Climate

Postcard of the U.S. Weather Bureau Building at Columbia, South Carolina, ca. 1915. Image courtesy of the NOAA National Weather Service.

• Climate of South Carolina
  Find out the average temperature, precipitation, and growing season in your region.
• South Carolina’s Climate Controls
  Discover the factors that influence South Carolina’s climate.
• Climate Trends
  Did you know that the average annual temperature in South Carolina has decreased .5 degrees Ferenheit?
• Drought Pictures
  Explore images of the drought in South Carolina in 2007 and 2008.
• Hail: Summer Ice Storms
  The largest recorded hailstone in South Carolina was 4 1/2 inches in diameter!

Lakes & Rivers

• RiverVenture
  Visit The Three Rivers in Columbia and The Estuary in Charleston and explore the natural and cultural of the rivers.
• Carolina Bays
  Carolina Bays are oval-shaped ponds and wetlands that occur along the Atlantic coast, many in South Carolina.
• NatureScene-Cartwheel Bay
  Explore Cartwheel Bay, a Carolina Bay in Horry County, including videos, animals, and plants in the region.
• South Carolina Waterfalls
  See images of waterfalls in the Blue Ridge region.
• South Carolina Watersheds
  See the four watersheds in South Carolina. Watersheds are the regions where the water flows into a body of water such as a river, lake, or ocean.
• South Carolina Map of Rivers and Watersheds
  Here is a detailed, color-coded map of the rivers and watersheds in South Carolina.

Marine

Carolina Bays near Marion, SC. View Larger Map

• Beach Sand: What It Is, Where It Comes From, and How It Gets Here
  Find out what makes up beach sand.
  • The Ocean’s Sand: A Natural Resource
• Sea Foam: What is it?
  Did you know that sea foam is often made by tiny single-celled organisms known as plankton?
• Sea Breeze: Science at the Beach
  South Carolina often has sea breezes, depending on temperatures and winds.
• Tides
  This animation shows how the flood current and ebb current make up the tides.

Geographical Features

• What is a Monadnock?
  A monadnock is an isolated hill that is much higher than the surrounding land.
• Barrier Islands
  Discover how barrier islands are created and what they look like.
  • What is a barrier island?
• Appalachian Orogeny
  These illustrations show how the Appalachian Mountains were formed!

Geology

• Geology Mineral Resources
  This map shows where minerals such as gold, clay, kaolin, and peat have been mined.
• Cross-Section of State
  Find out what kind of rock is under your feet!
• Collection of Fossils
  Take a look at animal, plant, and insect fossils that have been discovered in South Carolina.

Natural Communities

• ACE Basin
  The Ashepoo, Combahee, and Edisto Rivers make up the ACE Basin.
• SC Life
  Explore the wildlife, plants, and climate of The Cove Forest and The Salt Marsh.
• Isolated Wetlands
  Meet the amphibians, such as mole salamanders and ground puppies, that call isolated wetlands home.