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 NOAA Cindy 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 Game Alaska Department of Natural Resources Alaska Ocean Observatory System Alyeska Pipeline Service Company Archipelago Marine Research Ltd. Coastal and Ocean Resources Inc. Coastwise Services Cook Inlet Regional Citizens Advisory Council Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council Kachemak Bay National Research Reserve Minerals Management Services, Coastal Impact Assistance Program National Park Service NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service, Alaska Region and Alaska Fisheries Science Center North Pacific Research Board Prince William Sound Regional Citizens Advisory Council Prince William Sound Science Center Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, Ocean Fund The Skaggs Foundation The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation Sitka Tribe of Alaska Southeast Alaska Petroleum Resources Organization The Nature Conservancy US Coast Guard USDA Forest Service US Fish and Wildlife Service University of Alaska Fairbanks University 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 Barrier Islands, south Prince of Wales Island

GPS flight trackline recorded at 1-second intervals: Trackline and imagery are used to segment digital shoreline into along-shore units:  ShoreZone Method: Digital Shoreline

Beach Berm Pebble over sand Upper Beachface Cobble-pebble over sand Lower Beachface Boulder-cobble-pebble over sand Low-tide Terrace Sand-mud

dune grass eelgrass rockweed 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 lichen on boulders Rockweed Blue Mussels on boulders Barnacles Green algae Red Algae Eelgrass 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 Island Eelgrass (1:54,000)

Perry Island Eelgrass (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 N Haida 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 SuitabilityDevelopment Siting Essential Fish HabitatPlanning 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:  the NOAA ShoreZone website & database distribution: Steve Lewis (NOAA Fisheries, Juneau) (907)  contact at The Nature Conservancy: Laura Baker (TNC Juneau field office) (907)