River Basin ◽  
Endemic Species ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Single Specimen ◽  
The North ◽  
New Localities ◽  
Voucher Specimens

Abstract Cambarus (Puncticambarus) aldermanorum, originally considered endemic to South Carolina, is now known from the upper Catawba River basin in Burke and Caldwell counties, North Carolina. Orconectes (Crockerinus) erichsonianus and Orconectes (Procericambarus) forceps, both previously known from Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee and Virginia, are apparently now expanding their ranges from Tennessee into the French Broad River basin in Madison County, North Carolina. Cambarus (Cambarus) eeseeohensis, an endemic species once considered limited in distribution to the Linville River in Avery County, is reported from the Watauga River basin in Watauga County and the Johns River subdrainage of the Catawba River basin in Avery County. Voucher specimens for new localities for an undescribed endemic species, Orconectes (Procericambarus) sp. (the “Cheoah” crayfish), and two invasive species, Orconectes (Gremicambarus) virilis and Orconectes (Procericambarus) rusticus, are provided. A single specimen of a non-native species, Procambarus (Pennides) spiculifer, is reported from a tributary of the Watauga River in Watauga County. Some life history and taxonomic notes for several of the species are included.

scholarly journals Spatiotemporal Patterns and Return Periods of Tropical Storm and Hurricane Strikes from Texas to Maine

2007 ◽  
Vol 20 (14) ◽  
pp. 3498-3509 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barry D. Keim ◽  
Robert A. Muller ◽  
Gregory W. Stone
Keyword(s):  
North Carolina ◽  
New England ◽  
Gulf Coast ◽  
Tropical Storm ◽  
South Florida ◽  
Return Periods ◽  
North Central ◽  
Outer Banks ◽  
The North ◽  
Southern Florida

Abstract The authors analyze 105 yr (1901–2005) of tropical cyclone strikes at 45 coastal locations from Brownsville, Texas, to Eastport, Maine, with the primary objective of examining spatiotemporal patterns of storm activity. Interpretation of the data suggests that geographically, three focal points for activity are evident: south Florida, the Outer Banks of North Carolina, and the north-central Gulf Coast. Temporally, clusters of hyperactivity are evident in south Florida from the 1920s through the 1950s and then again during the most recent years. North Carolina was a region of enhanced activity in the 1950s and again in the 1990s. A more consistent rate of occurrence was found along the north-central Gulf Coast; the last two years, however, were active in this region. Return periods of tropical storm strength systems or greater range from a frequency of once every 2 yr along the Outer Banks of North Carolina, every three years on average in southeast Texas, southeastern Louisiana, and southern Florida, and about once every 10–15 yr in northern New England. Hurricane return periods range from 5 yr in southern Florida to 105+ years at several sheltered portions of the coastline (e.g., near Cedar Key, Florida, Georgia, and the northeastern seaboard), where some locations experienced only one strike, or no strikes through the entire period of record. Severe hurricane (category 3–5) return periods range from once every 15 yr in South Florida to 105+ in New England.

Optically stimulated luminescence age controls on late Pleistocene and Holocene coastal lithosomes, North Carolina, USA

2008 ◽  
Vol 69 (1) ◽  
pp. 97-109 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Mallinson ◽  
Kevin Burdette ◽  
Shannon Mahan ◽  
George Brook
Keyword(s):  
North Carolina ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Late Pleistocene ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Beach Ridges ◽  
Outer Banks ◽  
Mis 3 ◽  
Isostatic Adjustment ◽  
The North ◽  
Coastal Features

Luminescence ages from a variety of coastal features on the North Carolina Coastal Plain provide age control for shoreline formation and relative sea-level position during the late Pleistocene. A series of paleoshoreline ridges, dating to Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 5a and MIS 3 have been defined. The Kitty Hawk beach ridges, on the modern Outer Banks, yield ages of 3 to 2 ka. Oxygen-isotope data are used to place these deposits in the context of global climate and sea-level change. The occurrence of MIS 5a and MIS 3 shorelines suggests that glacio-isostatic adjustment (GIA) of the study area is large (ca. 22 to 26 m), as suggested and modeled by other workers, and/or MIS 3 sea level was briefly higher than suggested by some coral reef studies. Correcting the shoreline elevations for GIA brings their elevation in line with other sea-level indicators. The age of the Kitty Hawk beach ridges places the Holocene shoreline well west of its present location at ca. 3 to 2 ka. The age of shoreline progradation is consistent with the ages of other beach ridge complexes in the southeast USA, suggesting some regionally contemporaneous forcing mechanism.

scholarly journals Balsam Fir and American Beech Influence Soil Respiration Rates in Opposite Directions in a Sugar Maple Forest Near Its Northern Range Limit

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicolas Bélanger ◽  
Alexandre Collin ◽  
Rim Khlifa ◽  
Simon Lebel-Desrosiers
Keyword(s):  
Soil Respiration ◽  
Species Composition ◽  
Soil Temperature ◽  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Balsam Fir ◽  
Range Limit ◽  
Forest Types ◽  
American Beech ◽  
Southern Limit ◽  
Northern Range Limit

