Our marine sanctuaries provide a vast array of visual splendors that enthrall young and old alike. But, many of the most striking scenes lie well below the water's surface, experienced only by advanced divers. This photo gallery is intended to share some of these visual delights with a broader community. To prepare this photo gallery, staff members at each sanctuary were asked to present the sanctuary's visual story. A draft script was prepared. Local photographic collections were searched to select the best examples. New photos were shot when necessary. Professional wildlife photographers donated many of the photographs. We thank them for these contributions. Currently, we offer collections for the following sanctuaries: Gulf of the Farallones, Cordell Bank, Channel Islands, Monterey Bay, Olympic Coast, Stellwagen Bank, Gray's Reef, Florida Keys, Flower Garden Banks, Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale, Fagatele Bay and Monitor. The National Marine Sanctuary's Photo Gallery contains hundreds of selected photo images arranged into one of five categories for each of the twelve sanctuaries. The five categories are; (1) The Living Sanctuary; (2) Habitats; (3) People and the Sanctuary; (4) The Sustainable Seas Expeditions (selected sanctuaries only) ; and (5) The Kids Gallery (selected sanctuaries only) . The images selected best represent the sanctuary and its purpose for desgination. Each image is accompanied by a short description. We recommend browsing the images within their sanctuary categories in order to get a better idea of the sanctuary as a whole. Navigating the Photo Gallery To navigate the Photo Gallery, simply choose a sanctuary to investigate, then choose a category, and scroll through the image offerings. Clicking on any of the images in the gallery will link to a page containing a larger version of the image, and the annotations which may include additional text that did not fit in the gallery table. Use the search feature on the home page to locate images throughout the photo gallery for specific species or topics. Downloading Images Individuals and educational users (i.e. students, teachers, individual researchers) may download and use the images in the gallery, as long as any source information found on an image is not removed. Commercial or organizational publication of imagery used on this site is not advised without first consulting with the individual photographers. To contact a photographer or discuss use of imagery found on this site, please contact Michael Murphy at the National Ocean Service (301) 713-3145 x169 or by email at Michael.T.Murphy@noaa.gov . Images may be downloaded by clicking on the image and choosing the save image option through your web browser. Different browsers have different image saving procedures. Please consult your browser's help file if you are unsure of what these procedures are. Please browse the Photo Gallery and enjoy the incredible beauty and mysteries of our national marine sanctuaries. (top) The Categories The Living Sanctuary includes images of the most notable or common plants and animals found in the sanctuary. Sanctuaries harbor a fascinating array of plants and animals, from the great whales to tiny krill. Many of these organisms provide essential services to the sanctuary ecosystem, which are necessary for the sanctuary's overall health. Many of the annotations describe the relationship between the organisms depicted on the image and the sanctuary's biological and physical processes. Habitats includes images of some of the major habitat types found within the sanctuary. Most of the sanctuaries are made up of a number of different major habitats. Examples include: rocky inter-tidal, kelp forest, coral reef, deep water shelf, and shallow sea grass to name a few. Some habitats change not only due to the physical composition of the bottom, but also along the different depth and temperature layers found in portions of the sanctuary. The annotations describe the habitat depicted on the image and its important function within the sanctuary. People and the Sanctuary includes images, which represent how humans use, and have used the sanctuary area. Examples are fishing, recreation, shipping, research, and ceremonial uses. Images found in this section may depict uses by humans during the pre-Columbian era up to our present uses. The annotations describe the human use(s) depicted on the image, and how those uses affect or have affected sanctuary. The Sustainable Seas Expeditions includes images taken during the 1999 Sustainable Seas Expeditions sponsored by National Geographic Society, NOAA, and the Richard and Rhoda Goldman Fund. Images for this category are not available for all the sanctuaries. To learn more about the project, visit NOAA's Sustainable Seas Expeditions Web site. The Kids Gallery includes drawings, paintings, collages, poems and other creations by children in kindergarten through 8th grade. Sanctuary education coordinators have selected the kids' creations. These images represent a view of the sanctuary from a child's perspective. Images for this category are not available for all the sanctuaries. NOAA provides all the materials on this site in public domain. You may download and use any images or kids' poems in the gallery, as long as any source information is not removed. (top) For information about the Photo Gallery, please contact: Michael Murphy 1305 East West Highway Silver Spring, Md. 20910 (301) 713-3145 x169 Michael.T.Murphy@noaa.gov