North Inlet Winyah Bay
National Estuarine Research Reserve

Habitat mapping can help to identify changes in marsh habitat, such as the occurrence of the ‘brown marsh’ phenomenon where patches of Spartina alterniflora suddenly die back.

Habitat Mapping

Habitats of North Inlet Winyah Bay

Marshes, forested wetlands, oyster reefs, beaches, tidal streams, and mud flats are vital estuarine habitats for fish, birds and other wildlife. These areas also protect against flooding, improve water quality, provide recreational opportunities, and support commercial fisheries and tourism. Land clearing for development and the filling of wetlands directly impact estuarine habitats. Indirect impacts, such as those caused by invasive species, climate change, and sea level rise are often more inconspicuous but can have equally significant adverse impacts. Mapping techniques display the distribution of habitats and species that live within them and help resource managers to better understand how and why habitats change, and to predict the impacts of habitat change on populations of species that rely on estuarine habitats.

Habitat Mapping Information

The NI-WB Reserve is currently producing habitat maps for North Inlet and the surrounding watershed. The maps are being developed using protocols and a classification scheme that have been standardized across the NERR system. System-wide standardized maps will allow for comparisons among reserves and will serve as baselines for temporal studies that examine trends in land use and habitat change. The North Inlet habitat map will also be used to examine habitat distribution and availability for key species in the reserve.

Habitat maps available in the Map Room
View NI-WB habitat map metadata
NERRs classification scheme
NI-WB Habitat Mapping and Change Plan
Request NI-WB habitat GIS data

Major Habitats of North Inlet

Hover over a habitat thumbnail to learn the characteristics of that habitat.



Habitat: Oyster reef NERR Classification: 2221 Estuarine intertidal reef – mollusk Species Supported: The eastern oysters, Crassostrea virginica, form large reefs on intertidal sand and mud. These reefs provide shelter and food for many species of fish and crustaceans. These filter-feeders also remove nutrients, suspended sediments and chemical contaminants from estuarine waters, improving water clarity for underwater grasses and other aquatic species. Habitat: Sand bar NERR Classification: 2253 Estuarine intertidal unconsolidated shore – sand Species Supported: Intertidal sand bars provide protected feeding and rest areas for many species of shorebirds, including terns, pelicans, oystercatchers, and sandpipers. Habitat: Mud flat NERR Classification: 2254 Estuarine intertidal unconsolidated shore – mud Species Supported: Many species of invertebrates live within the soft sediments of mud flats. Quahogs, Mercinaria mercinaria, are commonly found in these habitats, as well as dense aggregations of mud snails, Ilyanassa obsoleta. Large populations of unicellular algae, which form a greenish-brown film over the sediment, produce food for other members of the mud flat community. Habitat: Dune NERR Classification: 6123 Upland supratidal unconsolidated – sand Species Supported: Dunes serve as storm surge buffers, storage areas for sand, and as habitat for many species. Sea oats, Uniola paniculata, and seaside panicum, Panicum amarum, help to build and stabilize the dunes where Savannah sparrows, Passerculus sandwichensis, feed on seeds of dune plants during the winter and loggerhead sea turtles, Caretta caretta, build their nests in the spring. Habitat: Beach NERR Classification: 1243 Marine intertidal unconsolidated shore - sand Species Supported: A large variety of invertebrates inhabit the sands of the beach intertidal zone. Shorebirds, including sanderlings, Calidris alba, Wilson’s plovers, Charadrius wilsonia, and red knots, Calidris canutus, feed on these invertebrates by using their long beaks to probe the sands. Habitat: Low marsh NERR Classification: 2261 Estuarine intertidal emergent wetland – persistent Species Supported: Cordgrass, Spartina alterniflora, dominates the intertidal area of the marsh. Clapper rails, Rallus longirostris, and marsh wrens, Cistothorus palustris, build their nests within the grass. Habitat: High marsh NERR Classification: 2341 Estuarine supratidal emergent wetland – persistent Species Supported: Plants that can tolerate some salt water but not daily emersion form the high marsh, the area from the mean high tide line (MHT) to the mean higher high tide line (MHHT). Black needlerush, Juncus roemerianus, is common as well as salt meadow cordgrass, Spartina patens. Habitat: High marsh shrubs NERR Classification: 2356 Estuarine supratidal scrub-shrub wetland – mixed Species Supported: Shrubs that can tolerate occasional salt water flooding, such as groundsel bush, Baccharis halimifolia, and marsh elder, Iva frutescens, grow just above the mean higher high tide line. This habitat is frequented by painted buntings, Passerina ciris, and marsh rabbits, Sylvilagus palustris. Habitat: Marsh hammock NERR Classification: 2360 Estuarine supratidal forested wetland Species Supported: Shell middens and relic dunes for small areas or higher elevation in the marsh where species normally found at the marsh edge are able to survive. Dominant vegetation is typically wax myrtle, Myrica cerifera, eastern red cedar, Juniperus virginiana, and live oak, Quercus virginiana. These areas may be important for nesting diamondback terrapins, Malaclemys terrapin. Habitat: Coastal Pine Forest NERR Classification: 6154 Upland supratidal forest – needle leave evergreen Species Supported: Pine trees, including loblolly pine, Pinus taeda, pond pine, Pinus serotina, and longleaf pine, Pinus palustris, comprise this habitat. The understory is typically open and provides habitat for many species.