• Atlantic Ocean beach at Cape Cod National Seashore

    Cape Cod

    National Seashore Massachusetts

There are park alerts in effect.
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  • Access to the Coast Guard Beach in Eastham will be closed Tuesday, May 21.

    Access to the Coast Guard Beach in Eastham will be closed Tuesday, May 21, from 6:00 AM to 3:00 PM so seashore staff can create an accessible path in advance of the summer season.

  • Storm damage, construction affecting access at seashore locations; reduction in programming

    Due to erosion, there is no beach access at Nauset Light and Marconi beaches. Access at the Marconi Site is limited. Parts of the Nauset Marsh and Red Maple Swamp trails are closed. Nauset Bike Trail construction is underway. More »

Monitoring and Research

experimental enclosure in East Harbor

List of ongoing monitoring and research projects in East Harbor:

Monitoring

  • water quality - Krista Lee (NPS)
  • hydrology (tides) - Kelly Chapman (NPS)
  • phytoplankton, midges, bacteria, biogeochemistry - John Portnoy (NPS)
  • vegetation - Stephen Smith (NPS)
  • fish & decopod crustaceans - Holly Bayley (NPS)
  • benthic invertebrates - Jodie Wennemer (Antioch University)

Research

  • the potential for two missing herbivores (Littorina littorea and Ilyanassa obsoleta) to limit macroalgae growth in East Harbor (Stephen Smith, NPS)
  • the effect of Mya arenaria (soft-shelled clam) on sediment chemistry and the growth of macroalage in East Harbor (Victoria Rubino, Antioch University)

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Did You Know?

vernal pond

The hydrologic system of lower Cape Cod consists of four distinct ground-water lenses, or flow cells, which receive recharge through precipitation. Other hydrologic features besides groundwater include kettle ponds, freshwater wetlands (vernal ponds), freshwater streams, and estuarine wetlands.