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Kenai Fjords National ParkKenai Fjords Coastal Backcountry
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Kenai Fjords National Park
Nature & Science
Flowers on the Kenai Fjords Coast across from Northwestern Glacier

This seemingly harsh terrain is home to a diverse array of plants and animals

Kenai Fjords National Park sits at the edge of the North Pacific Ocean, where storm patterns develop and feed a land of ice. The Harding Icefield crowns the park and is the source of at least 38 glaciers that flow over the land sculpting as they go. These gigantic rivers of ice have shaped the terrain and are now receding to reveal their work. As ice melts, rock is uncovered and the process of succession begins to take place. Scientists in the park investigate such diverse topics as newly colonized nunataks, black bear genetics, and the reproductive success of shorebirds.
State of Alaska superimposed on the contiguous 48 states  

Did You Know?
With 570,374 square miles, Alaska is twice the size of Texas and 1/5 the size of the rest of the United States. It stretches 2,400 miles east-to-west and 1,420 miles north-to-south. Its 6,640-mile coastline is 50 percent longer than the combined east and west coasts of the United States.

Last Updated: February 09, 2009 at 18:23 EST