Mariana's Trench Marine National Monument
The Marianas Trench Marine National Monument is an American national monument in the Northern Mariana Islands , a non-incorporated suburb of the United States of America in the Pacific Ocean . It was designated by President George W. Bush by a Presidential Proclamation on January 6, 2009 with an area of 95,216 square miles (246,610 km 2 ). The protected area consists exclusively of underwater areas and is divided into the three sub-areas Islands Unit , Volcanic Unit and Trench Unit . The reserve was designated to protect the Mariana Trench , hot deep-sea springs, coral reefs and as a habitat for rare marine animals. The designation has no impact on US military use.
administration
The United States Department of the Interior , represented by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service , has administrative responsibility other than fisheries. The United States Department of Commerce , represented by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration , is responsible for fisheries .
Islands Unit
The three sub-areas Islands Unit , Volcanic Unit and Trench Unit are extremely different.
The Islands Unit comprises the waters and underwater areas of the three northernmost Mariana Islands Farallon de Pajaros , Maug and Asuncion . There are coral reef ecosystems. There are species such as sharks and rays. More than 300 species of hard corals live there. The United States Department of Commerce represented by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ensures that commercial fishing is prohibited.
Volcanic Unit
The Volcanic Unit comprises 21 active mud volcanoes and thermal vents in the Mariana Volcanic arc and Backarc ( Mariana Volcanic Arc ). Many scientists believe that such mud volcanoes and thermal chimneys may have been the first incubators of life on earth. The Volcanic Unit includes 21 mud volcanoes and thermal chimneys, each with a nautical mile around them. The waters themselves are not part of the National Monument. The Volcanic Unit is part of the National Wildlife Refuge System .
Trench unit
The Trench Unit is part of the Mariana Trench , a deep sea channel . The reserve includes the part of the Mariana Trench that lies in the Exclusive Economic Zone or 200 nautical mile zone of the USA around the Northern Mariana Islands. The trench unit is 940 nautical miles long and 38 nautical miles wide. The deepest point in the National Monument is Sirena Depth at 35,151 ft (10,714 m) depth. The waters themselves are not part of the National Monument. The Trench Unit is also part of the National Wildlife Refuge System .
The Challenger Deep with 10,984 ± 25 meters sea depth and the Vitja Deep 1 with 11,034 m sea depth, the deepest known places in the world's oceans, are just outside the protected area. Both areas are close together. Later measurements could not fully confirm the depth of Vitya Deep 1.
Web links
- United States Fish and Wildlife Service : Marianas Trench (official site )
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration : Marianas Trench Marine National Monument (official site )
- United States Geological Survey : Establishment of Three New Marine National Monuments Assisted by Information from the USGS (official site )