Gulf of California
Gulf of California | |
---|---|
Sea of Cortés, Vermilion Sea | |
Coordinates | 28°0′N 112°0′W / 28.000°N 112.000°W |
River sources | Colorado, Fuerte, Mayo, Sinaloa, Sonora, Yaqui |
Ocean/sea sources | Pacific Ocean |
Basin countries | Mexico |
Max. length | 1,126 km (700 mi) |
Max. width | 48–241 km (30–150 mi) |
Surface area | 160,000 km2 (62,000 sq mi) |
Islands | 37 |
References | [1] |
Latin America and the Caribbean | |
Endangered | 2019–present[2] |
The Gulf of California (
The gulf is thought to be one of the most diverse seas on Earth and is home to more than 5,000 species of micro-invertebrates.[4] Parts of the Gulf of California are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Geography
History
The marine expeditions of Fortún Ximénez,[5] Hernán Cortés,[6] Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo,[7] Francisco de Ulloa,[8] Hernando de Alarcón, Captain Francisco de Lucenilla,[9] and Sebastián Vizcaíno document its earliest record.[10] Juan de Oñate reached the gulf overland in 1605 by following the Colorado River.[11] In the 19th century Duflot de Mofras of France and C.H. Gilbert of the United States Fish Commission visited the area.[12][13]
Area
The International Hydrographic Organization defines the southern limit of the gulf as: "A line joining Piaxtla Point (latitude 23°38'N) on the west coast of the mainland of Mexico, and the southern extreme of Lower California".[14]
The gulf is 1,126 km (700 mi) long and 48–241 km (30–150 mi) wide, with an area of 177,000 km2 (68,000 sq mi), a mean depth of 818.08 m (2,684.0 ft), and a volume of 145,000 km3 (35,000 cu mi).[1]
The Gulf of California includes three faunal regions:
- the Northern Gulf
- the Central Gulf
- the Southern Gulf
One recognized transition zone is termed the Southwestern Baja California Peninsula. Transition zones exist between faunal regions, and they usually vary for each individual species. (Faunal regions are distinguishable based on the specific types of animals found there.[15])
Geology
Geologic evidence is widely interpreted by geologists as indicating the gulf came into being around 5.3 million years ago as
Islands
The gulf contains 37 major islands, the two largest being Isla Ángel de la Guarda and Isla Tiburón. Most of the islands are found on the west side of the gulf. In fact, many of the islands of the gulf are the result of volcanic eruptions that occurred during the early history of Baja California. The islands of Islas Marías, Islas San Francisco, and Isla Partida are thought to be the result of such eruptions. The formations of the islands, however, are not dependent on each other. They were each formed as a result of an individual structural occurrence.[3] Several islands, including Isla Coronados, are home to volcanoes.
The gulf has more than 900 islets and islands which together total about 420 hectares. All of them as a whole were enacted as "Area Reserve and Migratory Bird Refuge and Wildlife" on August 2, 1978. In June 2000, the islands were designated a
Shores and tides
The three general types of shores found in the gulf include rocky shore, sandy beach, and tidal flat.
Some of the rich biodiversity and high endemism that characterize the gulf and make it such a hotspot for fishing can be attributed to seemingly insignificant factors, such as the types of rocks that make up a shore. Beaches with softer, more porous rocks (such as coquina limestone, rhyolites, granite, or diorite) generally have a higher species richness than those with harder, smoother rocks (such as basalt or diabase). Porous rocks will naturally have more cracks and crevices in them, making them ideal living spaces for many animals. The rocks themselves, however, generally need to be stable on the shore for a habitat to be stable. Additionally, the color of the rocks can affect the organisms living on a shore. For example, darker rocks will be significantly warmer than lighter ones, and can deter animals that do not have a high tolerance for heat.[3]
The northern gulf experiences tidal ranges of up to 5 m (16 ft). Mixed
Estuaries
