"Water is the driving force of all nature."
- Leonardo Da Vinci
Water Resources
Water is a major factor in shaping our landscape. Through the processes of erosion and sediment transport, water forms many surface features such as valleys, flood plains, deltas, and beaches. Water also forms subsurface features such as caves. Natural wonders such as the Grand Canyon were, and are being, carved by water. (Water and the Environment, AGI Environmental Awareness Series)Ocean and Coastal Resources
The National Park System protects superlative examples of the nation’s natural and cultural heritage. Although national parks may evoke images of mountains and deserts far from the sea, the Ocean Parks actually encompass more than 5,100 miles of coastline and three million acres of submerged lands and waters. More than 70 national parks are located on the ocean and Great Lakes and more than forty include submerged lands and waters within their boundaries.
The National Park Service contributes toward preserving major portions of America's ocean legacy
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New Coral Reef Feature
2008 National Park Service Aquatic Professionals Meeting Presentations Now Available:
The Water Resources Division hosted a service wide meeting of National Park Service water and aquatic resource professionals, Feb. 12-14, in Fort Collins, CO. The meeting presentations are now viewable on-line.
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The Quagga/Zebra Mussels Response Plan is Released: The Quagga ICS Response Team met the week of
April 23rd at the Natural Resource Program Center (NRPC)
and completed the guidance document. More
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Archived Current
Issues»
Biscayne Bay is shallow and well mixed with only a very weak density gradient. This horizontal density gradient is salinity based, resulting from the freshwater runoff of canals on the western side. Salinity in the bay is controlled by a pronounced wet-dry seasonal dynamic and is highest in June when rainfall is low and evaporation high.
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