The Carolina Bays are just one example of the Earth’s natural mysteries that play a crucial role in the North American ecosystem, described by Associate Professor Barrett as the jewel of the Eastern United States.
Image captured from NASA’s Earth Observatory, showing some Carolina Bays near Bladen Lakes State Forest in North Carolina. Many areas here remain ponds, although some have been drained for agricultural use (Photo: NASA).
When the Wright brothers brought the powered airplane to humanity in the early 20th century, they not only provided us with a new way to travel but also offered us a completely different perspective on things that had existed around us but had gone unnoticed.
One of the areas that immediately attracted the attention of scientists and geologists was the Carolina Bays.
From aerial images, one can see numerous shallow, water-filled depressions stretching along the coast of North and South Carolina. When we say “numerous,” we are referring to the hundreds of thousands of these peculiar geological formations, which are distributed entirely randomly without any fixed size ratio.
“Carolina Bays is the name given to any wetland area along the Eastern coastal plain,” said Kyle Barrett, Associate Professor of Wildlife Conservation at Clemson University. “They are elliptical in shape and often isolated from other bodies of water, such as small streams or rivers.”
A notable characteristic is that the Carolina Bays are situated in low-lying geographic areas, so they often fill up due to rain but can also dry out during hot, dry periods of the year.
An Ancient Answer
Meteor showers were once thought to be the cause of the formation of hundreds of thousands of Carolina Bays along the coast (Photo: AP).
In 1950, it was hypothesized that a severe meteor shower could have formed the Carolina Bays. To explore the true origins of these unusual geological regions, scientists conducted radiocarbon dating of buried organic sediments.
However, the results were astonishing. It turned out that not all Carolina Bays were formed at the same time. Some were formed tens of thousands of years apart.
“Some wetlands are estimated to have existed for over 100,000 years, while others are only about 15,000 years old,” Associate Professor Kyle Barrett stated.
This age discrepancy led scientists to believe that the Bays were not caused by meteor showers because, if that were the case, they would all be of the same age.
Additionally, no materials were found in the soil indicating extraterrestrial formation. This dispelled conspiracy theories held by UFO enthusiasts who claimed these were “launch pads” for aliens long before humans were aware of them.
Wind is the second hypothesis proposed, which has convinced some geologists.
It is believed that during the late Pleistocene epoch (2.5 million years ago), strong southwest winds blew through this region, forming natural flows that ran southwest and northwest. Over time, these formed what we now call the Carolina Bays.
Although there is no specific evidence to prove this, the wind hypothesis is still considered the most plausible.
The most likely hypothesis for how the Carolina Bays were formed is that wind created flows millions of years ago (the blue area).
The Disappearance of the North American Ecosystem
According to scientific documents, at one time, there may have been as many as 200,000 Carolina Bays in this area. However, researchers say that nearly 97% of the Carolina Bays have been impacted by agriculture and logging by local inhabitants.
The impact of humans has not only erased part of our geological past but also disrupted a crucial wetland ecosystem for many amphibious species such as salamanders and frogs in North America.
“The Carolina Bays, along with other isolated wetlands, provide numerous environmental benefits,” Barrett explained. “Even terrestrial species, such as birds and bats, are more abundant in forests with Carolina Bays than in similarly sized forests.”
Wetlands like the Carolina Bays are also essential in flood prevention and improving water quality. Unfortunately, many Bays have been replaced for human uses such as agricultural land, housing development, encroachment, or converted into ponds.
Barrett noted that any wetland not permanently near a stream or river is not protected by the Clean Water Act (CWA). This further exacerbates the exploitation of the Carolina Bays over time.
Waccamaw Lake is a 2,400-acre (971 ha) Carolina Bay in North Carolina. It is home to aquatic species that are found nowhere else on Earth (Photo: AP).
The “Jewel” of the Eastern United States
The Carolina Bays are just one example of the Earth’s natural mysteries that play a crucial role in the North American ecosystem, described by Associate Professor Barrett as the jewel of the Eastern United States.
“When land is filled in for crops or pastures, it not only removes important wetlands from the habitat; it also disrupts the balance of water flow and natural flood protection systems. This has harmed both the environment and our livelihoods,” Professor Barrett said.
According to this expert, without these wetland environments, we would miss out on some of the most complex biodiversity ecosystems in North America, particularly the diversity of amphibians and reptiles.
Additionally, the Carolina Bays are noted as habitats for over 25 diverse and rich carnivorous plant species, some of which are found exclusively in the swamps of the Carolina Bays.