There are a number of negative estuaries, that is, ones in which the evaporation of seawater is relatively greater than that of the fresh water input. The salinities of these inlets are higher than that of the ocean. The temperatures, poikilothermal, of these negative estuaries also are higher than the general temperature of the gulf. It is possible that at one time these estuaries were positive, that is, ones in which the seawater component is diluted; therefore, the water is brackish, with salinity less than that of the ocean. However, because of human settlement around the gulf and water diversion for municipal and agricultural use in an area of comparatively low rainfall, there are no longer many rivers that freely empty into the gulf. The upper Colorado River Delta is one example of a historically major estuary and wetlands ecosystem, that since the 20th century construction of upriver dams and diversion aqueducts on the Colorado River, is now a small ephemeral remnant estuary. The remaining gulf inlets still are important to several species of fishes, crustaceans, and shellfish that are commercially harvested.[3]
Climate
Air
Even though the shores of the gulf are generally sheltered from the continuous wave shock that is experienced by most other North American shores, storms known as a "chubasco" can cause significant damage to shorelines, despite their brevity.[3]
Ocean
The depth of the water helps to determine its temperature. For example, shallow depths are directly influenced by the local temperature of the air, while deeper waters are less susceptible to changes in air temperature.[3] The temperature of the water in the gulf generally experiences lows of 16 °C (61 °F) in winter and highs of 24 °C (75 °F) in summer. But temperatures can vary greatly in the gulf, and the water is almost always warmer by the coast than the open ocean. For example, the waters surrounding La Paz reach 30 °C (86 °F) in August, while the waters in neighboring city Cabo San Lucas, only reach 26 °C (79 °F).[1][21][22][23]
Occasionally, the northern gulf will go through significantly cold winters. The water in the northern gulf can sometimes drop below 8 °C (46 °F), which can lead to a large die-off of marine organisms. The animals most susceptible to the large decrease in water temperature include macroscopic algae and plankton.[3]
Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
17 °C
63 °F |
16 °C
61 °F |
17 °C
63 °F |
19 °C
66 °F |
21 °C
70 °F |
23 °C
73 °F |
26 °C
79 °F |
28 °C
82 °F |
28 °C
82 °F |
26 °C
79 °F |
23 °C
73 °F |
19 °C
66 °F |
Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
19 °C
66 °F |
19 °C
66 °F |
21 °C
70 °F |
23 °C
73 °F |
25 °C
77 °F |
27 °C
81 °F |
28 °C
82 °F |
30 °C
85 °F |
28 °C
82 °F |
27 °C
81 °F |
24 °C
75 °F |
21 °C
70 °F |
Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
20 °C
68 °F |
19 °C
66 °F |
19 °C
66 °F |
19 °C
66 °F |
20 °C
68 °F |
21 °C
70 °F |
24 °C
75 °F |
26 °C
79 °F |
26 °C
79 °F |
26 °C
79 °F |
24 °C
75 °F |
22 °C
72 °F |
Marine life
The narrow sea is home to a rich ecosystem. In addition to a wide range of
The gulf sustains a large number of marine mammals, many of which are rare and
Efforts by the Mexican government to create
Coastal communities are highly reliant on both commercial and sport fishing, including San Felipe, San Carlos, Cabo San Lucas, La Paz, Loreto, Guaymas, Bahía Kino, Puerto Peñasco, Topolobampo and Mulegé. The well-developed shrimp and sardine fleets of Mazatlán, on the Mexican mainland's Pacific coast, heavily exploit the commercial fisheries of the southern gulf.[citation needed]
Many marine organisms can survive only within a particular salinity range, which makes salinity a notable factor in determining the types of potentially commercial organisms found in the gulf. The mean annual ranges of salinity of the Sea of Cortez are between 3.5 and 3.58% at the surface.[1] Furthermore, the salinity of the water of the northern gulf is generally higher than the central and southern faunal regions due to the increased amount of evaporation that occurs in that region.[3]
Locals have alleged the existence of a giant creature known as the "Black Demon" (Spanish: El Demonio Negro) of the Sea of Cortez. It is usually considered to be a black shark, and less commonly as a whale, measuring about 20 to 60 ft (6.1 to 18.3 m) and weighing 50,000 to 100,000 lb (23 to 45 t),[25][26] similar to the estimated length of the megalodon.[27] It is one of a number of alleged cases of giant sharks in the Pacific Ocean, made throughout the 20th and 21st centuries.[25][28]
See also
- List of western shore communities on the Gulf of California
- List of eastern shore communities on the Gulf of California
- Ferdinand Konščak
References
- ^ a b c d Rebekah K. Nix. "The Gulf of California: A Physical, Geological, and Biological Study" (PDF). University of Texas at Dallas. Retrieved April 10, 2010.
- ^ a b "The Islands and Protected Areas of the Gulf of California (Mexico) inscribed on the List of World Heritage in Danger". UNESCO. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-8165-0356-8.
- S2CID 19481500.
- S2CID 130939548.
