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37-561: The Coal Oil Point seep field (COP) in the Santa Barbara Channel offshore from Goleta, California , is a marine petroleum seep area of about three square kilometres, within the Offshore South Ellwood Oil Field and stretching from the coastline southward more than three kilometers (1.9 mi). Major seeps are located in water depths from 20 to 80 meters (66 to 262 ft). The seep field

74-844: A basin-wide unconformity of Oligocene age in the Indian Ocean that was likely related to initiation of ice sheets in Antarctica and uplift of the Reykjanes Ridge due to the Iceland hot spot . Five holes drilled in the rift valley of the Mid Atlantic ridge recovered the youngest rock drilled at the time from the Atlantic sea floor, supporting models of sea floor spreading . In the late 1970s, Luyendyk joined Spiess and Macdonald and an international contingent in forming

111-433: A major oil spill , which came about when oil spurted at high pressure through faults and cracks around a zone which had recently been drilled for the first time. Public outrage over the massive environmental damage inflicted by this spill, which covered hundreds of square miles of the channel and fouled beaches from Ventura to Goleta, was a major spur to the budding environmental movement . The Santa Barbara Channel contains

148-498: A producing oil platform then operated by ARCO , continued oil production might result in a decrease in volume of seep discharge. Scott Hornafius and Bruce Luyendyk , along with graduate student Derek Quigley made sonar surveys of the COP field two decades later using 50 kHz sonar and 3.5 kHz sonar equipment that matched that used by Fischer and colleagues. They calibrated the sonar data with seafloor artificial sources to estimate

185-471: A time of climate transition that preceded continental glaciation of Antarctica. The work provided a basis for a climate model for the development of the early Antarctic Ice Sheet. In 1995, Luyendyk proposed a model for the fragmentation of Gondwana that included the New Zealand microcontinent and several other pieces of continental crust. He collectively named the now submerged continent that includes

222-403: Is about 30 kilometres (16 nmi) from the mainland. During the last ice age, the four northern Channel Islands, including Santa Rosa Island, were conjoined into Santa Rosae , a single island that was only five miles (8 km) off the coast. The islands are visible from the mainland on clear days. Excursion boats cross the channel, taking visitors to watch whales and visit the islands. In

259-487: Is among the largest and best studied areas of active marine seepage in the world. These perennial and continuous oil and gas seeps have been active on the northern edge of the Santa Barbara Channel for at least 500,000 years. The combined seeps in the field release about 40 tons of methane per day and about 19 tons of reactive organic gas ( ethane , propane , butane and higher hydrocarbons ); about twice

296-630: The Ford Ranges in Marie Byrd Land , Antarctica. Antarctica's Mount Luyendyk is named in honor of his research in the area. Bruce Luyendyk and his family moved to San Diego, California in 1956 where he continued his public-school education. Luyendyk attended San Diego State University (SDSU) where he obtained a bachelor's degree in geology and geophysics. He then attended the Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO) at

333-793: The RISE project (Rivera Submersible Experiments) to explore the East Pacific Rise at 21° N latitude with the WHOI submersible ALVIN . Here the team discovered deep-sea hydrothermal vents and associated “ black smokers ” chimneys. This research earned the team the Newcomb Cleveland Prize from the American Association for the Advancement of Science (see 1980, Spiess, Macdonald and 20 coauthors). During

370-460: The Santa Cruz and Santa Rosa islands of the Santa Barbara Channel. These whales are at risk to be struck by ships passing through a shipping lane used to move goods south to Los Angeles and Long Beach ports. About 100 collisions have been documented off of the coast of California since 1982, which includes a rate of about 6 per year today, possibly more due to the difficulty of observing

407-675: The U.S. Board of Geographic Names recognized Luyendyk’s contributions to Antarctic science with a name designation, Mount Luyendyk , to a summit in Marie Byrd Land. In 2018 he was elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science . Luyendyk has held a succession of science administration positions during his academic career, including founding Director of the Institute for Crustal Studies (1988-1997; now Earth Research Institute) and Chair of

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444-753: The University of California, San Diego , where he earned his PhD in 1969. He studied under Fred Spiess and Henry Menard. That research employed the newly designed deep towed instrument package of the Marine Physical Lab. He followed his PhD with a postdoctoral fellowship at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI). His supervisors were Carl Bowin and James Heirtzler. While an undergraduate geology student at San Diego State, Luyendyk participated in marine geologic expedition PROA with SIO. That expedition, to

481-525: The University of California, Santa Barbara . His work spans marine geology of the major ocean basins, the tectonics of southern California, marine hydrocarbon seeps, and the tectonics and paleoclimate of Antarctica. His research includes tectonic rotations of the California Transverse Ranges , participation in the discovery of deep-sea hydrothermal vents, quantitative studies of marine hydrocarbon seeps , and geologic exploration of

