Nazare Canyon
Encyclopedia
The Nazaré Canyon is an undersea canyon just off the coast of Nazaré, Portugal
, in the Eastern Atlantic Ocean
. It has a maximum depth of at least 5000 metres (16,404.2 ft) and is about 230 kilometres (142.9 mi) long. It is larger than the Grand Canyon
.
The canyon is being studied as part of the EU HERMES project using a remotely operated vehicle
. The project is investigating the specialised canyon ecosystem
s, sediment transport
and deposition
, and the way in which the canyon influences and is affected by local ocean circulation.
Hawaiian surfer Garrett McNamara surfed a potentially record breaking giant wave estimated to be 90 feet or 27m high at the 2011 ZON North Canyon Show at Nazaré.
Nazaré, Portugal
Nazaré is a town in Nazaré Municipality in Portugal with a total area of 82,4 km² and a total population of 14,904 inhabitants. It is in subregion Oeste and Leiria district....
, in the Eastern Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
. It has a maximum depth of at least 5000 metres (16,404.2 ft) and is about 230 kilometres (142.9 mi) long. It is larger than the Grand Canyon
Grand Canyon
The Grand Canyon is a steep-sided canyon carved by the Colorado River in the United States in the state of Arizona. It is largely contained within the Grand Canyon National Park, the 15th national park in the United States...
.
The canyon is being studied as part of the EU HERMES project using a remotely operated vehicle
Remotely operated vehicle
A remotely operated vehicle is a tethered underwater vehicle. They are common in deepwater industries such as offshore hydrocarbon extraction. An ROV may sometimes be called a remotely operated underwater vehicle to distinguish it from remote control vehicles operating on land or in the air. ROVs...
. The project is investigating the specialised canyon ecosystem
Ecosystem
An ecosystem is a biological environment consisting of all the organisms living in a particular area, as well as all the nonliving , physical components of the environment with which the organisms interact, such as air, soil, water and sunlight....
s, sediment transport
Sediment transport
Sediment transport is the movement of solid particles , typically due to a combination of the force of gravity acting on the sediment, and/or the movement of the fluid in which the sediment is entrained...
and deposition
Deposition (geology)
Deposition is the geological process by which material is added to a landform or land mass. Fluids such as wind and water, as well as sediment flowing via gravity, transport previously eroded sediment, which, at the loss of enough kinetic energy in the fluid, is deposited, building up layers of...
, and the way in which the canyon influences and is affected by local ocean circulation.
Hawaiian surfer Garrett McNamara surfed a potentially record breaking giant wave estimated to be 90 feet or 27m high at the 2011 ZON North Canyon Show at Nazaré.