WEBVTT Kind: captions Language: en 00:00:07.680 --> 00:00:16.230 The ocean is a beautiful, dynamic, and sometimes dangerous place. Unsurprisingly, this is why 00:00:16.230 --> 00:00:24.369 a lot of USGS researchers spend their entire careers studying it. In celebration of June 00:00:24.369 --> 00:00:31.740 being National Ocean Month, let’s dive into ten ocean field sites you’ve got to “sea” to believe. 00:00:31.740 --> 00:00:37.469 Number 1. Juan de Fuca Canyon, Washington State 00:00:37.469 --> 00:00:42.520 This steep, narrow submarine canyon plunges 00:00:42.520 --> 00:00:48.900 southwest from the continental shelf down to the Pacific seafloor. At its base is the 00:00:48.900 --> 00:00:56.120 Cascadia megathrust fault, an area where the Juan de Fuca Plate slides beneath the North 00:00:56.120 --> 00:01:02.070 American Plate. Known as the Cascadia Subduction Zone, this confluence has caused some of the 00:01:02.070 --> 00:01:08.490 largest earthquakes on Earth, including a magnitude 9 quake that struck January 26, 00:01:08.490 --> 00:01:15.580 1700. Recently, USGS has begun to scan the seafloor and collect samples to improve the 00:01:15.580 --> 00:01:19.470 way we assess subduction zone forces. 000:01:19.470 --> 00:01:25.470 Number 2. Vailulu'u seamount, American Samoa 00:01:25.470 --> 00:01:32.970 The youngest and most active volcano of the American Samoan Islands, Vailulu'u has erupted 00:01:32.970 --> 00:01:41.439 at least three times since the 1970s. In 2005, a new 1,000-foot-tall volcanic cone was discovered 00:01:41.439 --> 00:01:46.500 within the seamount’s crater. However, at nearly 2,000 feet below the ocean’s surface, 00:01:46.500 --> 00:01:53.310 it could take decades before this volcano becomes a full-fledged island. In 2022, an 00:01:53.310 --> 00:01:59.110 uptick in earthquake activity in American Samoa led USGS researchers to set up a new 00:01:59.110 --> 00:02:02.719 volcano monitoring network on the islands. 00:02:02.719 --> 00:02:12.580 Number 3. Cape Hatteras National Seashore, North Carolina The stunning 125-mile stretch of barrier islands 00:02:12.580 --> 00:02:18.840 off North Carolina known as the Outer Banks is home to Cape Hatteras National Seashore. 00:02:18.840 --> 00:02:26.120 The island’s sandy beaches are always in flux, constantly being reshaped by wave erosion, 00:02:26.120 --> 00:02:32.890 storms, and sea-level rise. USGS scientists continue to study how these different factors 00:02:32.890 --> 00:02:37.810 will shape the future of the shoreline as climate change intensifies storms and causes 00:02:37.810 --> 00:02:40.310 the sea to rise higher. 00:02:40.310 --> 00:02:46.310 Number 4. Buck Island Reef National Monument, U.S. Virgin Islands 00:02:46.310 --> 00:02:50.040 Located among the U.S. Virgin Islands in the 00:02:50.040 --> 00:02:56.290 Caribbean Sea, this island has a rich history, including becoming the first marine protected 00:02:56.290 --> 00:03:02.160 area in the United States. Buck Island’s beaches and coral reefs provide habitat for 00:03:02.160 --> 00:03:08.319 several threatened and endangered species, including sea turtles and the St. Croix ground 00:03:08.319 --> 00:03:14.959 lizard. Over the last few decades, the island’s reefs have begun to shrink, prompting USGS 00:03:14.959 --> 00:03:19.769 to research new ways to restore this valuable resource. 00:03:19.769 --> 00:03:26.950 Number 5. Escanaba Trough, California Located along the Mendocino Fault Zone off 00:03:26.950 --> 00:03:31.930 the coast of California, this trough makes this list because it is located within the 00:03:31.930 --> 00:03:37.019 U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone, a part of the Pacific Ocean where the United States has 00:03:37.019 --> 00:03:43.540 exclusive rights to extract natural resources. As the seafloor spreads here, new oceanic 00:03:43.540 --> 00:03:48.090 crust pushes up from the Earth’s mantle to be met with blankets of thick sediment 00:03:48.090 --> 00:03:53.189 and frigid temperatures. Beginning in the 1980s, the USGS has been studying this unique 00:03:53.189 --> 00:04:00.510 hydrothermal system, which may contain deposits of gold, silver, copper, zinc, and lead. 00:04:00.510 --> 00:04:06.680 Number 6. Chesapeake Bay Crater Discovered