518-565: The 1990s and 2000s using more sophisticated sonars including chirp and multibeam sonars. These repeat sonar surveys did not detect further decrease in seepage, while during the same period oil production continued. 34°24′0″N 119°53′0″W  /  34.40000°N 119.88333°W  / 34.40000; -119.88333 Santa Barbara Channel It trends east–west, is approximately 130 kilometres (70 nmi) long and averages about 45 kilometres (24 nmi) across, becoming narrowest at its easternmost extremity where Anacapa Island

555-430: The 1990s, Luyendyk and colleagues began a study of the marine hydrocarbon seep field at Coal Oil Point , California. The object was to quantify oil and natural gas emission from these submarine features. Their work determined that these are likely the largest known marine seeps. They discovered a decrease in seepage over the prior two decades. They attributed this to ongoing oil and gas production from wells that penetrated

592-450: The COP seep field offshore from the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) has situated it as a natural laboratory for study of the phenomena of oil and gas introduced into the ocean from the sea bed, along with the role of geologic methane from seeps worldwide in the global methane budget. Since the 1990s almost a dozen UCSB researchers along with their graduate students have studied the geology, chemistry, oceanography and ecology of

629-432: The COP seeps are characterized by large visible gas bubble plumes they can be detected and mapped by sonar backscatter. The first attempts at this were made by Peter Fischer and colleagues of California State University, Northridge in the early 1970s. They produced reconnaissance level maps of bubble plumes at COP and at other locations in the Santa Barbara Channel . They noted that because the COP seeps were associated with

666-582: The Department of Geological Sciences at UC Santa Barbara (1997-2003; now Earth Science), followed by a term as Associate Dean of Mathematical, Life, and Physical Sciences at UC Santa Barbara (2005-2010). His professional service included service for international Antarctic research. He served on the ANDRILL (Antarctic Drilling) Science Committee for a decade, beginning in 2005, and he led the USA's work in hosting

703-740: The Fosdick Mountains. Findings of this research include the history of development of the Fosdick Mountains migmatite gneiss dome and Ford Ranges. Follow-on research by others discerned the recent retreat of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet in the region, first noted here by the FORCE expeditions. Luyendyk led three marine research expeditions in the adjacent Ross Sea . The expeditions focused upon remote and difficult-to-access sectors of Antarctica, bordering

740-508: The channel: Archaeologists found that the mainland Chumash used asphalt from nearby onshore seeps in beach cliffs to seal their plank canoes and baskets. These seeps must be sourced from a similar subsurface reservoir system, but exposure to oxidation makes the material hard and useful. In February 2019, a rare hoodwinker sunfish ( Mola tecta ) washed ashore on Sands Beach in the Coal Oil Point Reserve. The location of

777-498: The greater region of the Ford Ranges. These surveys revealed buried features that gave clues to the tectonic history of the region. Data from the survey were incorporated into the new bedrock map of Antarctica known as Bedmap2. Achieved through joint work with Douglas S. Wilson, revelations about the topography of the subglacial and nearshore marine environments of the eastern Ross Sea led to an interpretation of paleotopography at

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814-565: The hydrocarbon air pollution released by all the cars and trucks in Santa Barbara County in 1990. The liquid petroleum produces a slick that is many kilometres long and when degraded by evaporation and weathering , produces tar balls which wash up on the beaches for miles around. This seep also releases on the order of 100 to 150 barrels (16 to 24 m) of liquid petroleum per day. The field produces about 9 cubic meters of natural gas per barrel of petroleum. Leakage from

851-428: The incidents. Scientists estimate that over 80 endangered whales are killed from vessel collisions off the U.S. west coast each year. 34°14′31″N 119°53′24″W  /  34.24194°N 119.89000°W  / 34.24194; -119.89000 Bruce P. Luyendyk Bruce Peter Luyendyk (born 1943) is an American geophysicist and oceanographer , currently professor emeritus of marine geophysics at

888-511: The islands from the mainland was much less, making biological colonization as well as human transport across the channel easier. In recent times the Native American Chumash peoples navigated these waters with ease in small watercraft , allowing communication and trade between island and mainland villages. C. Michael Hogan reviews some of the theories of colonization of the rare species Torrey Pine , Pinus torreyana to

925-404: The islands, suggesting that it is likely that Chumash peoples carried the initial cones in their Tomols. The pygmy mammoth , an extinct, endemic species, were capable swimmers able to cross the channel and adapt to the island environment by insular dwarfism . As of at least 2011, a few endangered species of whale (including blue , fin , and humpback ) have begun to feed in a new area north of

