The Santa Barbara Channel:

Prevailing northwest winds, the confluence of major oceanic currents, and the shapes of nearby ocean basins and the continental shelf support incredibly diverse and productive biological communities within the Santa Barbara Channel. Nutrient-rich water wells up from the deep-sea near Point Conception, on the mainland coast to the north. As this water drifts south in the bright southern California sunlight, swirling around the islands, it produces rich food webs including everything from microscopic plankton to blue whales. Nutrients also well-up seasonally when strong northern winter winds blow surface waters away from the southern shores of the islands, drawing water from mile deep basins south and west of the park. The cold, nutrient-rich, waters mix with warm southern water to produce exceptionally productive food webs and create a wide range temperature regimes.

Among the more prominent ecosystems in the Channel, found both along the coast and surrounding the islands, are forests of giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera), which inhabit relatively shallow rocky reefs. These submarine forests, reaching the ocean surface from depths over 100 feet, provide food and shelter for more than 125 fishes, and habitat for scores of other animals and plants, nearly 1,000 species in all. Eelgrass beds (Zostera marina) provide nursery habitat for juvenile fishes, and elk kelp forests (Pelagophycus porra) inhabit deeper water than the giant kelp. Vast sand plains between the reefs host a variety of clams and other burrowing organisms. The deeper reaches of the channel waters extend down to 2,000 feet or more as they trail off into submarine canyons. Many commercially important fish inhabit these deeper waters and invertebrates, such as corals, sponges, and feather stars, cover deep reefs below the reach of sunlight.

The Channel and its islands currently provides habitat for breeding populations of four species of pinnipeds: the California sea lion, the northern fur seal, the northern elephant seal, and the harbor seal. Stellar sea lions and Guadalupe fur seals are occasional visitors to the area. All six species are found at different times of year, feeding on abundant fish and invertebrate resources of the island shelves or hauling out on rocks and beaches. At least 27 species of whales and dolphins have been sighted in the sanctuary and about 18 species are seen regularly and are considered "residents". Little is known about the areas of concentration, life history or behavior of the resident populations. The Channel is also part of the migratory pathway of the California Gray whale in the winter and spring and serves as the primary summer feeding grounds for the gigantic Blue and gregarious Humpback whales.

Over 60 species of marine birds may use the channel waters to varying degrees as nesting and feeding habitat, for wintering, and/or as migratory or staging areas. Of the 16 resident species of marine birds in the southern California bight, eleven breed in the channel. San Miguel Island supports the most numerous and diverse avifauna, with nine species having established colonies. Santa Barbara Island has several nationally and internationally significant seabird nesting areas, including the largest nesting Xantus' Murrelet colony and the only nesting site in the United States of Black Storm-Petrels. The Brown Pelican, an endangered species, maintains its only permanent rookery in California on Anacapa Island.

Because of the presence of this rich marine habitat the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary was established in 1980 and protects 1,658 square miles (4,311 square Km) of water in and around Santa Barbara Island and the four northern Channel Islands.

The California Channel Islands:

There are eight islands located off the coast of southern California which comprise California's Channel Islands. These are divided into two separate groups: the Northern Channel Islands (San Miguel, Santa Rosa, Santa Cruz, and Anacapa Islands), and the Southern Channel Islands (Santa Catalina, Santa Barbara, San Nicolas and San Clemente Islands). The four Northern Channel Islands, plus Santa Barbara Island, fall within the boundaries of Channel Islands National Park and Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary.

The Northern Channel Islands represent emergent portions of a complex system of submarine canyons and ridges and are believed to be a seaward extension of the mainland’s Santa Monica mountain range. Current scientific evidence suggests that these islands have not been connected to the mainland since about 1.5 million years ago. However, during the last ice age it is believed that the northern islands were connected to each other as one large island which scientists call Santarosae. Then, about 18,000 years ago, with the end of the ice age and melting of the great continental ice sheets, rising sea levels eventually divided Santarosae into the four separate islands we see today.

Fossils recovered from the islands of Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, and San Miguel show that they were the home of the prehistoric Pygmy Mammoth, a population of small animals that developed on the islands from full sized ancestors, which swam across the Santa Barbara Channel sometime during the Pleistocene. These animals stood about four to eight feet (120-240 cm) high at the shoulder.

Habitat types on the islands include coastal dune, coastal bluff, grasslands, coastal sage scrub, chaparral, island oak woodlands, mixed hardwood woodlands, conifer stands, riparian areas and wetland communities. The island flora is eclectic and includes species such as the endemic Island Ironwoods, the Torrey pine, and the strange tree sunflower, Coreopsis gigantica.

The islands’ climate is Mediterranean, characterized by mild wet winters and warm dry summers. The prevailing northwest winds drive moisture laden marine air and summer fogs onto north-facing coastal slopes. Periodic El Nino events, which bring series of winter storms and much precipitation to the islands, can be separated by extended periods of drought. The flora and fauna of the islands have become well adapted to such climatic fluctuation.

© 2002 All information above is from the Santa Barbara Channel Islands Poster published by Eric Zimmerman and EZ Photography/Solutions. Reproduction of this information without consent is prohibited. www.ezphotography.net