by the USGS and our international 00:04:06.680 --> 00:04:12.340 partners in the late 1990s, this meteorite impact site is the only site on this list 00:04:12.340 --> 00:04:19.540 from out of this world. About 35 million years ago a meteoroid 2-3 miles wide streaked through 00:04:19.540 --> 00:04:25.130 the Earth's atmosphere and blasted an enormous crater into the continental shelf in modern-day 00:04:25.130 --> 00:04:31.410 Virginia. The ancient impact was eventually buried beneath 1,000 to 1,500 feet of rocky 00:04:31.410 --> 00:04:37.190 debris, sediment, and marine deposits. The rivers of the region converged over the buried 00:04:37.190 --> 00:04:41.940 crater, helping shape what became the Chesapeake Bay. 00:04:41.940 --> 00:04:48.590 Number 7. Nantucket Sound, Massachusetts Located between Cape Cod and the islands of 00:04:48.590 --> 00:04:54.280 Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket, the shallow coastal waters of this sound provide important 00:04:54.280 --> 00:04:59.850 fishing grounds, habitat, and ample recreational and commercial opportunities. In addition, 00:04:59.850 --> 00:05:05.289 this area is essential for bringing electricity ashore for the Nation's first large-scale 00:05:05.289 --> 00:05:11.370 offshore wind farms. By mapping the seafloor, USGS has been able gain valuable insights 00:05:11.370 --> 00:05:18.570 into historical changes in sea level, as well as identify safe and sustainable sand resources. 00:05:18.570 --> 00:05:24.940 Number 8. Norfolk Canyon, Virginia This submarine valley dips off the continental 00:05:24.940 --> 00:05:31.970 shelf near the coast of Virginia. In 2012, the USGS and their partners discovered methane 00:05:31.970 --> 00:05:37.650 bubbling up from the seafloor near this canyon. These methane seeps represent a new source 00:05:37.650 --> 00:05:42.680 of global methane not previously accounted for. Most seeps are too deep for the methane 00:05:42.680 --> 00:05:48.120 to directly reach the atmosphere, so it remains suspended in the water column. The Atlantic 00:05:48.120 --> 00:05:53.180 margin is home to hundreds of these seeps, each one supporting a unique community of sea life. 00:05:53.180 --> 00:05:59.199 Number 9. Dangerous Passage, Alaska 00:05:59.199 --> 00:06:04.229 Located in western Prince William Sound, this fjord was the source of one of the most tragic 00:06:04.229 --> 00:06:12.729 disasters in Alaska history. On March 27, 1964, a magnitude 9.2 earthquake struck, devastating 00:06:12.729 --> 00:06:17.850 the state and sending tsunamis across the Pacific Ocean. During the quake, a submarine 00:06:17.850 --> 00:06:23.349 landslide broke loose in the passage, pushing a massive wave of water toward the village 00:06:23.349 --> 00:06:29.509 of Chenega. The tsunami killed 23 of the 75 inhabitants of the village. The source of 00:06:29.509 --> 00:06:34.220 the fatal tsunami had been a mystery until USGS and its partners discovered its remnants in 2014. 00:06:34.220 --> 00:06:40.509 Number 10. Continental Slope, Northern Gulf of Mexico 00:06:40.509 --> 00:06:44.620 The Continental Slope dips from the coast 00:06:44.620 --> 00:06:51.099 of Louisiana over 100 miles into the Gulf of Mexico. Back in 2008, USGS scientists began 00:06:51.099 --> 00:06:56.400 deploying equipment there to better understand Earth’s climate history. The Gulf’s temperature 00:06:56.400 --> 00:07:01.879 is tightly linked to rainfall patterns in the U.S. and influences the intensity of hurricanes 00:07:01.879 --> 00:07:07.160 along the southeastern coast. This region also receives a huge amount of runoff from 00:07:07.160 --> 00:07:12.120 the Mississippi River, so measuring conditions here can inform scientists about links between 00:07:12.120 --> 00:07:18.260 land and marine climates. And with that, we wrap up our ten ocean field 00:07:18.260 --> 00:07:23.130 sites you’ve got to “sea” to believe. If you’d like to learn more about these 00:07:23.130 --> 00:07:26.630 locations, there’s a link in the description below that will take you to the article that 00:07:26.630 --> 00:07:32.040 inspired this list. Don’t forget to check out some of our other USGS videos to learn 00:07:32.040 --> 00:07:35.780 more about the world around you. Thank you for watching.