North Carolina's vital coastal breeding grounds vulnerable to
rising seas Posted Jan 20 2010 12:00am Map of coastal NC with
barrier islands, courtesy of www.cop.noaa.gov I've written posts
about Florida and Louisana losing ground to rising seas. Both
states are projected to lose at least 10% of their land mass
this century. North Carolina hasn't gotten has much press as
Louisiana and Florida, but NC is among the states most
vulnerable to rising seas, reports the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Association. Coastal inundation in North Carolina
would affect industries and wildlife far beyond the state's
borders. The Outer Banks protect the mainland North Carolina's
mainland coast is at present protected by a continuous arc of
barrier islands known as the Outer Banks. The Outer Banks take
the full brunt of the hurricanes and tropical storms that often
strike the Atlantic coast of the southern U.S. Over the past few
decades, the Outer Banks have become increasingly developed with
expensive vacation real estate a