Episode 1101: The Cordell Bank: A National Treasure

California’s north-central coast is famous for its natural splendor. Only fifty miles northwest of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge, yet light years away from the hustle and bustle of the human world, lies a magical underwater island few people have ever heard of. Protected inside a National Marine Sanctuary, the Cordell Bank is a hotspot for marine life. Cold, nutrient-rich waters welling up from the deep fuel the base of the marine food chain in the region, which in turn feeds birds, sea turtles, and marine mammals who travel from thousands of miles away.

And while the sanctuary is actively protecting local resources, it still faces global stressors that might threaten the area in the future. Scientists are studying the potential impacts of ocean acidification and lowered dissolved oxygen levels caused by climate change.

Experts

Meet the experts featured in this episode.

Episode Photos

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The little-known Cordell Bank is an underwater oasis found only fifty miles northwest of urban San Francisco, California.

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The Cordell Bank lies about 20 nautical miles west of the Point Reyes lighthouse.

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Scientists with the ACCESS Oceans team lower a plankton net in the waters of the Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary to study and quantify the base of the marine food chain.

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Changing Seas Director of Photography Sean Hickey films ACCESS Oceans team members Jaime Jahncke, Ph.D. and Danielle Lipski as they sift through the contents of a plankton tow.

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Contents from a plankton tow. The nutrient-rich, cold waters that well up along California's coast fuel a highly productive marine food web.

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Changing Seas Director of Photography Sean Hickey films UC Davis Ph.D. Candidate Carina Fish as she is working up water samples.

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Dru Devlin searches the horizon for marine mammals during an ACCESS Oceans research cruise.

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A blue whale sighting during an ACCESS Oceans research cruise. At up to 98 ft. in length, blue whales are the largest animals ever known to have lived on earth.

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ACCESS Oceans team member Jaime Jahncke, Ph.D. records wildlife observations while Kirsten Lindquist and Jan Roletto keep an eye out for sea birds during a research cruise.

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A thick fog was a constant presence during filming, often disappearing just as suddenly as it would appear.

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California's nutrient-rich waters attract birds and marine life from thousands of miles away to feed in what one scientist termed "the best restaurant on the west coast."

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A raft of California sea lions.

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A Mola mola, or ocean sunfish, in the waters off California's north-central coast.

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Humpback whales are one of several whale species found seasonally off California's coast.

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Tech divers with the Bay Area Underwater Explorers use the Escapade as their dive platform when exploring the remote Cordell Bank.

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Tech divers Allison and Robert Lee are members of the "Bay Area Underwater Explorers," one of the few groups to have dived the remote Cordell Bank.

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Changing Seas Director of Photography Sean Hickey films Captain Jim Capwell as he helps tech diver Allison Lee back on the boat.

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The Bodega Marine Laboratory is close to Bodega Head, one of the many scenic spots along north-central California's rugged coastline.

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UC Davis Ph.D. Candidate Carina Fish studies the impacts of ocean acidification on bamboo corals, which are found in the deep waters of the Bodega Canyon.

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Bamboo corals are named after their skeleton. These specimens came from the Bodega Canyon, located inside the Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary.

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Experts analyze the skeleton of bamboo corals to understand the animals' diet over long time periods. They are studying how climate change impacts the corals' food source.

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This episode would not have been possible without the tremendous logistical help of Bob Rubin, Ph.D. (left), pictured with Changing Seas team members Sean Hickey and Alexa Elliott.

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A seagull at Bodega Head, along California's rugged and stunning coastline.

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Whales, sea lions and seabirds feeding in California's nutrient-rich waters.

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The abundance of food sources during upwelling season make California's coastal waters an incredible place to view wildlife.

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Whales, birds and sea lions feeding.

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Three humpback whales.

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California sea lions porpoising.

Special Thanks:

San Francisco Whale Tours
Pier 39
San Francisco, CA 94133
(415) 706-7364

Image Credits

Changing Seas would like to thank the following individuals and institutions who kindly allowed their footage, images and other media to be used in this production:

Allison Lee
Kevin Dow
Bay Area Underwater Explorers

Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary

Cordell Expeditions ©

Jaime Jahncke/ACCESS/NOAA/Point Blue

KGO-TV

Nina Bednarsek

NOAA/CBNMS

NOAA/MARE

Ocean Exploration Trust/NOAA

Sophie Webb/ACCESS/NOAA/Point Blue

Cotton Rockwood/ACCESS/NOAA/Point Blue

Laura Francis/NOAA /Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary

NOAA, B.A. Colonna Album

NOAA Photo Library, NOAA Central Library; NOAA Office of NOAA Corps Operations

NOAA Ship DAVID STARR JORDAN Collection; Commander John Herring, NOAA Corps

United States Coast Survey Annual Report 1855

Capt. Steve Neil

Special Thanks:

Bob Rubin, Ph.D.

Cordell Marine Sanctuary Foundation

Dianne Smith, Ph.D.

Gavin Chilcott, Ph.D.

Jennifer Stock

Jessica Camancho

Nikki Bohan-Rubin

Pete & Deeanne Edwards

Tessa Hill, Ph.D.

Kat Nazar
Joe Nazar
Michael Pierson
San Francisco Whale Tours

Kitty Brown
UC Davis Bodega Marine Laboratory and Reserve

Robert E. Lee Jr.

Johannes Quiles