| Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary | |
|---|---|
IUCN category IV (habitat/species management area) | |
 Sponges in Gray's Reef NMS | |
   | |
 Interactive map of Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary | |
| Location | Georgia,USA |
| Nearest city | Savannah, GA |
| Coordinates | 31°25′N80°55′W / 31.417°N 80.917°W /31.417; -80.917 |
| Area | 57 km2 (22 sq mi) |
| Established | January 16, 1981; 45 years ago (1981-01-16)[1] |
| Governing body | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration |
Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary is one of the largest near-shore live-bottomreefs in thesoutheastern United States. The sanctuary, designated in January 1981, is located 19 miles (17 nmi; 31 km) offSapelo Island,Georgia, and is part of the U.S.National Marine Sanctuary System.
Within the 22-square-mile (17 sq nmi; 57 km2) sanctuary, there are both rocky ledges and sandy flat places. The reef's rockysandstone outcrops, submerged beneath 60 to 70 feet (18 to 21 m) of water, can be as tall as 2 to 3 metres (6 ft 7 in to 9 ft 10 in) and are highly complex.[2] These nooks and crannies provide plenty of places formarine invertebrates to latch on to and forfish to hide in. Together these animals form a dense tapestry of living creatures that in places completely hides the rock. That gives the habitat of Gray's Reef its common name — a "live bottom".
Researchers from theNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and theUniversity of Georgia have used the site to studyinvertebrate andvertebratepaleontology as well as the effects oferosion.[2]
Although Gray's Reef is more than 19 miles (17 nmi; 31 km) beyond today's shoreline, and 60 to 70 feet (18 to 21 m) below the surface of theAtlantic Ocean, it was once dry land and part of the mainland ofNorth America as recently as 8,000 years ago.[3] Human occupation of the area dates back at least 13,250 years, and coincides with one of the most dramatic periods ofclimate change in recent earth history, toward theend of the Ice Ages in theLate Pleistocene epoch. Sea levels were more than 200 feet (61 m) lower than present levels, and the Atlantic Ocean andGulf of Mexico shorelines were 100 miles (87 nmi; 161 km) to seaward of their present locations.[4] A 2003 research project undertaken by University of Georgia researchers Ervan G. Garrison, Sherri L. Littman, and Megan Mitchell, reported on Gray's Reeffossils and artifacts, including artifacts from a period of occupation byClovis culture andPaleoindian hunters dating back more than 10,000 years.[citation needed]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
