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Kenai Fjords National ParkAerial view of Harding Icefield and Kenai Fjords.
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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.
resident pod of Orca whales  

Did You Know?
“Killer Whales” or Orcas are actually quite friendly and often inquisitive about humans. In fact the group of “resident killer whales” pictured here feeds entirely on fish. Only “Transient Killer Whales” eat marine mammals. No wild killer whale has ever hurt a human being.

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