- ^ Fujita, Harumi. “Prehistoric Occupation of Espíritu Santo Island, Baja California Sur, Mexico: Update and Synthesis.” Journal of California and Great Basin Anthropology, vol. 30, no. 1, Malki Museum, Inc., 2010, p. 18., JSTOR website Retrieved 18 March 2022.
- ^ Burckhalter, David, et al. “Early Attempts to Colonize Baja California.” Baja California Missions: In the Footsteps of the Padres, University of Arizona Press, 2013, pp. 15–18, JSTOR website Retrieved 18 March 2022.
- ^ Montané Martí, Julio C, Francisco Preciado, and Francisco Noguerol de Ulloa. Francisco De Ulloa: Explorador De Ilusiones. Hermosillo, Sonora, México: Universidad de Sonora, 1995 HathiTrust website Retrieved 18 March 2022.
- ^ Lucenilla, y T. F, Carranco J. Cavallero, Juan B. Ramirez, and Antonio S. Toledo. Report of the Voyage of Captain Francisco De Lucenilla to the Californias in 1668. , 1668. Manuscript. Newberry Library.
- ^ Griffin, George Butler, and Sebastian Vizcaino. “[Report Which Sebastian Vizcaino Makes for the Information of the King of Spain Concerning His Expedition to the Gulf of California—Written Early in 1597].” Publications of the Historical Society of Southern California, vol. 2, no. 1, [University of California Press, Historical Society of Southern California], 1891, pp. 35–52, JSTOR website Retrieved 18 March 2022.
- ^ Kessell, John L. “‘To See Such Marvels with My Own Eyes’: Spanish Exploration in the Western Borderlands.” Montana: The Magazine of Western History, vol. 41, no. 4, Montana Historical Society, 1991, pp. 68–75, JSTOR website Retrieved 18 March 2022.
- ^ Pipes, Nellie Bowden. “Extract from Exploration of the Oregon Territory, the Californias, and the Gulf of California, Undertaken during the Years 1840, 1841 and 1842 by Eugene Duflot de Mofras.” The Quarterly of the Oregon Historical Society, vol. 26, no. 2, Oregon Historical Society, 1925, pp. 151–90, JSTOR website Retrieved 18 March 2022.
- ^ Hastings, Philip A., et al. “Fishes of the Gulf of California.” The Gulf of California: Biodiversity and Conservation, edited by Richard C. Brusca, University of Arizona Press, 2010, pp. 96–118, JSTOR website Retrieved 18 March 2022.
- ^ "Limits of Oceans and Seas, 3rd edition" (PDF). International Hydrographic Organization. 1953. p. 35. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-10-08. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
- ^ "The Gulf of California Invertebrate Database: The Invertebrate Portion of the Macrofauna Golfo Database". Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum: Center for Sonoran Desert Studies.
- ^ Hamilton, W.B., 1961, Origin of the Gulf of California: GSA Bull., 72, 1307–1318.
- ^ "Science Plans RCL". review.nsf-margins.org. Retrieved May 27, 2008.
- doi:10.18268/BSGM2016v68n3a2.)
{{cite journal}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link - ^ "Valle de los Cirios. Tesoro de Baja California". 14 July 2010.
- ^ "Área de Protección de Flora y Fauna Islas del Golfo de California en Baja California". Archived from the original on 2015-03-28. Retrieved 2016-06-27.
- ^ a b [1] Archived December 21, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b "47942204" (PDF). Archived from the original on 2012-07-15. Retrieved 2012-06-12.
- ^ "Marine Biology of Baja California". Math.ucr.edu. Retrieved 2013-12-08.
- ^ "San Jorge Water Temperature (Sea) and Wetsuit Guide (Baja Sur, Mexico)". Surf-forecast.com. Retrieved 2013-12-08.
- ^ a b Cox, Caroline (2018-08-07), Alleged Megalodon Sightings That Will Make You Want to Believe, The Portalist, retrieved 2018-09-19
- ISBN 978-0-8165-2774-8.
- Seeker.com. Retrieved 2018-09-18.
- ^ "Does Megalodon Still Live?". Biology of Sharks and Rays. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
Further reading
- Brusca, Richard C., ed. (2010). The Gulf of California: Biodiversity and Conservation. University of Arizona Press. pp. 354 pages. Studies by researchers, on both sides of the border, on the threats to the diversity of species in the gulf's waters.
- MacDonald, Gregory (2019). Isle of the Amazons In the Vermilion Sea. Kansas City, MO: 39 West Press. ISBN 978-1-946358-14-1. An anthology of writings that describe Baja California, and the Gulf of California, from sources dated from the mid-sixteenth century to present.