Scripps Canyon
Scripps Canyon | |
|---|---|
 A stripedfin ronquil (Rathbunella hypoplecta) photographed in Scripps Canyon | |
  Scripps Canyon | |
| Coordinates: 32°52′N 117°16′W / 32.867°N 117.267°W | |
| Dimensions | |
| • Length | 1 mile (1.6 km) |
| • Depth | 1,600 feet (490 m) |
Scripps Canyon is a narrow submarine canyon located in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of southern California, United States. The canyon is approximately 1 mile (1.6 km) long and joins to La Jolla Canyon offshore.[1]
Scripps Canyon is a popular site for scientific and recreational diving, because of its vertical walls and high density of marine life.
Geography and characteristics
[edit]The Scripps Canyon located near the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, a major oceanographic research institution, and as a result is one of the best-studied underwater canyons.[citation needed]
History
[edit]The first measurements at Scripps Canyon were in 1937 by lead-line soundings collected by Francis Shepard in a rowboat by Scripps Pier.[2] The Scripps Canyon was first extensively explored by Frank Haymaker in 1947 using a helmet-and-airhose setup to collect samples for Shepard. When the aqualung arrived at SIO in the 1950s, surface-supplied dives were replaced by SCUBA.
Focusing on the sand plain between the heads of the La Jolla and Scripps canyons, SIO's Dr. Edward Fager continued to collect samples at depths of 5–10 fathoms (9.1–18.3 m) from 1956 to 1973.[2]
Biology
[edit]A 2016 study of the canyon found differences in the distribution of demersal fishes.[3] The canyon is dominated throughout by rockfish, particularly the species of halfbanded (Sebastes semicinctus) and Sebastomus. Other common fish include poacher, sole, and lizardfish.
In April 2024, droves of tuna crabs were spotted in Scripps Canyon.[4] Due to the cold waters of the canyon, mass dying of the crabs led to many washing up on beaches.
Scripps Canyon is considered a native habitat of swellsharks.[5]
External links
[edit]- Brueggeman, P. La Jolla Canyon and Scripps Canyon Bibliography. Scripps Institution of Oceanography Library. 2009.
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- ^ Brueggeman, Peter (2009). "La Jolla Canyon and Scripps Canyon Bibliography". Scripps Institution of Oceanography Library. doi:10.13140/RG.2.2.13623.16806.
- ^ a b Noble Shor, Elizabeth (1978). Scripps Institution of Oceanography: Probing the Oceans 1936 to 1976. Tofua Press. ISBN 091448818X.
- ^ Smith, Joshua G.; Lindholm, James (15 August 2016). "Vertical stratification in the distribution of demersal fishes along the walls of the La Jolla and Scripps submarine canyons, California, USA". Continental Shelf Research. 125: 61–70. doi:10.1016/j.csr.2016.07.001.
- ^ Jacobs, Jules (11 May 2024). "Tuna crabs, neither tuna nor crabs, are swarming near San Diego". The Seattle Times.
- ^ "Patterns of Glowing Sharks get Clearer with Depth". American Museum of Natural History.