Santa Barbara Channel

The Santa Barbara Channel area extends from the steep Santa Ynez Mountains on the north to the Channel Islands and adjacent continental shelf on the south, and from Point Conception east to the Hueneme submarine canyon. This dynamic landscape is characterized by diverse ecosystems and urban to rural populations, and faces increasing environmental stress due to development, climate change, and significant natural hazards.

USGS has a long history of work in this area, providing information on a range of coastal zone management issues to local, state, and federal stakeholders. 

The U.S. Department of Interior (DOI) has specific land and natural resource management responsibilities in the Santa Barbara Channel associated with the Channel Islands National Park (National Park Service, or NPS), ongoing petroleum production and infrastructure in federal waters (Minerals Management Service, or MMS), and endangered species recovery (Fish and Wildlife Service, or FWS). The Santa Barbara Channel is also host to the NOAA-managed Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary and important marine protected areas.

New USGS mapping

The USGS is conducting a significant seafloor, habitat, and geology mapping campaign in the Santa Barbara Channel area in collaboration with the California Coastal Conservancy, California State Waters Mapping Program, California Geological Survey, MMS, NOAA National Marine Sanctuaries, and numerous local stakeholders. Mapping supports an important action item in the West Coast Governors Agreement on Ocean Health and will result in map folios and GIS layers that address numerous coastal zone management issues including: safe navigation and commerce; fisheries management; designation of marine protected areas; sediment management and coastal erosion; sediment and contaminant transport; earthquake and tsunami hazards; impacts of dam removal; documentation of natural oil and gas seeps; and evaluation of sites for offshore infrastructure.

Links to Santa Barbara Channel Research

"U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Western Region; Santa Barbara Channel Coastal and Ocean Science" — USGS Fact Sheet 2009-3077

United States Geological Survey (USGS)

• Pacific Coastal & Marine Science Center (PCMSC):
  • Coastal and Marine Earthquake, Tsunami, and Landslide Active Margin Field Studies
  • Santa Barbara/Ventura Coastal Processes Study
  • Human Impacts and Geological Processes in Southern California Urban Ocean
  • Probabilistic Forecasting of Earthquakes and Earthquake Effects
  • Sources, Transportation, and Fate of Natural Oil and Gas Seepages Project
    • Natural Oil and Gas Seeps in California
    • Bubbleology: The Science of Bubbles (Univ. of Cal., Santa Barbara)
  • Final Report to the Beach Erosion Authority for Clean Oceans and Nourishment (BEACON): Open-File Report 2009-1029
  • High-Resolution Chirp and Mini-Sparker Seismic-Reflection Data From the Southern California Continental Shelf—Gaviota to Mugu Canyon: Open-File Report 2008-1246
  • Seafloor Mapping and Benthic Habitat GIS for Southern California, Volume III: Open-File Report 2007-1271
  • Digital single-channel seismic-reflection data from western Santa Monica Basin: Open-File Report 2006-1180
  • High-resolution boomer seismic-reflection profiles of the shelf off southern California from cruise A-1-00-SC: Santa Monica Bay to San Diego: Open-File Report 2006-1373
  • Tsunami Hazards in the Santa Barbara Channel
  • Earth Science in the Urban Ocean: The Southern California Continental Borderland—Book published by Geological Society of America
• California Water Science Center
  • Sources of Microbial Contamination at Public Beaches, Santa Barbara
  • Video presentation: Sources of Fecal Indicator Bacteria in Urban Streams and Ocean Beaches, Santa Barbara, California
  • Studying Submarine Ground-Water Discharge at Santa Barbara, California, and Hood Canal, Washington (Sound Waves newsletter article, August 2008)
  • Webcams set up at stream gages right at the base of 3 watersheds draining to the SB channel:
    • San Pedro Creek near Goleta
    • Ventura River near Ventura
    • Malibu Creek at Malibu

• Western Ecological Research Center (WERC):
  • Channel Islands Field Station
  • Sea Otter Studies
  • California Sea Otter Surveys
  • Spring 2009 Mainland California Sea Otter Survey Results
  • Channel Islands National Park Landbird Monitoring Program Review
• Western Earth Surface Processes (WESP):
  • Geology of the Coastal Ranges in Southern California
  • Preliminary Geologic Map of the Santa Barbara Coastal Plain Area, Santa Barbara County, California: Open-File Report 2002-136
• Natural Hazards
  • USGS Responds to Southern California Fires
  • Landslide Hazards Program
• Landslide Hazards at La Conchita, California: Open-File Report 2005-1067
• Southern California Landslides—An Overview: Fact Sheet 2005–3107

National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

• Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary Research
• Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary
• National Marine Sanctuaries

Minerals Management Service (MMS)

• Environmental Studies Program
• Pacific Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Region
• Submarine Oil Seep Study

California Geological Survey (CGS), State of California Department of Conservation

• Santa Barbara County Publications

National Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS)

• Endangered Species Recovery
• Endangered Species Program
• Environmental Contaminants Program - Channel Islands

California Department of Fish and Game (DFG)

• Office of Spill Prevention and Response (OSPR)

California State University, Monterey Bay (CSUMB)

• Seafloor mapping lab web site

Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI)

• MBARI Santa Barbara Basin Multibeam Survey

County of Santa Barbara Planning and Development: Energy Division

• Oil and Gas information