Outer Banks Coral

As you walk along Ocracoke's beach you may occasionally stumble upon a chunk of coral. It is natural to wonder how coral comes to wash up on a North Carolina beach. 

Coral found on Ocracoke's Beach

According to Ann Marie D. Necaise, Steve W. Ross, PhD, and Andrea Quattrini in an article titled "North Carolina Reef Systems" published on the web site of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), "Most people associate coral reef systems with tropical islands and warm, shallow waters. It may be surprising to learn that two unique types of reef systems exist off the coast of North Carolina."

The authors go on to describe the Outer Shelf Reefs and the deeper Lophelia Coral Banks...and the colorful and diverse species of fish which live near the reefs. You can read more about these interesting North Carolina deep sea features here: http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/explorations/03edge/background/reef_systems/reef_systems.html.

This month's Ocracoke Newsletter is a reproduction of a 1960s booklet titled The Great Ocracoke Cat Hunt. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news092115.htm.