The Stellwagen Bank National
Marine Sanctuary, located 25 miles east of Boston,
stretches between Cape Ann and Cape Cod at the
mouth of Massachusetts Bay. The sanctuary today
protects 842-square miles in an area geologists
calculate was created some 14,000 years ago during
the retreat of the last Ice Age glaciers.
Sand and gravel banks, muddy
basins, rocky ledges, and vast boulder fields
provide a variety of productive habitats within the
Sanctuary. These productive reef environments are
analogous to the tropical coral reefs -- just
deeper, darker and colder. Stellwagen Bank reaches
up from depths leveling off at an average of 100
feet below the waters' surface. The bank's shallow
southwest corner has a depth of only 65 feet.
Winter storms, the infamous "nor'easters", advance
across the Gulf of Maine with enough energy to
reach down and sweep sand grains along the top of
the bank. Gravel and coarser sand have been left
behind on the eastern side of the bank, while fine
sand collects on the west and mud fills Stellwagen
Basin. Ancient gouges in the seafloor of the
northeastern corner of the sanctuary were caused by
icebergs that grounded in the muddy sand at the
close of the last period of glaciation.
Stellwagen Bank National
Marine Sanctuary provides habitat for variety of
marine creatures including the endangered northern
right whale, humpback whale, finback whale and
Atlantic white-sided dolphin. Atlantic bluefin
tuna, Atlantic cod, winter flounder, sea scallops
and northern lobsters travel through Stellwagen.
Forty species of sea birds wheel their way above
Stellwagen Bank's wild ocean including Wilson's
storm petrel, shearwaters, northern fulmar, and
northern gannet, terns, gulls and in the winter, a
rich assortment of alcids and large numbers of
black-legged kittiwakes.
Mature sea turtles such as
the impressive leatherback and loggerhead, and
pinnipeds--harbor and gray seals--are also spotted
in the sanctuary. And one won't soon forget the
ungainly appearance of a drifting ocean sunfish,
the blue flash of the sleek bluefin tuna, or the
cavernous maw of the (relatively) toothless basking
shark.
The sanctuary is fueled by a
rich abundance of phytoplankton and zooplankton.
Golden-brown diatoms cause the waters to appear
murky green. Healthy phytoplankton blooms lead to
hearty zooplankton blooms, which in turn bring many
larger animal species. Areas within the sanctuary
are believed to be nurseries, supporting young fish
and shellfish such as cod, flounder, sea clams and
lobster. The Bank is also home to a vast array of
invertebrates: sponges, soft corals, anemones, sea
stars, sand dollars and sea urchins, marine worms,
mollusks and squid.
Since colonial times,
countless vessels have traversed the waters that
today encompass the Stellwagen Bank Sanctuary.
Whether through hurricanes and other storms or
human error, ships have foundered and sunk in the
area.
It is not believed that there
was any human habitation of the Stellwagen Bank
area before it sank beneath the waves as sea level
rose. However, the area had at one time supported
vegetation and terrestrial animals, including
mastodon and mammoth. Bones and teeth from these
beasts have been recovered by fishing gear from the
area.
The photo gallery contains images which portray
only a small portion of the living and physical
resources of the sanctuary. In addition, it
portrays some of the major uses of the sanctuary.
For a more detailed description of the marvels of
the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary visit
the
Stellwagen Bank description on the Marine
Sanctuaries section
of this site.
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The
Collection
The
Living Sanctuary
presents 30 photos depicting marine mammals, fish,
birds, and invertebrates. Among these images are
right whales, sharks,giant sunfish, jellyfish,
dolphin, starfish, anemone, shearwaters, diatoms,
sea cucumbers and sponges to name just a
few.
Habitats
presents 18 photos depicting the various marine
habitats making up the sanctuary. Included in this
section you will find rocky, sandy, and muddy
substrait which form the canvas on which life in
the sanctuary creates the amazingly diverse
habitats found within Stellwagen Bank.
People
and the Sanctuary
presents 20 images depicting the many ways that
human beings use the sanctuary and its adjacent
areas. You will see people recreating, researching,
harvesting resources, and learning the important
lessons that the sanctuary has to offer.
The Sustainable
Seas Expeditions
photos from the July 1999 expedition are
unavailable.
The Kids
Gallery for
Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary contains
20 images. These images were created by children in
the Boston, Massachussetts area in grades
1-8.
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