Study Notes on The Coastal South

Geographic Extent of the Coastal South

• States Included:

  • Virginia

  • North Carolina

  • South Carolina

  • Georgia

  • Florida

  • Alabama

  • Mississippi

  • Louisiana

  • Texas

• Coastal Orientation:

  • Positioned along the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico.

  • Heavily influenced by shoreline processes, wetlands, and risk of hurricanes.

Major Cities in the Coastal South

• Large Metropolitan Areas:

  • Houston

  • Miami–Ft. Lauderdale

  • Tampa–St. Petersburg

  • Orlando

  • Norfolk

  • Jacksonville

  • New Orleans

• Other Notable Cities:

  • Baton Rouge

  • Sarasota

  • Charleston

  • Ft. Myers

  • Winter Haven

  • Daytona Beach

  • Palm Bay–Melbourne

  • Fayetteville (NC)

  • Pensacola

Key Physical Features

• Major Physical Features:

  • Mississippi River

  • Bays and estuaries, which serve as mixing zones of river and seawater

  • Barrier islands, which act as storm buffers located off the coast

  • Lakes, swamps, and wetlands

  • Beaches

Character of the Region

Physical Character

• Geographic Features:

  • Low-lying coastal plains, deltas, and broad wetland systems characterized by flat and water-dominated areas.

  • Constant reshaping of shorelines, barrier islands, and river deltas due to coastal processes including erosion, deposition, and storms.

• Risks:

  • High susceptibility to hurricanes, storm surge, and flooding.

Cultural Character

• Identity and Economy:

  • Prominent coastal identity shaped by tourism and recreation (beaches) coupled with port and ship-channel economies (major harbors).

• Historical Influences:

  • Distinct colonial history described by blending French, Spanish, and British cultural influences seen in architecture, place names, cuisine, and regional identities.

• Population Growth:

  • Significant population increases in many metropolitan areas, especially in Florida and Texas, altering land use and raising coastal risk levels.

Physical Setting

Physiography & Topography

• Dominant Features:

  • Predominantly characterized by the Eastern and Gulf Coastal Plain, which has a generally low elevation and gradually slopes toward the sea.

• Coastal Landscape:

  • Coastline features include barrier island chains, inlets, sounds, bays, and estuaries that help sustain extensive wetland ecosystems.

Hydrology: Rivers & Wetlands

• Major Rivers:

  • Rio Grande

  • Red River

  • Mississippi River

  • Alabama River

  • Chattahoochee River

  • Savannah River

  • Broad River

  • Great Pee Dee River

  • Cape Fear River

  • Roanoke River

  • James River

• Wetland Distribution:

  • Wetlands are prevalent due to the flat geographical layout and ample precipitation on the Coastal Plain.

Mississippi River Focus

• Watershed Information:

  • Drains a vast interior basin with numerous tributaries flowing into it before reaching the Gulf of Mexico.

• Length & Discharge:

  • Recognized as one of North America's largest river systems, noted for its size and flow capacities.

• Historical & Contemporary Role:

  • Serves as a crucial corridor for Indigenous peoples, European exploratory missions, the fur trade, settlement patterns, and modern shipping and industry.

Wetlands: Names & Ecosystems

• Highlighted Wetlands/Subsystems:

  • Great Dismal Swamp

  • Okefenokee Swamp

  • Atchafalaya Swamp

  • The Everglades, recognized for its unique ecosystem and includes the Everglades National Park.

Wetland Issues

• Common Problems:

  • Habitat degradation due to drainage for development; wetlands converted for agricultural and urban expansion.

  • Water quality challenges arising from nutrient runoff and pollution affecting ecological health.

  • Coastal transformations through rising sea levels, delta subsidence, and storm impacts accelerating wetland loss.

Climate

Overview

• General Climate Type:

  • Identified as humid subtropical.

• Summer Characteristics:

  • Long, hot, exceptionally humid, with frequent thunderstorms and substantial rainfall.

• Winter Elements:

  • Generally mild (cooler toward the northern areas); infrequent freezes, though they occur less near the coast.

• Precipitation:

  • Year-round significant rainfall, with locations typically receiving between approximately 1100–1500 mm annually.

City Climate Examples

Hurricanes & Risk

General Information

• Hurricane Occurrence:

  • Hurricanes frequently occur in the Coastal South, with potential for catastrophic impact.

• Key Hurricane Examples:

  • Galveston (1900)

  • Andrew (1992)

  • Katrina (2005)

  • Harvey (2017)

• Climate Change Influence:

  • Noted as an intensifier of hurricane risk due to factors such as increased rainfall and elevated storm surge from rising sea levels.

Case Study: Hurricane Katrina (2005)

• Focus Area:

  • New Orleans, Louisiana.

• Impacts Noted:

  • Flooding and significant disruption within the city.

• Social Considerations:

  • Delayed evacuation orders and the role of socio-economic segregation yielding unequal impacts among communities.

Case Study: Hurricane Harvey (2017)

• Focus Area:

  • Houston, Texas.

• Key Highlight:

  • Approximately 60 inches (1500 mm) of rain recorded during the event.

Human Settlement

Indigenous Peoples

• Cultural Patterns:

  • Subsistence strategies based on hunting, fishing, gathering, and agriculture, sustained by inter-tribal trade networks.

• Tribal Groups Identified:

  • Winyah

  • Yamasee

  • Timucua

  • Muscogee

  • Seminole

  • Biloxi

Indian Removal and Displacement

• Historical Context:

  • Westward expansion resulted in policies enforcing forced relocation of Indigenous peoples.

• Key Legislation:

  • Indian Removal Act (1830) and the associated Trail(s) of Tears leading to Oklahoma.

• Resilience:

  • Some groups managed to remain in their ancestral regions despite removal pressures.

European Colonial Settlement

Influences of Three Powers

• British Influence:

  • Predominance along the Atlantic seaboard; established plantation economies along with English legal and cultural institutions.

• French Influence:

  • Strongest presence encountered around the lower Mississippi and Gulf Coast, shaping language, architecture, and regional culture, particularly in Louisiana.

• Spanish Influence:

  • Deep roots found in Florida and portions of the Gulf, with St. Augustine, Florida's Spanish heritage noted as a key reference.

• Legacy:

  • All three European cultures have a lasting impact in the present-day Coastal South.

Plantations & Slavery

• Economic Context:

  • Plantation economies thrived, utilizing enslaved individuals as laborers for agricultural production and as domestic help.

• Historical Reference:

  • Charleston, South Carolina, recognized as a major slave trade entry point from 1706 to 1775, mentioning Ryan's Slave Mart and associated auctions.

Latin American Migration

• Post-WWII Migration Trends:

  • Significant waves of migration into the Coastal South, noted for originating from regions including Mexico, the Caribbean (Cuba, Dominican Republic, Haiti), and Central America (varied by city).

• Impact on Coastal Cities:

  • Migration drives population growth and cultural transformations within local metropolitan areas.

Summary / Conclusions

• Environmental Characterization:

  • The Coastal South is depicted by a low-lying coastal landscape containing major rivers, deltas, wetlands, and barrier islands.

• Population Dynamics:

  • Rapid growth and coastal development heighten vulnerability to hurricane and flood risks.

• Settlements:

  • Human settlement patterns exhibit legacies of Indigenous history, colonial influences (British, French, Spanish), plantation and slavery heritage, alongside modern migratory flows.