Research Technical Report

Exploring Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary

King, C., J. Roletto, S. Tezak, G. Williams, J. Brown, G. Cochrane, E. Burton, K. Lindquist, A. Wood, and J. Holl (March 2021)

Oceanography 34(1):34-35, supplement.

DOI: 10.5670/oceanog.2021.supplement.01

Excerpt:

Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary (MBNMS) encompasses 13,784 km2, extending 444 km from Marin County in northern California to Cambria in San Luis Obispo County in central California. MBNMS is one of 14 US national marine sanctuaries and two marine national monuments managed by NOAA. National marine sanctuaries are areas of special national significance designated to provide for conservation, management, and enhanced public awareness of the ocean. Its centerpieces are Monterey Bay Canyon and two rarely explored regions, Pioneer Canyon and Davidson Seamount. The head of Pioneer Canyon is approximately 38 km west of Half Moon Bay. With depths over 1,300 m, this canyon was formed by the outflow of the Sacramento River, when sea level was much lower and the North American Plate was further south. Davidson Seamount is an inactive volcanic undersea mountain habitat off the coast of central California and is one of the largest known seamounts in US waters. From base to crest, it is 2,280 m tall, yet its summit is still 1,250 m below the sea surface.

Suggested Citation:

King, C., J. Roletto, S. Tezak, G. Williams, J. Brown, G. Cochrane, E. Burton, K. Lindquist, A. Wood, and J. Holl. 2021. Exploring Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. In: N.A. Raineault, J. Flanders, and E. Niiler (editors), New frontiers in ocean exploration: The E/V Nautilus, NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer, and R/V Falkor 2020 field season. Oceanography 34(1):34-35, supplement. https://doi.org/10.5670/oceanog.2021.supplement.01.