127
communities. Saltwater intrusion therefore threatens to decrease the yields of
important cash crops. To adapt to these environmental changes, farmers might have
to find alternate crops to grow, perhaps apply gypsum to their fields, or abandon
their farms altogether. Some of these courses of action come at great cost, and thus
are likely to cause farmers many sleepless nights. Determining the course of action
Fig. 8.2 A typical view of the “Inner Banks” of eastern North Carolinsa where the land is usually
less than a meter above sea level. The water body shown here is Pamlico Sound. (Image by
A. Manda)
Fig. 8.3 A typical view of the developed Outer Banks barrier islands with an artificial sand dune
and a hotel being undercut by the Atlantic Ocean. (Image by A. Manda)
8 A Tale of Two Hydrogeology Problems in Coastal North Carolina
communities. Saltwater intrusion therefore threatens to decrease the yields of
important cash crops. To adapt to these environmental changes, farmers might have
to find alternate crops to grow, perhaps apply gypsum to their fields, or abandon
their farms altogether. Some of these courses of action come at great cost, and thus
are likely to cause farmers many sleepless nights. Determining the course of action
Fig. 8.2 A typical view of the “Inner Banks” of eastern North Carolinsa where the land is usually
less than a meter above sea level. The water body shown here is Pamlico Sound. (Image by
A. Manda)
Fig. 8.3 A typical view of the developed Outer Banks barrier islands with an artificial sand dune
and a hotel being undercut by the Atlantic Ocean. (Image by A. Manda)
8 A Tale of Two Hydrogeology Problems in Coastal North Carolina