Mapping and exploration within and surrounding the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary

During July 2016, E/V Nautilus and the Corps of Exploration conducted a major research and exploration program within and surrounding the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary (CINMS) offshore southern California. The sanctuary was designated in 1980 to protect the natural and cultural resources around the five northern Channel Islands: Anacapa, Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, San Miguel, and Santa Barbara. To carry out its mandate to manage these nationally significant regions, NOAA collects new data to help inform decision-making. This cruise included a large-scale multibeam sonar mapping effort to collect detailed bathymetric, acoustic backscatter, and video data, as well as samples both within CINMS and in regions outside of the sanctuary boundaries that are being considered by the public for designation as a new sanctuary and/or are of particular oceanographic interest.