Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary
The Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary is one of the 13 National Marine Sanctuaries in the United States that protect and preserve oceanic ecosystems in the United States. Cordell Bank is a seamount approximately 80 km northwest of San Francisco where the ocean floor rises to a depth of 37 m. The seamount was discovered by the US Coast Survey in 1853 and was named after Edward Cordell , who completely surveyed the area in 1869. It was extensively researched and described by Robert Schmieder, who published a monograph on it in 1991, from 1978 to 1986. It has been designated as a protected area since 1989. The protected area covers a sea area of 1,347 km².
The seamount is largely composed of granite and was part of the Sierra Nevada Mountains 93 million years ago . The Pacific Plate sheared to the northwest, moving the seamount to its current location. The continental drift moves the seamount about 9 cm per year. During the recent glacier growth , 15,000 to 20,000 years ago, Cordell Bank may have been an island when the sea level was 110 meters below.
This atypical mountain is surrounded on three sides by water that allows nutrient-rich deep water to flow over relatively shallow water with enough light for photosynthesis . The central coast of California with the area around the Cordell Bank is one of the largest upwelling regions in the Pacific. The result is that Cordell Bank is an unusually biologically productive area, responsible for large and diverse populations of marine life (including seabirds and marine mammals ).
The water in the sanctuary supports seabirds from the nearby Farallon Islands and Point Reyes , as well as migratory birds from Australia , New Zealand and Hawaii . Several species of albatross are known at the popular Cordell Bank , most notably the black-footed albatross . Twenty-six different species of marine mammals (e.g. humpback whales , blue whales, and Steller's sea lions ) live in the sanctuary. Late summer is the best time to see migrating whales that take advantage of the bank's abundant food. Leatherback turtles also live in the water of the sanctuary.
The regulations of the protected area prohibit the extraction of fossil raw materials such as crude oil and natural gas, the removal of benthic organisms (e.g. through deep-sea drilling), the unloading of waste and the destruction of this natural monument. Recreational diving is not recommended in the reserve due to the depth and currents.
Future: A bill (HR 5352) was recently proposed to Congress by Representative Lynn Woolsey to increase the Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary and Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary by 2,833 square kilometers.
Coordinates: 38 ° 4 ′ 0 ″ N , 123 ° 22 ′ 4 ″ W.