Winyah Bay

(Rice Culture)

Portion of NHAP infrared photograph (1983) of Winyah Bay.

Portion of topographic map from USGS North Island quadrangle.(1973).

Winyah Bay (NAPP)

North Inlet (Topo)

Rationale

The coastal bays, inlets, salt marshes, and estuaries of South Carolina have become an ever-increasing attraction to vacationers, photographers, anglers, hunters, and naturalists, because the landscape is so different from the inland areas. The Winyah Bay area contains examples of pristine tidal flat and salt marsh environments as well as the remnants of rice fields and other historical land uses. The remnants of once thriving plantations provide an understanding of a long discarded way of life. The estuary itself is a breeding ground for many sea creatures. Estuaries provide an abundant food supply for fish and shellfish, offer excellent habitat for waterfowl and other wildlife, serve as a filter for pollution, and furnish a protective barrier against storms from the ocean. Winyah Bay also borders the port city of Georgetown, which even today plays a major role in the economy of the Coastal Zone.

Background Information

Description of Landforms

• Characteristic Landforms of Estuaries and Tidal Flats
• Geographic Features of Special Interest
• Types of Estuaries
• Processes Shaping South Carolina's Coast
• Movement of Sand

Influence of Topography on Historical Events and Cultural Trends

• Rice Plantation Era
• Rice Became a Culture as Well as a Crop
• Decline of Rice Exports After the Civil War

Natural Resources, Land Use, and Environmental Concerns

• Soils of Beaches and Salt Marshes
• Ecological Significance of Estuaries and Salt Marshes
• Non-Point Source Pollution in Coastal Waterways