Core Banks, North Carolina

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Core Banks
Cape Lookout Lighthouse - 2013-06 - 10.JPG
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Core Banks
Geography
LocationSouthern Outer Banks, Carteret County, North Carolina, United States
Coordinates 34°42′23″N76°27′32″W / 34.70639°N 76.45889°W / 34.70639; -76.45889
Administration
United States
Nearest city Harkers Island, NC
Governing body National Park Service
Demographics
Populationno permanent population
Pop. density0/km2 (0/sq mi)

The Core Banks are barrier islands in North Carolina, part of the Outer Banks and Cape Lookout National Seashore. Named after the Coree tribe, they extend from Ocracoke Inlet to Cape Lookout, and consist of two low-relief narrow islands, North Core Banks and South Core Banks, and, since September 2011, two smaller islands. New Drum Inlet, Old Drum Inlet and Ophelia Inlet now separate the islands. The Core Banks are now uninhabited. However, Portsmouth, at the north end of the North Core Banks, was once a substantial port, and Cape Lookout Village, about one and half miles south of the Cape Lookout Lighthouse, contains the historic Lookout Life-Saving Station, a U.S. Coast Guard Station, and several island homes.

Contents

Access

Islands can be reached by two vehicle ferries. One ferry crosses Core Sound from Atlantic to North Core Banks, and another crosses the sound from Davis to South Core Banks. There are no roads on the islands: vehicles use the beach and four wheel drive tracks. Passenger ferries also take tourists from Harkers Island to the Cape Lookout area at the south end of South Core Banks. [1]

Portsmouth Island, on which Portsmouth Village stands, is a tidal island accessible from North Core Banks at most states of the tide.

History

The Cape Lookout Coast Guard Station, Cape Lookout Light Station, and Cape Lookout Village Historic District are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. [2]

Geography

1584 map by John White showing Core Banks. Roanoke map 1584.JPG
1584 map by John White showing Core Banks.

The geography of the Core Banks has changed since the mid 19th century. At that time South Core Banks was connected to the Shackleford Banks. Over the years inlets have closed and opened in the barrier islands. From north to south these inlets have been Whalebone Inlet, now closed, which separated Portsmouth Island from the Core Banks, Swash Inlet (closed), Old Drum Inlet (closed in 1971 and reopened by Hurricane Irene in 2011), New Drum Inlet (opened by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 1971), Ophelia Inlet (opened by Hurricane Ophelia in 2005 [3] ), Cedar Inlet (closed) and Barden Inlet (opened by a hurricane in 1933, separating Shackleford Banks from South Core Banks). [4]

From northeast to southwest, the islands are located in the Townships of Portsmouth, Atlantic, Sea Level, Stacy, Davis, Smyrna, and Harkers Island, all in Carteret County.

Climate

According to the Trewartha climate classification system, Core Banks, North Carolina has a humid subtropical climate with hot and humid summers, cool winters and year-around precipitation (Cfak). Cfak climates are characterized by all months having an average mean temperature > 32.0 °F (> 0.0 °C), at least eight months with an average mean temperature ≥ 50.0 °F (≥ 10.0 °C), at least one month with an average mean temperature ≥ 71.6 °F (≥ 22.0 °C) and no significant precipitation difference between seasons. During the summer months in Core Banks, a cooling afternoon sea breeze is present on most days, but episodes of extreme heat and humidity can occur with heat index values ≥ 100 °F (≥ 38 °C). Core Banks is prone to hurricane strikes, particularly during the Atlantic hurricane season which extends from June 1 through November 30, sharply peaking from late August through September. During the winter months, episodes of cold and wind can occur with wind chill values < 10 °F (< -12 °C). The plant hardiness zone in Core Banks is 8b with an average annual extreme minimum air temperature of 15.3 °F (-9.3 °C). [5] The average seasonal (Dec-Mar) snowfall total is < 2 inches (< 5 cm), and the average annual peak in nor'easter activity is in February.

