Located along the mid-coast of Maine, Acadia National Park is downwind from large urban and industrial areas in states to the south and west. Periodically, high concentrations of air pollutants blow into the park from these areas. Click here for more information on air quality and monitoring.
Climate change refers to changes in the Earth's long-term weather patterns. Some changes in climate occur naturally; gradual temperature fluctuations over thousands of years are a natural part of the Earth's climate. The Ice Age, for example, was a period of time when our climate was much cooler than it is now. However, human activities can also cause changes;the term "climate change" is generally used to describe a more rapid, human-caused increase in the Earth's average temperature.
Want to help us understand climate change? Read more about citizen science opportunities.
How might future warming alter visitation: https://irma.nps.gov/
Climate change exposure: https://irma.nps.gov/
Acadia's landscape had its beginnings long before sunbeams first caressed the slopes of Cadillac Mountain. Click here to learn more about Acadia's geology.
The National Park Service defines non-natives as species that occur in a given place as a result of direct, indirect, deliberate, or accidental actions by humans. Likewise, non-native animal species can be introduced into an area deliberately, for agricultural use or fish stocking; or by "hitching a ride" on objects like boat hulls and outboard motors. Many species find their way to new locations in crop seed, soil, or nursery stock. There are currently about 12 non-native plant species in Acadia National Park that are of high management concern.
Both the motor road system and the (non-motorized) carriage road system at the park were carefully laid out by prominent landscape architects to take advantage of these spectacular views. Although they are dependent on the natural landscape of Acadia, these designed landscapes have themselves become significant, owing to their history and the sensitivity with which they were designed and built. In recent years, park staff have been actively restoring historic vistas on the carriage road system. Click here to learn more about our current vista management project.
Integral to ecosystem health and function, the waters of Acadia also allow visitors to engage in a variety of recreational pursuits. Protection of the scientific and scenic attributes associated with Acadia's lakes, streams and wetlands, and their use as a source of public drinking water, were significant factors in the park's establishment. Water resources within or adjacent to Acadia include 14 Great Ponds, 10 smaller ponds, more than two dozen named streams and 10 named wetland areas.
Click here to learn more about Water Resources in the park.
The weather in Acadia National Park is moderate compared to the rest of northern New England. Click here for more information about Acadia's weather.