What is ShoreZone?

Part 1 Overview & Description

Prepared for: The Nature Conservancy, Alaska Field Office

Prepared by: Mary Morris, Archipelago Marine Research Ltd. & John Harper, Coastal & Ocean Resources Inc.

June, 2010

Acknowledgements

Thank you!

Alaska Department of Fish & Game&

The Nature Conservancy

for providing the funding for this project

Part 1. Outline

• Introduction to ShoreZone

• Overview of ShoreZone methodology

• Examples of observed and derived attributes

• Example of mapped data

Key Contacts for Team ShoreZone

• NOAACindy Hartmann Moore (NOAA Fisheries, Juneau)Mandy Lindeberg (NOAA Alaska Fisheries Science

Center, at Lena Point, Juneau)Steve Lewis (NOAA Fisheries, Juneau) & lead for the

NOAA ShoreZone website and database distribution• The Nature Conservancy

Laura Baker (Juneau)• Alaska Department of Natural Resources

David Gann (Juneau)• Cook Inlet Citizens Advisory Council

Susan Saupe (Anchorage/Kenai)

Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation

Alaska Department of Fish and GameAlaska Department of Natural

ResourcesAlaska Ocean Observatory SystemAlyeska Pipeline Service CompanyArchipelago Marine Research Ltd. Coastal and Ocean Resources Inc.Coastwise ServicesCook Inlet Regional Citizens Advisory

CouncilExxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee

CouncilKachemak Bay National Research

ReserveMinerals Management Services,

Coastal Impact Assistance Program

National Park ServiceNOAA National Marine Fisheries

Service, Alaska Region and Alaska Fisheries Science Center

North Pacific Research BoardPrince William Sound Regional

Citizens Advisory CouncilPrince William Sound Science

Center Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines,

Ocean FundThe Skaggs FoundationThe Gordon and Betty Moore

FoundationSitka Tribe of AlaskaSoutheast Alaska Petroleum

Resources OrganizationThe Nature ConservancyUS Coast GuardUSDA Forest ServiceUS Fish and Wildlife ServiceUniversity of Alaska FairbanksUniversity of Alaska Southeast

ShoreZone Alaska Partners

A Partnership that Works !

The ShoreZone Alaska team was the recipient of the

2009 Coastal America Spirit Award

The national award is for “action-oriented, results-driven collaboration process dedicated to restoring and preserving coastal ecosystems and addressing critical environmental issues.”

What is ShoreZone?

ShoreZone is a coastal habitat mapping system that characterizes physical and biological resources of the shoreline.

ShoreZone features:

• georeferenced imagery

• georeferenced data

• searchable database

What is ShoreZone? Standardized Coastal Mapping System

sediment texture geomorphologywave exposure

man-made features supratidal biotaintertidal/subtidal biota

Where is ShoreZone?

ShoreZone includes:

• all ~ 5,000 km Washington

• all ~ 40,000 km British Columbia

• ~ 45,000 km Alaska (in progress; 59%)

Almost 100,000 km of contiguous coastline has been mapped – from the Columbia River mouth to Bristol Bay, Alaska.

Mapping is based on video and still imagery:

- low-altitude flights of < 200m- zero tides or lower - oblique camera view- spatially-referenced

ShoreZone Method: Coastal Imagery

Imagery is part of

the dataset

How is ShoreZone mapped?

from imagery to maps with database

Recorded trackline provides reference position to videography and photos

Recorded trackline provides reference position to videography and photos

Barrier Islands, south Prince of Wales Island

GPS flight trackline recorded at1-second intervals:

Trackline and imagery are used to segment digital shoreline into along-shore units:

ShoreZone Method: Digital Shoreline

687

690

689

688

Beach BermPebble over sand

Upper BeachfaceCobble-pebble over sand

Lower BeachfaceBoulder-cobble-pebble over sand

Low-tide TerraceSand-mud

dune grass

eelgrassrockweed

soft browns

Attributes for the whole unit

Attributes within across-shore of the unit

ShoreZone: A Rigorous Geospatial Database

Biobands in ShoreZone

A bioband is species assemblage with a characteristic colour and across-shore elevation.

Splash zone lichen (VER)

Barnacle (BAR)

Dark brown kelps (CHB)

Islet, Kenai Fjords National Park

Blue mussel (BMU)

Northwest Prince of Wales Island

…across-shore zonation

Black lichenon boulders

RockweedBlue Mussels on boulders

BarnaclesGreen algae

Red AlgaeEelgrass

Saltmarsh

Biological Wave Exposure

• derived from the combination of biobands present in the unit.

Souhwest of Sitka

Very exposed

Exposed

Semi-exposed

Semi-protected

Protected

Very Protected

HIGH energy

LOW energy

Protected

A characteristic assemblage of biobands and associated indicator species define each wave exposure category

Sitka, AK area

Exposed

Sitka, AK area

What biobands are recorded in ShoreZone?

• salt marsh

• intertidal algae

• mussels

• understory kelps

• eelgrass

• canopy kelps and more . . . .

2,532 km or 45%

Distribution of Eelgrass in

Prince William Sound

Perry IslandEelgrass

(1:54,000)

Perry IslandEelgrass

(1:10,000)

(>50%)

South Bay, Perry Island, Prince William Sound

Derived Attributes in ShoreZone

• biological wave exposure

• coastal class

• habitat class

• oil residence index

Oil Residence Index

derived from: the interaction

of substrate permeability

& wave energy

Pacific O

cean Hec

ate

Str

ait

Oil Residence Indexdays to WEEKSWEEKS to monthsweeks to MONTHSMONTHS to yearsmonths to YEARS

20 0 20 40 Kilometers

NHaida Gwaii

Exposed

Sitka, AK area

ORI = days to WEEKS

Protected

Sitka, AK area

ORI = MONTHS to Years

ShoreZone Applications:A Spatial Framework for Coastal Habitat Management

Habitat Suitability Development Siting

Essential Fish Habitat Planning and Response

Summary of ShoreZone Overview

• based on low-tide imagery

• a digital, georeferenced, searchable dataset of geomorphic and biological attributes.

• imagery is web-posted, along with summary data tables and maps

Key Contacts

ShoreZone NOAA website at:

www.alaskafisheries.noaa.gov/habitat/shorezone/szintro.htm

the NOAA ShoreZone website & database distribution:

Steve Lewis (NOAA Fisheries, Juneau)steve.lewis@noaa.gov (907) 586-7858

contact at The Nature Conservancy:Laura Baker (TNC Juneau field office)

lbaker@tnc.org (907) 586-8623