The Cordell Currents

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, … Continue reading "Why are eastern boundary currents and coastal upwellings so important to Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary"

Photo: NOAA/GFNMS/CBNMS The exceptional productivity of Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary is driven by a rare combination of oceanographic and geological factors. The bank’s steep rocky topography rises from the continental shelf into nutrient-rich waters influenced by the California Current and seasonal upwelling, concentrating plankton and creating ideal feeding conditions for fishes, invertebrates, seabirds, and … Continue reading "Unique factors contributing to Cordell Bank’s incredible productivity"

Photo: NOAA/GFNMS/CBNMS  Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary is one of 18 federally designated underwater areas protected by NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries and represents a remarkable offshore ecosystem shaped by migration, ocean currents, and seafloor geography. Located about 42 miles north of San Francisco and spanning 1,286 square miles, the sanctuary centers around Cordell … Continue reading "Migration and Creatures"

The CMSF board was fortunate to work with well-known graphic artist and branding specialist, Kristin Weimers to develop a new log and suite of branding assets and guidelines.  Our new logo represents the connectedness of diverse ecological factors that make Cordell Bank a uniquely powerful engine of biological productivity.  Our former logo, which featured a … Continue reading "New logo, branding, and website for CMSF"

The foundation awarded the CMSF Research Scholarship to Mr. de la Maza in 2024.  Analysis and study of hypoxic events and their consequences will be a component of Mr. de la Maza’s doctoral research work under the aegis of UC Davis’ research facility in Bodega Bay, CA – the Bodega Marine Laboratory.  Phase 1 involved … Continue reading "Cordell Marine Sanctuary Foundation Scholar, Lucas de la Maza, has completed Phase 1 of his analysis of a long-term data set documenting hypoxic events within Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary."

CMSF is proud to announce that former Superintendent of the Greater Farallones and Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuaries, Maria Brown, has been elected to its board of directors.   Maria is a highly respected voice in the marine conservation and national marine sanctuary communities, and will be an extremely valuable addition to our board.  Maria’s professional … Continue reading "Maria Brown Joins CMSF Board of Directors"

Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary, along with the Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary have been designated as a Hope Spot, by Dr. Sylvia Earle’s organization, Mission Blue.  Dr. Earle has been compared to figures like Jacques Cousteau and Jane Goodall owing to her decades of work and ability to reach a global audience.  For Mission … Continue reading "Cordell Bank NMS designated as a Hope Spot by Mission Blue"