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Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary National Marine Sanctuaries Home Page National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Home Page

Quick Facts: The Sanctuary at a Glance

  • Northern Boundary: Rocky Point, 7 miles north of Golden Gate Bridge.
  • Southern Boundary: Cambria, San Luis Obispo County.
  • Seaward Boundary: Average of 30 miles offshore (and as far as 53 miles offshore).
  • Shoreward Boundary: Mean High Tide.
  • Shoreline Length: 276 Statute Miles (almost exactly, which is about one quarter of California's coast!)
  • Size: 6,094 square statute miles or 4,024 square nautical miles—about the size of Connecticut.
  • Deepest Point: 12,713 feet or 3,250 meters in the Monterey Bay Submarine Canyon, which is deeper than the Grand Canyon.
  • Volume: 4,480 cubic miles or 7,469,681,093 olympic-sized swimming pools.
  • Average Ocean Surface Temperature: 55F (13C)
  • Marine Mammals: 34 species
  • Seabirds and Shorebirds: more than 180 species
  • Fish: 350 species
  • Turtles: 4 species
  • Invertebrates: 31 phyla
  • Marine algae: 450-plus species
  • Historical Sites: 1,276 reported shipwrecks and 718 prehistoric sites
  • Administered by: U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Ocean Service (NOS), National Marine Sanctuaries (NMS)
URL: http://montereybay.noaa.gov/intro/mbnms_quickfacts.html    Reviewed: June 11, 2013
Web Site Owner: National Ocean Service

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