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Searching for Ancient Submerged Shorelines

Twenty-thousand years ago, a significant amount of ocean water was bound up in glaciers and sea level was considerably lower than it is now. Stretched off the Southern California coast between Santa Barbara and Los Angeles, the Channel Islands once formed one massive island, separating into several islands as ice sheets melted and sea level rose. The Nautilus team is launching a multi-faceted exploration to locate, map, and document these ancient submerged shorelines using multibeam sonar, ROVs Hercules and Argus, scuba divers, and an Autonomous Surface Vehicle. Learn more about this exploration in this Expedition in 60 Seconds video

Research partners for this expedition include Channel Islands National Marine SanctuaryNOAA Office of Exploration and Research and University of New Hampshire-Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping.

Photo album contributed by Science Communication Fellows Amy Fleischer and Onye Ogene