Sea of ​​Cortez

Today we travel to America to the Gulf of California, also known by the name of Sea of ​​Cortez. It is a fairly narrow body of water that is located in Mexico between the Baja California peninsula and the Mexican states of Sonora and Sinaloa. This sea has become quite famous since it has a natural wealth and several islands with protected areas named World Heritage Sites by UNESCO in 2005.

Therefore, we are going to dedicate this article to tell you all the characteristics, formation, biodiversity and threats of the Sea of ​​Cortez.

Key features

situation of the sea of ​​cuts

It is a marginal sea found in the Pacific Ocean. More specifically in the northwest of the Mexican coast. It has an extension of approximately about 160,000-177,000 km2 and a water volume of about 145,000 km3. It is well known for having beautiful waters. And it seems like a specifically natural environment with slightly warm waters, suitable for bathing and with a beautiful deep blue tone. This makes it one of the most demanded paradisiacal beaches in this entire area. It is as if it were a completely natural paradise.

In the widest area of ​​the Sea of ​​Cortez a width of about 241 kilometers, while in the narrowest area it is only about 48 kilometers. The northern part is the shallowest, although some depressions have been discovered that can reach 3.000 meters in depth. The average depth of the sea is small, being only 818 meters. However, it is not a variable that prevents the development of biodiversity to a large extent.

Temperature and salinity

Since it has quite warm waters, in summer it can reach temperatures of 24 degrees. These waters are perfect for bathers and all tourists who visit these areas in summer. Conversely, in winter the sea temperature drops to around 9 degrees. The reason for this large temperature range between summer and winter is its shallow depth. Because it is a sea that does not have too much water or depth, it is more affected by changes in temperatures in the atmosphere. Since it does not have as much water, the acclimatization time decreases and these large ranges of temperatures can be observed between one season and another.

In the waters closest to the open sea, it can exceed temperatures of 24 degrees. Salinity also varies greatly along the entire coast. Since there is a low salinity water flow effect in the part of the west coast where there is high salinity. Unlike what happens with other tropical seas, the waters are slightly less salty and very wide tidal ranges have been observed. The tides have repercussions depending on the area in which we are and the cycle of the moon. In the northern part of the Sea of ​​Cortez the water level has been increased up to 9 meters due to the tides.

The Colorado River forms a fairly wide delta in the last section and empties into the Sea of ​​Cortez. It could be said that this sea has the Colorado River as its main tributary. One of the characteristics that made this sea so famous is that there are 922 islands inside it, although many of them are uninhabited. However, they have a large amount of flora and fauna that makes it an area quite rich in biodiversity.

Formation of the Sea of ​​Cortez

islands of the sea of ​​cuts

There are numerous hypotheses are the origin of the Sea of ​​Cortez. Since it cannot be known with total certainty, it is known that it is a relatively young sea. Its current form was acquired during the time of Miocene late. That is, does approximately 4-6 million years. Some of the theories that affirm the origin of this sea indicate a modification of the account in numerous times. After so many modifications, it could be formed through some tectonic processes.

The geological processes that gave rise to the formation of this sea took place approximately 60 million years ago. It is then that the North American and Pacific tectonic plates were located on a plate that today was missing. This plate receives the name of Farallón. At the beginning of the Mesozoic era, this plate known by the name of Farallon began a process of subduction. And is that it began to sink under the western edge of the North American plate and contributed to the formation of mountains and volcanoes. This is where the vast majority of islands that belong to the Sea of ​​Cortez were born.

Biodiversity of the Sea of ​​Cortez

As we have mentioned before, it is a sea with a great richness in biodiversity. Despite being relatively small in size and having only one water inlet, it is one of the most studied seas in the world. And it is named as the »aquarium of the world» due to the great wealth of flora and fauna. It is estimated that It houses about 900 species of fish, 90 of them endemic, more than 170 species of seabirds and almost a third of all species of marine mammals in the world. In addition to this, we can say that there are also about 5 species of turtles that nest or search for food on its shores.

This makes it a sea considered one of the greatest in richness of biodiversity. You can find sea vaquitas, leatherback turtles, green turtles, giant squid, sardines, whale sharks, Pacific horses, totoabas, ranisapos, olive sea turtles, Californian gulls and loggerhead turtles, among other animals.

As for the flora, it is also quite rich. It has unique flora under the surface of the water. There are numerous coral reefs, plankton and macroscopic algae. It is estimated that they are home to about 62 species of microscopic algae and up to 626 types of macroscopic algae. One of the most beautiful landscapes can be seen from the coast. And it is that it alternates scenarios in a rare contrast between vegetation more properly of the deserts and mangrove vegetation composed of sand and salt, mainly. They are approximately some 696 species of vascular plants that it has in its natural ecosystem there.

I hope that with this information you can learn more about the Sea of ​​Cortez.


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