Jim Nybakken
Moss Landing Marine Laboratories
P.O. Box 450, Moss Landing, CA 95039
I. Introduction
This section summarizes the few available studies of the organisms inhabiting
the MBNMS seafloor beyond Scuba diving depths, from roughly 40 to
3000 meters at the base of the continental slope. This region comprises
more than 95% of the MBNMS ocean bottom. Note that the fauna of steep submarine
canyon walls and vents (see cold seep communities section) are not covered
here. Also excluded is the benthic fauna of the continental slope (approximately
600-2000 m), as virtually no information is available for this region.
The slope of the MBNMS bottom beyond scuba depths is generally quite gentle,
and the bottom substrate is a combination of varying amounts of sand, silt
and clay. Composition is generally more sandy in the shallower depths and
more silt and clay in deeper areas, but this trend is not consistent throughout
the MBNMS. Indeed, outside the northern half of Monterey Bay (Hodgson and
Nybakken 1973), the distribution of sediment types is not well known (but
see Geology section). In certain areas where rivers discharge, the bottom
often has considerable amount of terrigenous debris, particularly at the
end of the rainy season (see Geology and River
Mouths, Brackish & Estuarine Wetlands sections).
Next - Section II. Faunal Assemblages on the
Continental Shelf (40 - 600 m depth)
Deeper Bottom Habitats Table of Contents
