Harper's Ferry National Park

Harper's Ferry National Park

SCI/256: People, Science, and the Environment

Harper's Ferry National Park

Harper’s Ferry National Park is not only known for its beauty but also its history. People such as Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, and “Stonewall” Jackson have all been involved with the park in one way or another. Historical events such as John Brown’s raid and the civil war have occurred in the park. Many different ecosystems are contained in this park. With ecosystems comes many different species of living things. There are also different features that are nonliving in this park.

Harper’s Ferry National Park contains a vast array of different living organisms. According to the National Park Service (2013), “The Park is home to approximately fourteen amphibian, eighteen reptile, thirty six mammal, thirty spider, 43 fish, 174 bird, and 276 insect species.” Some of these species include the bald eagle, the northern copperhead snake, and the flying squirrel. The park also includes many different species of plant. Approximately 70% of the parks land is forested area (National Park Service, 2013). Many different ecosystems are contained in the giant ecosystem that is the park.

Harper’s Ferry National Park contains mountains, rivers, streams, forests, and wetlands. There are also different weather changes that occur within the park. Temperature is one of those factors. The high can reach 100 degrees Fahrenheit (F) in the summer months, and can be as low as 15 degrees F in the winter months. There is also an average of thirty eight inches of precipitation when the rainfall, thunderstorms, and Atlantic Coastal storms and snow are combined (National Park Service, 2013).

“A biogeochemical cycle is the complete path a chemical takes through the four major components, or reservoirs, of Earth’s system: atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere, and biosphere”(Botkin and Keller, 2011, p. 6.3). The main biogeochemical cycle that occurs in Harper’s Ferry National Park is the nitrogen cycle. The nitrogen cycle is an important component to the life and death of the animals and plants that live in the park. Animals require nitrogen as an organic compound. The lightning in the storms also helps oxidize the nitrogen, and this process turns the nitrogen into nitric oxide. Through way of nitrogen