Alaska ShoreZone

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Alaska ShoreZone
Coastal Habitat Mapping and Web Products
Mandy LindebergAuke Bay Laboratories
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What is ShoreZone? Standardized Coastal
Mapping System
ShoreZone characterizes physical and biological
attributes both along-shore and across-shore
sediment texture
geomorphology
wave exposure
man-made features
supratidal biota
intertidal/subtidal biota
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What is ShoreZone? Coastal Imagery
Mapping is based on video and still imagery -
Low-altitude - Oblique- Spatially-referenced
- Collected during low tides
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What is ShoreZone? Digital Shoreline
Navigation trackline and imagery are used to
segment digital shoreline into along-shore units
GPS flight trackline recorded at1-second
intervals
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Perry Island
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What is ShoreZone? Biophysical Mapping
Physical and biological features of across-shore
zones are mapped with respect to relative tidal
position
Physical (geomorphic) attributes
Biotic communities (biobands)
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What is ShoreZone? Unique Biological Mapping
- Biobands
Species assemblages having a characteristic color
and across-shore elevation

• Bedrock Wall- Simple habitat
• Glacial fjords

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What is ShoreZone? Unique Biological Mapping
- Biobands
Species assemblages having a characteristic color
and across-shore elevation

• Bedrock Wall- Complex habitat
• Biologically rich

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What is ShoreZone? Unique Biological Mapping
- Biobands

• Bedrock Wall- Complex habitat
• Biologically rich

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ShoreZone Protocols online
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ShoreZone Protocols Shore Types
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ShoreZone Protocols Habitat Class
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ShoreZone Protocols Biobands
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ShoreZone Shore Stations and Verification
Verification Surveys
Shore Station Surveys
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ShoreZone A Rigorous Geospatial Database
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ShoreZone Attribute Maps Wave Exposure
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ShoreZone Attribute Maps Substrate Type
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ShoreZone Attribute Maps Estuary
502 km
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ShoreZone Attribute Maps Eelgrass
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ShoreZone Attribute Maps Oil Residency Index
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ShoreZone Attribute Maps Shore Modifications
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Alaska ShoreZone Progress (2008)
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ShoreZone Priorities Arctic and Aleutians
Global warming
Oil and gas
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Alaska ShoreZone Partners (2001-08)
NOAA Fisheries Alaska Dept. of Natural
Resources The Nature Conservancy Regional
Citizens Advisory Council Exxon Valdez Oil Spill
Trustee Council U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service Alaska Dept. of Fish Game University of
Alaska Fairbanks US Forest Service National Park
Service
Contractors Coastal Ocean Resources,
Inc. Archipelago Marine Research Ltd.
Endorsed by Coastal America, Alaska Region
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Alaska ShoreZone Web Products
www.alaskafisheries.noaa.gov/maps/szintro

• A collaboration between SZ partners and NOAA
  Fisheries AK Regional Office(Steve Lewis - data
  manager)
• Website is constantly being updated
• New features are being added
• Terabytes of information 3 million images

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Interactive Geospatial Database Online
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New Upgrade for ShoreZone
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www.alaskafisheries.noaa.gov/habitat/fishatlas
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Nearshore Fish Altas Online
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Applications Resource Management
Southeastern Alaska eelgrass monitoring program
Auke Bay Laboratories Pat Harris
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Monitoring Crab Bays Eelgrass Bed
2005
2003

• - Declining eelgrass density
• Declining eelgrass biomass
• Declinging forage fish

2008
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Applications Resource Management
Auke Nu Cove
August 2004
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Applications Resource Management
Bay Creek
Bay Creek
Auke Bay Harbor Bay Creek
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Resource Management
Should Lynn Canal Herring be placed on the
Endangered Species List?
Kelps
Seagrasses
Historical Herring Spawn
Berners Bay
ShoreZone
ADFG
ShoreZone
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Applications Invasive Species
Habitat Capability Modeling

• Invasive species high risk areas for Green
  crab migration into SEAK waters. Baseline for
  establishing a monitoring program.

• Sargassum distribution increasing with climate
  change.

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Applications First Responders
Grounding of the ferry Lituya Metlakatla Jan.
30, 2009
ShoreZone web photo
It worked as advertised and gave us an exact
picture of the shoreline around Scrub Island and
due to weather and darkness, ShoreZone provided
valuable information prior to any response assets
could arrive on scene. It was extremely helpful
and we'll use it again next time. LT Chris
Williammee, USGC Incident Management Sector
Juneau
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Applications Coastal Archaeology
Fish Traps
Wood stave fish trapSalmon Bay, SEAK
Stone wall fish trap Prince of Wales , SEAK
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Applications Coastal Archaeology
Clam Gardens
Intertidal rock wallSea Otter Sound, Craig
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Applications Regional Comparisons
Bioareas in Alaska
Note All of Washington State and British
Columbia complete
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Benefits of ShoreZone

• Scientists
• Site selection
• Habitat utilization
• Habitat capability modeling
• Invasive species monitoring
• Archeological documentation

Forage Fish
Fish traps
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Benefits of ShoreZone

• Managers
• Coastal development
• Natural resource planning
• Permit reviews
• First responders
• Climate change and litigation

Logging
Oil Spills
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Benefits of ShoreZone Accessibility Integration
Databases
ShoreZone
Nearshore Fish Atlas
Shore Stations
Archival /Future Data
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In summary

• Alaska ShoreZone Coastal Mapping
• Half of state done

• Online Products
• - Alaska ShoreZone
• Nearshore Fish Atlas
• New Products Alaska Mapper stand alone

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Thank You