Santa Barbara Channel facts for kids
The Santa Barbara Channel is a part of the Southern California Bight. It separates the mainland of California from the northern Channel Islands. This channel is mostly south of the city of Santa Barbara. It is also west of the Oxnard Plain in Ventura County.
The channel runs from east to west. It is about 130 kilometers (80 miles) long. It is also about 45 kilometers (28 miles) wide on average. The narrowest part is at its eastern end. Here, Anacapa Island is only about 30 kilometers (19 miles) from the mainland.
During the last ice age, the four northern Channel Islands were connected. They formed one large island called Santa Rosae. This island was only about 8 kilometers (5 miles) off the coast. On clear days, you can see the islands from the mainland. Boats take visitors across the channel. People go to watch whales and explore the islands. Large cargo ships and tankers also use a major shipping lane here. They travel to or from the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.
The Santa Barbara Channel has many oil fields. Some of these fields hold a lot of oil. Examples include the Ellwood, Summerland, Carpinteria offshore, and Dos Cuadras fields. In 1969, a big oil spill happened at the Dos Cuadras field. Oil came out at high pressure from cracks in the ocean floor. This happened after drilling in a new area. People were very upset about the huge damage to the environment. The spill covered hundreds of square miles of the channel. It also made beaches dirty from Ventura to Goleta. This event helped start the environmental movement. The Santa Barbara Channel also has the world's largest natural oil seep. This is called the Coal Oil Point. Goleta Point is a nearby piece of land reaching into the channel.
Point Arguello is a headland near the city of Lompoc. In 1923, the Honda Point disaster happened here. Seven US Navy destroyers crashed into the shore. This was the biggest loss of US Navy ships during peacetime.
How the Channel Was Formed
Before the Holocene era, sea levels were much lower. This meant the water between the islands and the mainland was narrower. It was easier for plants, animals, and people to cross the channel.
In more recent times, the Native American Chumash people easily traveled these waters. They used small boats. This allowed them to trade and talk between island and mainland villages. Some scientists think the Torrey Pine tree came to the islands this way. They believe Chumash people carried the tree cones in their boats. The pygmy mammoth was an extinct animal. It could swim across the channel. It adapted to island life by becoming smaller, a process called insular dwarfism.
Protecting Whales in the Channel
Since at least 2011, some endangered whales have started feeding in a new area. These include blue, fin, and humpback whales. This area is north of Santa Cruz and Santa Rosa islands. These whales are at risk of being hit by ships. The ships use a shipping lane to move goods to the Los Angeles and Long Beach ports.
About 100 collisions between ships and whales have been recorded off California since 1982. Today, about 6 collisions happen each year. The actual number might be higher because it is hard to see all incidents.
See also
In Spanish: Canal de Santa Bárbara para niños
