Submarine Canyon Processes
Monterey Canyon and other submarine canyons are major conduits for the transport of sediment and organic carbon into the deep-sea. While many submarine canyons are inactive, the head of Monterey Canyon is currently connected to the Salinas River. About ~400,000 m3 of sand and many times that volume of organic-rich suspended material are believed to be removed from the littoral zone and transported into the canyon each year. The canyon head would quickly fill if material did not regularly move through the canyon. Transport events may be associated with hyperpycnal (density-driven) flows, storms, or earthquakes.
Perspective view of upper Monterey Canyon between 80 and 750 m water depths, based on mltibeam bathymetry data. The cartoon indicates some of the processes by which sediment enters and moves through the axial channel of the canyon.
Unfortunately, such ephemeral transport events cannot be forecasted and little is known about the actual transport processes. Cabled observatories within the canyon can monitor conditions and identify the occurrence of events in real time. Easy access from Moss Landing enables other sampling efforts to be made when the processes are still active or their trails fresh.