Carolina Bight

The “Carolina Bight” is a unique estuary of national significance in the Lowcountry of South Carolina. With two major Sounds the Bight’s eleven rivers are actually tidal inlets fed by the Atlantic Ocean as opposed to fresh water river originating inland.

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With an exceptional tidal amplitude averaging 8.5 feet, the “Carolina Bight” has tidal ranges exceeding most on the Atlantic Coast. The Bight is totally influenced by the Atlantic, resulting in distinctive geological and environmental features.

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Sand deposited by the ocean currents has created barrier islands such as Hilton Head, Fripp, St Helena, Daufuskie, and Pritchards Islands that naturally protect the mainland from storm surge, flooding, and the effects of Atlantic storms. Thriving Gullah-Geechie communities have made these islands their home for over two centuries.

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The depths of the “Carolina Bight” can reach 60 feet, allowing for the deepest natural harbor south of the Chesapeake Bay and with little fresh water infiltration, the salinity of the estuary is virtually the same as the Atlantic. This unique and special environment provides an ideal home for sea turtles, sharks, rays, and dolphins.

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With over 200,000 acres of salt marsh the “Carolina Bight” contains half of all the salt marsh in South Carolina – a state with half the salt marsh on the East Coast. This salt marsh serves both to improve natural resiliency to storms but also stores carbon at rates far exceeding forests and grasslands. Carbon sequestration rates of one ton per acre of salt marsh means the Bight’s salt marsh sequesters 400 million pounds of carbon each year.

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The “Carolina Bight” is truly an extraordinary one of kind laboratory for study and research. including salt marsh and its role in resiliency, sustainability, and carbon sequestration; migratory bird patterns; barrier islands and their role in protecting the mainland; nature-based solutions for resiliency; and a myriad of marine animals, reptiles, and amphibians.