Climate data for Core Banks, NC (1981-2010 Averages)
MonthJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecYear
Average high °F (°C)52.8
(11.6)
54.4
(12.4)
60.0
(15.6)
67.1
(19.5)
74.1
(23.4)
80.9
(27.2)
83.9
(28.8)
83.2
(28.4)
79.7
(26.5)
71.9
(22.2)
64.5
(18.1)
56.2
(13.4)
69.1
(20.6)
Daily mean °F (°C)45.6
(7.6)
47.4
(8.6)
53.1
(11.7)
60.7
(15.9)
68.4
(20.2)
76.1
(24.5)
79.4
(26.3)
78.5
(25.8)
74.5
(23.6)
65.4
(18.6)
57.4
(14.1)
49.1
(9.5)
63.0
(17.2)
Average low °F (°C)38.5
(3.6)
40.5
(4.7)
46.2
(7.9)
54.4
(12.4)
62.6
(17.0)
71.2
(21.8)
74.9
(23.8)
73.8
(23.2)
69.4
(20.8)
59.0
(15.0)
50.3
(10.2)
41.9
(5.5)
57.0
(13.9)
Average precipitation inches (mm)4.54
(115)
3.68
(93)
4.44
(113)
3.34
(85)
4.20
(107)
4.45
(113)
5.98
(152)
7.25
(184)
6.59
(167)
4.51
(115)
4.05
(103)
4.01
(102)
57.04
(1,449)
Average relative humidity (%)72.973.672.072.774.877.980.879.278.375.476.074.475.7
Average dew point °F (°C)37.4
(3.0)
39.4
(4.1)
44.3
(6.8)
51.9
(11.1)
60.1
(15.6)
68.7
(20.4)
73.0
(22.8)
71.5
(21.9)
67.3
(19.6)
57.4
(14.1)
49.9
(9.9)
41.3
(5.2)
55.3
(12.9)
Source: PRISM [6]


Climate data for Cape Hatteras, NC Ocean Water Temperature (64 NE Core Banks)
MonthJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecYear
Daily mean °F (°C)49
(9)
46
(8)
52
(11)
59
(15)
68
(20)
74
(23)
78
(26)
80
(27)
77
(25)
70
(21)
58
(14)
55
(13)
64
(18)
Source: NOAA [7]

Ecology

According to the A. W. Kuchler U.S. potential natural vegetation types, Core Banks, North Carolina would have a dominant vegetation type of Live oak/Sea Oats Uniola paniculata (90) with a dominant vegetation form of Coastal Prairie (20). [8]

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ocracoke Inlet</span>

Ocracoke Inlet is an estuary located in the Outer Banks, North Carolina, United States that separates Ocracoke Island and Portsmouth Island. It connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Pamlico Sound. It is the southern terminus of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore, and the northern terminus of the Cape Lookout National Seashore. The inlet is approximately two miles across, although it changes daily.

Barden Inlet is the southernmost of the Outer Banks water inlets. Located just northwest of Cape Lookout in the U.S. state of North Carolina, the inlet connects Onslow Bay of the Atlantic Ocean with Core Sound. It separates the Shackleford Banks from the Core Banks.

Drum Inlet and Ophelia Inlet are inlets of the Outer Banks in the U.S. state of North Carolina. They connect the Core Sound with the Atlantic Ocean and separate North Core Banks from South Core Banks. The exact inlet locations and names have changed with time, as new inlets open, merge, or close. Conversationally, the inlet or inlets between mile 19 and 23, as measured from Ocracoke Inlet, are typically called Drum Inlet even when, geologically, they have other names.

Bodie Island is a long, narrow barrier peninsula that forms the northernmost portion of the Outer Banks. The land that is most commonly referred to as Bodie Island was at one time a true island, but in 1811 Roanoke Inlet, which had separated it from the Currituck Banks in the north, closed. As a result, the Currituck Banks and Bodie Island are now one contiguous peninsula, joined at the Nags Head area, where the inlet once flowed. Today, either name can be used to refer to peninsula as a whole, but both portions colloquially retain their historical names.

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Currituck National Wildlife Refuge, located on the northern end of North Carolina's Outer Banks, was established in 1984 to preserve and protect the coastal barrier island ecosystem. Refuge lands are managed to provide wintering habitat for waterfowl and to protect endangered species such as piping plover, sea turtles, and seabeach amaranth.

References

  1. Cape Lookout National Seashore: Ferry Services
  2. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  3. David J. Mallinson; et al. (2008). "Past,Present and Future Inlets of the Outer Banks Barrier Islands, North Carolina" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-10-16. Retrieved 2011-06-13. page 12
  4. Barrier Island Ecology of Cape Lookout National Seashore, NPS Scientific Monograph No.9, Chapter 3
  5. "USDA Interactive Plant Hardiness Map". United States Department of Agriculture . Retrieved August 6, 2019.
  6. "PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University" . Retrieved August 6, 2019.
  7. "Water Temperature Table of All Coastal Regions" . Retrieved August 6, 2019.
  8. "U.S. Potential Natural Vegetation, Original Kuchler Types, v2.0 (Spatially Adjusted to Correct Geometric Distortions)" . Retrieved August 6, 2019.
  9. The Dispatch; Jun 25, 1976
  10. Surface Interval Diving Company (SIDCO). "The 2002 and 2005 Core Banks Beach Wreck Survey(s)". Archived from the original on 2011-10-14. Retrieved 2 August 2013.
Preceded by Beaches of The Outer Banks Succeeded by

34°42′23″N76°27′32″W / 34.70639°N 76.45889°W / 34.70639; -76.45889