HYDROGRAPHY OF THE MARINE WATERS 



39 



PAMLICO SOUND 



BOTTOM DISTRIBUTION OF SALINITY 

 JULY 1927 



Fig. 17. Bottom distribution of salinity in Pamlico Sound, July, 1927. Chart prepared by H. R. 

 Seiwell and published here through the courtesy of the U. S. Fish & Wildlife Service. 



area and the seaward end of Beaufort Inlet. The only conclusion justified 

 from this miscellany of records is the simple one expected for coastal regions 

 affected by river discharge, namely, that the salinity is slightly lower over the 

 continental shelf than in the ocean beyond, the latter being 36.o%o and over 

 (Bohnecke, 1938) off North Carolina. 



The brackish water behind the offshore banks, Figures 15-17, is a mixture 

 of (i) ocean waters coming through the inlets, (2) river discharge, (3) rain- 

 fall, and (4) underground seepage, an unknown factor which may drain as 

 well as add to the water of the sounds. These waters are also affected by 

 evaporation from the water surface and transpiration from the emergent 

 vegetation of the marshes. 



The area drained by each major river basin contributing to North Caro- 



