Expedition South Carolina Waters Exploring Charleston's Diverse Ecosystem And Habitats--Past And Present

Caressed by the splendor of the rising sun and often threatened by the fury of the Atlantic Ocean, the picturesque and historic city of Charleston presides over her panorama like a queen. Resting on a peninsula cradled by the meandering currents of two merging tidal rivers, the vibrant and diverse downtown cosmopolitan and its welcoming deep water harbor are sheltered and sustained by a chain of barrier islands from Cape Romain to the ACE Basin. Some are inhabited and some are not. Some you can access by car and others only by some form of watercraft. Each of these delicately balanced islands are fringed by pristine, sandy beaches with stands of old, weatherworn oak, palmetto, magnolia and pine trees and linked to the mainland by a maze of verdant saltwater marshes and nutrient rich creeks. All of this natural grandeur makes Charleston a wonderland for water enthusiasts and camera toting naturalists.

Charleston's charismatic character has been molded over a long and illustrious history dating all the way back to the 1600's. Its rise to prominence was greatly influenced by the waters that saturated its diverse coastal topography from the average 5.5 foot saltwater marauder pouring into its estuaries twice a day from the Atlantic Ocean to the freshwater river systems flowing down from the state's upper Sand Hills.

Along its two major waterways, the Ashley and Santee-Cooper, visionaries manipulated their flow to ship goods and build sprawling rice plantations. These islands of affluent aristocracies and commerce would make Charleston the economic powerhouse on the eastern seaboard and a major shipping port, until the crushing affects of the disastrous Civil War squeezed the life out of their once glorious rice domains. Since, these river systems have been manipulated for another use, electricity, particularly the Santee-Cooper with the formation of Lake Moultrie and Lake Marion in 1939.

Today, on and within the Ashley and Santee-Cooper, remnants of a rich history remain for us to explore, absorb, and educate. But not only is it a treasure trove of history, it is an ecosystem filled with natural beauty and abundant wildlife imploring to be seen by all. With this thought in mind, a small group of Summerville resident scientists, photographers, and explorers headed by oceanographer Dave Eslinger are in the planning stages to accomplish this esteemed directive. The Expedition Team is reaching out to local schools and teachers to explore ways to make the accumulated data available for their use to benefit the students in their educational community.

Eslinger's Expedition South Carolina Waters, supported by a grant through the Open Explorer S.E.E. Initiative, have acquired a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) called the Trident to assist in accomplishing the expedition's goals. The Trident will give the expedition team the ability to search and unlock by way of video photography the history and mysteries sealed below Charleston's rich waters. Along with the Trident, information will be acquired with the use of satellite documentation, drones, hand held cameras, and microscopy.

To begin, the expedition will concentrate on the Santee-Cooper waterway and eventually head up the Congaree River to Columbia, a one-time major transporting route which included the Old Santee Canal constructed in 1763--now submerged under Lake Moultrie. We invite you to follow the expedition's progress as the Team shares the imagery and information collected. In the meantime, the Team would appreciate your support by becoming a follower. You can sign up at National Geographic Expeditions South Carolina Waters and click on the FOLLOW tab. There, you can also read Dave Eslinger's bio and more expedition information. Thank you so much for your support and we look forward to sharing and hearing from you.

The Expedition Team: Dave Eslinger, Rick Olson, Adam Stover, Paul Zoeller, Brad Mallett, and myself.