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.