Jan 25 2025 2 mins 5
The ocean floor near Los Angeles is the largest graveyard for whales yet seen. Surveys have found evidence of more than 60 whale skeletons there. Scientists have used sonar and video cameras to map a couple of ocean basins that are centered about 15 miles offshore.
Researchers have been studying the region for years, in part because it was a dumping ground for DDT and related chemicals. Scientists are seeing how that affects life in the ocean, and how it might impact human health.
The most detailed mapping came in 2021 and 2023. It revealed many barrels of toxic chemicals, along with unexploded depth charges and other weapons from World War II.
It also revealed seven confirmed whale skeletons, of six different species, with hints of many others—more than the total seen in the rest of the world combined.
The remains of whales can feed fish and other critters for months. And, worms and microbes eventually consume even the bones. Researchers say there could be many reasons for the apparent bounty of whale skeletons. For one thing, few areas of the ocean floor have been scanned in as much detail as this one. For another, the region is packed with both whales and ships, so whales are more likely to be killed in collisions. And the deep water in the region contains little oxygen, which keeps the skeletons from decomposing.
Future expeditions will continue to map the region—perhaps finding even more remains in this graveyard for whales.
