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Exploring the beautiful nature of California


California Nature:  Monterey Bay


Monterey Bay is a bay of the Pacific Ocean, along the central coast of California. The bay is south of San Francisco, between the cities of Santa Cruz and Monterey. The Monterey Canyon, one of the largest underwater canyons in the world, begins off the coast of Moss Landing, exactly in the center of Monterey Bay.

Monterey Bay is home to many species of marine mammals, including sea otters, harbor seals, and bottlenose dolphins; as well as being on the migratory path of Gray and Humpback Whales and a breeding site for elephant seals. Killer whales are also found along the coast, especially when Gray whales migrate. Then they hunt the whales as they migrate north. Many species of fish, sharks, mollusks such as abalone and squid, birds, and sea turtles also live in the bay. Several varieties of kelp grow in the bay, some becoming as tall as trees, forming what is known as a kelp forest.
explore the beautiful nature at Monterey bay in California The kelp forests off the coast of Monterey Bay depict a specialized ocean ecosystem. Brown algae, kelp, makes the trees in this forest. Other organisms that live in the forest include sea cucumbers, otters, abalone, blue rock fish and sea urchins. Kelp grows fast and gets used in many products like toothpaste and pudding.

Kelp forests grow predominantly on the Pacific Coast, from Alaska and Canada to the waters of Baja California. Tiered like a terrestrial rainforest with a canopy and several layers below, the kelp forests of the eastern Pacific coast are dominated by two canopy-forming, brown algea species, giant kelp and bull kelp.

California sea lions, harbor seals, sea otters, and whales may feed in the kelp or escape storms or predators in the shelter of kelp. On rare occasions gray whales have been spotted seeking refuge in kelp forests from predatory killer whales. All larger marine life, including birds and mammals, may retreat to kelp during storms or high-energy regimes because the kelp helps to weaken currents and waves.
California is one of the only places in the world where visitors can see whales year-round, and there's no better place for whale watching than Monterey. While in many areas whale watchers have to go far from shore to see a whale, along the Monterey coast whales can sometimes be seen offshore with the naked eye. The Monterey Submarine Canyon, the ocean's answer to the Grand Canyon, provides a perfect habitat for many whale species, allowing them to come close to shore to feed.

In addition to the whales that migrate seasonally through the area, such as humpbacks, blue whales and gray whales, many other whale species are visible throughout the year. It's not unusual for whale watchers to spot a fin or minke whale. The rarely observed beaked whale, which dives for up to an hour at a time, has been known to make a cameo appearance, as has the occasional sperm whale.
Monterey beach part of California nature The Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary (MBNMS) is a Federally protected marine area offshore of California's central coast. Stretching from Marin to Cambria, the MBNMS encompasses a shoreline length of 276 miles and 6,094 square miles of ocean. Supporting one of the world's most diverse marine ecosystems, it is home to numerous mammals, seabirds, fishes, invertebrates and plants in a remarkably productive coastal environment. The MBNMS was established for the purpose of resource protection, research, education, and public use of this national treasure.

The Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary protects many marine habitats along our coast and the plants and animals who make their homes there. Activities that could cause long-term harm to the ocean's health -- like oil drilling -- are completely prohibited. Many others, like fishing and boating, are allowed. Still other activities, such as educational and scientific studies, are allowed, but monitored.

The central coast area was originally inhabited by Chumash and other Native American people since at least 10,000 BC. Many of these settlements were coastal, where the people exploited marine resources and dwelt near freshwater inflows to the Pacific Ocean. For example there were significant settlements near the mouth of Morro Creek and Los Osos Creek. Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo visited California's Central Coast, landing in Santa Barbara County in 1542, having sailed from the south.

California's Central Coast is an amalgam of beaches, lakes, rolling hills, and mountains, and the state's most diverse region. The narrow strip that runs for more than 100 miles from San Simeon to Ventura spans several climate zones.
 
 
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