MSGID: 1:317/3 64174db6   
   PID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
   TID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
   March 19, 2023 - Sediment in the Albemarle-Pamlico Estuary and Atlantic Ocean   
      
      Sediment   
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      On March 16, 2023, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer   
      (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired a true-color image   
      highlighting the sediment-rich Albemarle-Pamlico Sounds. Sediment also   
      can be seen in the Chesapeake Bay (north) and a long tendril of   
      sediment curls into the Atlantic Ocean.   
      
      The bright white streaks along the Atlantic Ocean are the beaches along   
      the barrier islands known as the Outer Banks. The white sands and   
      tourist towns, such as Hatteras and Duck, North Carolina are a favorite   
      summer getaway for tourists, while protected dunes and wildlands   
      provide habitat for a wide array of wildlife. Kill Devil Hills, near   
      Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, was the site of the first flight by Orville   
      Wright on December 17, 1903.   
      
      The barrier islands separate the Atlantic Ocean (east) and a sprawling   
      and complicated coastal system in the west. Butting up against the   
      western side of the barrier islands are the Albemarle Sound (north) and   
      the larger Pamlico Sound (south). Behind these sprawling sounds are six   
      large freshwater river basins, rich agricultural regions, forests, and   
      dense cities. The entire drainage area of the Albemarle-Pamlico Sounds   
      (also known as the Albemarle-Pamlico Estuary) includes about 28,000   
      square miles of northeastern North Carolina and southeastern Virginia,   
      and is home to roughly 4 million people.   
      
      The estuary itself covers about 2 million acres, making it the   
      second-largest estuary in the United States. Under the water, most of   
      the estuary bottom is covered in a thick layer of mud, while some areas   
      are mostly sandy. This, along with sediment carried into the sounds by   
      the large rivers, creates the perfect scenario for abundant suspended   
      sediment within the estuary. Most of the time, the barrier islands   
      retain sediment within the Albemarle-Pamlico Sounds, but sometimes,   
      especially after strong and windy storms, such as occurred on March   
      12-15, sediment may stretch far into the Atlantic Ocean.   
      
      Image Facts   
      Satellite:  Aqua   
      Date Acquired: 3/16/2023   
      Resolutions:  1km (254.6 KB),  500m (661.8 KB),  250m (1.2 MB)   
      Bands Used: 1,4,3   
      Image Credit: MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC   
      
      
      
   https://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/individual.php?db_date=2023-03-19   
       
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