The condition of North Carolina's coastal habitats can be affected by a variety of natural and human induced alterations and stressors. Human activities can remove or alter the physical structure of habitats, degrade water quality, modify flows, or stress a habitat community. While much has been done to minimize adverse impacts, small but cumulatively significant impacts continue to threaten our coastal ecosystem. The table below provides a qualitative rating of the severity of various threats, with white being no known impact and red being the most severe. Click on the threat category to learn more about that threat.
WC = Water Column; SHB = Shell Bottom; SAV = Submerged Aquatic Vegetation; WL = Wetlands; SB = Soft Bottom; HB = Hard Bottom | |||||||
Threat Category |
Source and/or impact |
WC |
SHB |
SAV |
WL |
SB |
HB |
Physical threats/ hydrologic modifications | Boating activity | ||||||
Channelization | |||||||
Dredging (navigation channels, marinas, basins) | |||||||
Fishing gear impacts | |||||||
Infrastructure | |||||||
Jetties and groins | |||||||
Mining | |||||||
Obstructions (dams, culverts, locks) | |||||||
Shoreline stabilization | |||||||
Upland development | |||||||
Water withdrawls | |||||||
Water quality degradation-sources | Land use and non-point sources | ||||||
Water-dependent development (marinas and docks) | |||||||
Point sources | |||||||
Water quality degradation-causes | Marine debris | ||||||
Microbial contamination | |||||||
Nutrients and eutrophication | |||||||
Saline discharge | |||||||
Suspended sedmiment and turbidity | |||||||
Toxic chemicals | |||||||
Disease and microbial stressors | |||||||
Non-native, invasive or nuisance species | |||||||
Weather Events |