Oceanographic data collected during the Sanctuary Quest: Investigating Marine Sanctuaries 2002 on NOAA Ship McArthur in North Pacific Ocean, California coast from April 24, 2002 - June 20, 2002 (NODC Accession 0072307)

The U.S. coast from southern California to Washington state features vast areas of submerged mountain ranges, canyons, plateaus, volcanoes, basins, rocky outcrops, and pinnacles, many of which have never been surveyed or explored adequately. These unique conditions contribute to one of the greatest diversities of marine life in the world, including whales, sea otters, seabirds and hundreds of fish species.

Aboard the McArthur, the Sanctuary Quest Expedition team conducted research, exploration, and monitoring within and adjacent to the national marine sanctuaries in this region. Over the long term, the expedition should help to provide a framework for understanding more about the efficacy and role of the sanctuary system in protecting and conserving marine resources, and to provide the impetus for continued regional research.

从美国南加州至华盛顿州的海岸沿线分布着大片水下山脉、海底峡谷、海底高原、海底火山、海盆、海底岩石露头与海底尖峰，其中绝大多数区域迄今尚未得到充分勘测与勘探。这类独特的海底环境造就了全球最为丰富的海洋生物多样性之一，涵盖鲸类、海獭、海鸟以及数百种鱼类物种。搭乘"麦克阿瑟号"科考船的保护区探索科考队，在该区域的国家海洋保护区及其毗邻海域开展了研究、勘探与监测工作。从长期来看，本次科考将有助于构建研究框架，以深入厘清该海洋保护区体系在保护与养护海洋资源过程中的效能与作用，并为后续持续开展的区域海洋研究提供动力。