Atlantic Plain

The Atlantic Plain is a broad, low-lying physiographic division of the eastern United States, extending along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. Its flat coastal landscapes include barrier islands, estuaries, wetlands, and river deltas.

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Atlantic Coastal Plain: A low-relief region of unconsolidated sediments along the eastern United States, extending from New Jersey to Florida. It forms the Atlantic-facing portion of the Atlantic Plain.
Coastal plain: A broad, low-relief region formed from sediments deposited along a continental margin. The Atlantic Plain is a large coastal plain spanning two ocean-facing margins.
Chesapeake Bay: A large estuary on the Mid-Atlantic coast of the United States, fed by rivers including the Susquehanna and Potomac. Its broad estuary and tributary valleys typify drowned coastal landscapes on the plain.
Atlantic coastal forests: Forest ecosystems of the eastern United States’ coastal plain, including pine, hardwood, and wetland communities. Their habitats reflect the plain’s sandy soils, wetlands, and humid climate.
Gulf Coastal Plain: A low-lying sedimentary region bordering the Gulf of Mexico from Florida to Texas. It forms the Atlantic Plain’s Gulf-facing portion.
Sea-level rise: An increase in the average level of the ocean relative to land. Rising seas flood low terrain and reshape estuaries and shorelines across the plain.
Outer Banks: A chain of barrier islands off the coast of North Carolina. These shifting islands illustrate the Atlantic Plain’s exposed barrier-island coast.
Coastal wetland: A waterlogged coastal ecosystem influenced by tides, freshwater, or both. Wetlands occupy extensive low ground and buffer parts of the plain from flooding.
Piedmont: A rolling upland region between the Appalachian Mountains and the Atlantic Coastal Plain. Its higher terrain marks the inland boundary of the Atlantic-facing plain.
Barrier island: A long, narrow offshore island that protects a mainland coast from waves and storm surges. Barrier islands are characteristic landforms along exposed stretches of the plain.