Eastern Boundary Currents and coastal upwelling are fundamental to the extraordinary productivity of the ecosystem surrounding Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary. The southward-flowing California Current, one of the world’s major Eastern Boundary Currents, transports cold, nutrient-rich water along the U.S. West Coast.
Seasonal upwelling then brings these nutrients from deep ocean layers to the surface, fueling phytoplankton growth that forms the base of the marine food web. This process supports dense populations of zooplankton, fishes, invertebrates, seabirds, and migrating marine mammals that rely on the sanctuary as a feeding hotspot.
The interaction between the bank’s unique seafloor topography and these oceanographic forces concentrates productivity in ways that make Cordell Bank one of the most biologically rich offshore environments in the region, underscoring the importance of continued research and conservation in a changing ocean.
