Pocosins and Carolina Bays Compared

Abstract

Carolina bays and pocosins are two distinct physiographic features found on the Atlantic Coastal Plain of the southeastern United States. Although pocosins have been identified in the literature for more than two hundred years and Carolina bays for more than one hundred, confusion frequently still exists pertaining to the definitions of both as they are often incorrectly assumed to be indistinguishable and the terms are used synonymously. This paper defines each term and illustrates how bays and pocosins differ. In some instances Carolina bays do possess pocosin-type vegetation, in fact, most if not all have at some time past possessed shrub bog or pocosin-type vegetation. The approach used in this paper shows that Carolina bays are landform features that now vary greatly in their land cover, while pocosins are unique ecological communities.