Pocosin

Pocosin wetland in North Carolina

Pocosin is a type of palustrine wetland with deep, acidic, sandy, peat soils.[1] Groundwater saturates the soil except during brief seasonal dry spells and during prolonged droughts. Pocosin soils are nutrient-deficient (oligotrophic), especially in phosphorus.[2]

Pocosins occur in the southern portions of the Atlantic coastal plain of North America, spanning from southeastern Virginia, through North Carolina, and into South Carolina. The majority of pocosins are found in North Carolina.[3] The Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge was created in 1984 to help preserve pocosin wetlands. The nearby Cedar Island National Wildlife Refuge also protects pocosin habitat.[4]

  1. ^ Richardson, Curtis J. (1983). "Pocosins: Vanishing Wastelands or Valuable Wetlands?". BioScience. 33 (10): 626–633. doi:10.2307/1309491. JSTOR 1309491.
  2. ^ Snyder, S. A. (1993). Pocosin. In: Fire Effects Information System, (Online). Fire Sciences Laboratory, United States Forest Service. Retrieved 2011-02-16.
  3. ^ Rapid Assessment Reference Condition Model: Potential Natural Vegetation Group: Pocosin. n.p. (2005). PDF. 9 Oct. 2013.
  4. ^ "Cedar Island National Wildlife Refuge". U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Retrieved 19 May 2023.