Physical Features

Climate

Wando River shoreline at low tide. Image by Captain Albert E. Theberge, NOAA Corps (ret.)

• South Carolina Climatology Office
  The Climatology Office has lots of information on climate topics, such as severe weather, flooding, temperature, and notable events.
• Climate Characteristics for Selected South Carolina Cities
  Find out the average temperature, precipitation, snowfall, and other climate information for 3 South Carolina cities.
• Great Weather in South Carolina
  Darius Rucker from Hootie and the Blowfish talks about his home state of South Carolina and how much he loves the weather and being able to golf in February.

Lakes & Rivers

• Carolina Bays
  Carolina Bays are oval-shaped ponds and wetlands that occur along the Atlantic coast, many in South Carolina.
• The Big Picture-The Catawba River
  Watch a video or listen to the radio show about the preservation efforts for the Catawba River.
• RiverVenture
  Visit The Three Rivers in Columbia and The Estuary in Charleston and explore the natural and cultural of the rivers.

Marine & Ground Water

• Tides: Why do they happen?
  Find out why we have tides along the coast.
• A Line in the Sand: Nourishing South Carolina’s Beaches
  South Carolina beaches are fighting erosion in multiple ways.
• Groundwater
  Groundwater is the supply of freshwater found beneath the earth’s surface.
• Real-Time Water Levels for South Carolina
  Explore current water levels of rivers and lakes in South Carolina.

Geographical Features

Longleaf pine forest. Image by William D. Boyer, USDA Forest Service, Bugwood.org

• Birth of the Mountains
  Explore the geologic story of the Southern Appalachian Mountains.
• South Carolina Soil
  Lynchburg soil is found along the Coastal Plain.
• General Soil Map of South Carolina
  What kinds of soil are featured in your region?
• NatureScene-Forty Acre Rock
  Forty Acre Rock Preserve is an unique geological area boasting one of the largest flatrock granite exposures in South Carolina.

Geology

• Explore Folly Island
  Explore coastal geology and barrier islands with this interactive tutorial.
• The Brevard Zone
  The Brevard Fault Zone is a major geologic feature of the Southeast.
• Geologic Cross-Section of South Carolina
  This image shows the regions South Carolina and the rock structures underneath.
• Time Scale
  What was happening in South Carolina in the Jurassic Period? What about in the Pleistocene Epoch?

Natural Communities

• The Southern Appalachians: A Changing World
  Watch this video on the Southern Appalachian Mountains, including their birth, landscape, climate, and ecosystem.
• Longleaf Pine Ecosystem
  Learn about the unique longleaf pine ecosystem that is an important habitat in the Sandhills region.
• Characterization of the ACE Basin
  The ACE Basin contains six distinct ecosystem habitats, from wetlands to uplands.
• Bottomland Hardwoods
  Bottomland hardwood forests are river swamps, usually where rivers occasionally cause flooding.
• Marshes of the Lowcountry
  The Coastal Plain and Coastal Zone has many marshes and swamp with distinctive plant species.
• Dynamics of the Salt Marsh
  Find out what plants and animals live in the salt marshes of the Lowcountry
• The Facts on Wetlands
  Learn the facts on South Carolina’s freshwater and saltwater wetlands.