962-429: The marine seep system at COP. Many of these studies were in partnership with oil companies including Mobil and Venoco , which produced oil from reservoirs below the seeps, and the U.S. Geological Survey and California State Lands Commission . The marine hydrocarbon seep system comprises a seabed source (vent) of oil and gas bubbles coated with oil, that transit the shallow water column while partially dissolving into

999-655: The nation of New Zealand, Zealandia . Since that time, New Zealand geologists have made the case that their nation sits atop the world’s eighth continent. Luyendyk shared the Newcomb Cleveland Prize of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 1980. Luyendyk was elected Fellow of the Geological Society of America in 1975. In 2002 he was elected a Fellow of the American Geophysical Union . In 2016,

1036-615: The natural seeps near Platform Holly, the production platform for the South Ellwood Offshore oilfield, has decreased substantially, probably from the decrease in reservoir pressure due to the oil and gas produced at the platform. Written records, dating from as early as 1792, describe effects of offshore seeps in the Santa Barbara Channel. Oil and tar "slicks" have long been a trademark of the area. In 1792, Captain Cook 's navigator George Vancouver recorded on passing through

1073-405: The ocean. At the surface, various gases are discharged to the atmosphere and the oil volatilizes as it is transported by currents, leaving a tarry residue at the sea surface. At the sea surface the seeps are marked by oil slicks, and in places, bubble froth. Since the 1970s and later, oil slicks from COP and others in the Santa Barbara Channel have been successfully mapped by remote sensing. Because

1110-522: The perpendicular (east-west) direction, huge cargo ships and tankers occupy a major shipping lane on their way to or from the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach . The Channel is the location of numerous oil fields, some of which have substantial reserves. These include the Ellwood , Summerland , Carpinteria offshore and Dos Cuadras fields. In 1969, the Dos Cuadras was the point of origin of

1147-709: The rift valley with the Marine Physical Lab deep tow. Luyendyk moved to UCSB in 1973, where he began research in southern California tectonics using paleomagnetism . His projects include documenting the ninety degree or greater clockwise rotation of the Transverse Ranges during the Neogene Period of the Cenozoic Era . Luyendyk led two expeditions of the Deep Sea Drilling Project . Principal discoveries included that of

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1184-720: The source reservoirs of the seep field. In the late 1980s, Luyendyk and David Kimbrough of SDSU launched two expeditions to the Ford Ranges of Marie Byrd Land in West Antarctica. One rationale was to search out matching geologic features related to ones known in New Zealand, which once was joined in Gondwana to this part of Antarctica. Stephen M. Richard was a member of these two expeditions, known as FORCE (Ford Ranges Crustal Exploration). Antarctic geologist Christine Smith Siddoway accompanied them to conduct her graduate dissertation work on metamorphism and deformation within

1221-652: The southern Pacific Ocean. The marine surveys of the Coulman High, carried out jointly with L. Bartek and D. S. Wilson, represented the opportunity for access to a sector of the Ross Sea that had been long-concealed beneath the Ross Ice Shelf. The expeditions followed closely upon the calving and breakout of the C-19 iceberg in 2002. Based on these surveys the ANDRILL program recommended a deep drill site within

1258-637: The surveyed area of Coulman High. In the later part of the 1990s, Luyendyk teamed with Andrea Donnellan of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory to use GPS to measure the rate of opening across the Ross Embayment between West and East Antarctica. They found no stretching within the margins for error but did detect vertical motion due to post glacial isostatic rebound . In the early 2000s, Luyendyk, along with D.S. Wilson and C. Siddoway, made aerogeophysical and linked ground surveys in

1295-521: The volume of gas discharge cited above. Using an estimate of the gas/oil ratio along with capture of oil with a floating boom, they also estimated the volume of oil discharge (above). Comparing the surveys made in the mid 1990s with the early 1970s data of Fischer and colleagues they determined that seepage near the producing platform Holly had decreased by half. This observation was supported by gas capture data recorded by two sea floor tent structures that covered one large seepage area. Surveys continued over

1332-520: The western and south Pacific, and led by Robert Fisher and William Riedel, inspired Luyendyk to follow an education and career in oceanography. After his postdoctorate at WHOI, Luyendyk was appointed there as Assistant Scientist. He participated in the FAMOUS expeditions (FAMOUS: French-American Mid-Ocean Undersea Study) to the Mid-Atlantic Ridge where, along with Ken Macdonald , he mapped

1369-536: The world's largest natural oil seepage – Coal Oil Point . Goleta Point is a nearby extension into the channel. Point Arguello , a headland near the city of Lompoc , was the site of the Honda Point disaster in 1923, in which seven US Navy destroyers ran aground, in the largest peacetime loss of US Navy ships. Prior to the Holocene era sea levels were considerably lower, such that the water width separating

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