Conifers and deciduous trees greatly differ in regard to their phylogenetics and physiology as well as their influence on soil microclimate and chemical properties. Soil respiration (Rs) in forests can therefore differ depending on tree species composition, and assessments of the variation in Rs in various forest types will lead to a more thorough understanding of the carbon cycle and more robust long-term simulations of soil carbon. We measured Rs in 2019 and 2020 in stands of various species composition in a sugar maple forest near the northern range limit of temperate deciduous forests in Quebec, Canada. Seasonal variations in soil temperature had the largest influence on Rs, but conditions created by the stands also exerted a significant effect. Relative to the typical sugar maple-yellow birch forest (hardwoods), Rs in stands with >20% of basal area from balsam fir (mixedwoods) was increased by 21%. Whilst, when American beech contributed >20% of litterfall mass (hardwood-beech stands), Rs was decreased by 11 and 36% relative to hardwoods and mixedwoods, respectively. As a whole, Rs was significantly higher in mixedwoods than in other forest types, and Rs was significantly higher in hardwoods than in hardwood-beech stands. Sugar maple and American beech at the study site are near their northern range limit, whereas balsam fir is near its southern limit. Rs in mixedwoods was therefore higher than in hardwoods and hardwood-beech stands due to high root activity in the presence of fir, despite colder and drier soils. We estimated that root respiration in mixedwoods was more than threefold that in hardwoods and hardwood-beech stands. The lower Rs in hardwood-beech stands compared to hardwoods points to the lower soil temperature as well as the poor quality of beech litter (low decomposability) as indicated by a generally lower heterotrophic respiration. Other than soil temperature, regression models identified mixedwoods, soil water potential and Mg2+ activity in the soil solution as important predictor variables of Rs with about 90% of its variation explained. Our study shows the benefits of combining forest-specific properties to climatic data for more robust predictions of Rs.

scholarly journals Killer Whales (Orcinus orca) Off the North Carolina Coast 1709–2011

2012 ◽  
Vol 128 (2) ◽  
pp. 39-43
Author(s):  
John Hairr
Keyword(s):  
North Carolina ◽  
Killer Whale ◽  
Popular Literature ◽  
Historical Record ◽  
Orcinus Orca ◽  
Killer Whales ◽  
The West ◽  
Outer Banks ◽  
The North ◽  
North Carolina Coast

Abstract Killer whales, Orcinus orca, were first reported off North Carolina by naturalist John Lawson in 1709, and during the 20th century were documented from North Carolina eight times in the scientific and popular literature. The most recent confirmed sighting of killer whales off North Carolina was in the spring of 2011. There have been no reports of killer whale deaths from North Carolina. There has been only one killer whale stranded along the North Carolina coast, with the animal being alive when it was returned to the sea. All sightings have been in the waters of the Atlantic Ocean, none on the west side of the Outer Banks in the waters of Pamlico or Currituck sounds. Only three confirmed reports are from nearshore waters, while the rest were spotted more than 20 km offshore. Orcas are most frequently reported from the waters off the Outer Banks from Cape Lookout north to the Virginia border. A 200 yr gap exists in the historical record of killer whales from North Carolina.

Barrier island response to late Holocene climate events, North Carolina, USA

2011 ◽  
Vol 76 (1) ◽  
pp. 46-57 ◽  
Author(s):  
David J. Mallinson ◽  
Curtis W. Smith ◽  
Shannon Mahan ◽  
Stephen J. Culver ◽  
Katie McDowell
Keyword(s):  
North Carolina ◽  
Ice Age ◽  
Storm Activity ◽  
Outer Banks ◽  
Atmospheric Circulation Patterns ◽  
The North ◽  
Circulation Patterns ◽  
Geologic Record ◽  
Paleoclimate Proxy ◽  
Climate Events

AbstractThe Outer Banks barrier islands of North Carolina, USA, contain a geologic record of inlet activity that extends from ca. 2200 cal yr BP to the present, and can be used as a proxy for storm activity. Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating (26 samples) of inlet-fill and flood tide delta deposits, recognized in cores and geophysical data, provides the basis for understanding the chronology of storm impacts and comparison to other paleoclimate proxy data. OSL ages of historical inlet fill compare favorably to historical documentation of inlet activity, providing confidence in the technique. Comparison suggests that the Medieval Warm Period (MWP) and Little Ice Age (LIA) were both characterized by elevated storm conditions as indicated by much greater inlet activity relative to today. Given present understanding of atmospheric circulation patterns and sea-surface temperatures during the MWP and LIA, we suggest that increased inlet activity during the MWP responded to intensified hurricane impacts, while elevated inlet activity during the LIA was in response to increased nor'easter activity. A general decrease in storminess at mid-latitudes in the North Atlantic over the last 300 yr has allowed the system to evolve into a more continuous barrier with few inlets.

scholarly journals Directional northern element in the flora of vascular plants of Poland

2011 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-26 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Zając ◽  
Adam Zając
Keyword(s):  
Vascular Plants ◽  
Spatial Diversity ◽  
Range Limit ◽  
Southern Limit ◽  
Central European ◽  
The Holocene ◽  
Central Poland ◽  
The North ◽  
Geographical Elements

Directional northern element in the flora of vascular plants of PolandThe directional element is a local determinant of spatial diversity of flora of a given country, within widely understood geographical elements. In Poland, a country situated in the middle of Europe, most species belong to the transitional element (with no range limit in our country). Besides the transitional element, the directional northern element (with its southern limit in Poland) is present. It can be divided into two distinct groups: species that have their absolute southern range limit in Poland and those that have both southern and northern limits with a significant disjunction in Central Poland. Although they are two different groups, they will be discussed within the combined study. The first one constitutes 1.9% of the directional element, the second one 1.3%. As far as general ranges are concerned, Circumboreal and Eurosiberian species prevail in the first group, with a significant share of the taxa of geographical connective element. European-temperate taxa are the most numerous in the second group. The two above-mentioned groups will also be distinguished by their species belonging to the higher syntaxonomical units. Such a small share of the northern element in the flora of Poland confirms that our country belongs to the Central European Province, where the North-European element is, to a large extent, a relict of the earlier periods of the Holocene.

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