ShoreZone Imagery in Alaska, British Columbia and Washington

ShoreZone is a coastal habitat mapping and classification system in which spatially referenced aerial imagery is collected specifically for the interpretation and integration of geomorphic and biological features of the intertidal zone and nearshore environment.

Approximately 92,500 km of ShoreZone imagery exists for the Pacific Northwest coastline including the entire shoreline of Washington (5,000 km) and British Columbia (40,000 km), and ~47,500 km of the Alaskan coast.  The project is on-going with ~27,900 km of Alaska coastline left to be imaged.  Two imaging surveys are currently planned on the Alaska Peninsula in 2011.  The Alaska imagery can be viewed online at http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/habitat/shorezone/szintro.htm.

ShoreZone imagery provides a useful baseline and visual reference, while mapped resources (such as shoreline sediments, eelgrass and salt marsh distributions) are an important tool for scientists and managers. ShoreZone data has many applications including: oil spill contingency planning, conservation planning, habitat research, development evaluation, mariculture site review, recreation opportunities, and other uses.

The ShoreZone program is a partnership of scientists, GIS specialists, web specialists, nonprofit organizations, and governmental agencies.  Organizations working in partnership for the Alaska ShoreZone effort to date include:  the Alaska Departments of Environmental Conservation, Fish and Game, and Natural Resources; Alaska Ocean Observatory System; Alyeska Pipeline Service Company; Archipelago Marine Research Ltd.; Coastal and Ocean Resources Inc.; Cook Inlet Regional Citizens Advisory Council; Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council; Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation; Kachemak Bay National Research Reserve; Minerals Management Services, Coastal Impact Assistance Program; National Park Service;  NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service; North Pacific Research Board; Prince William Sound Regional Citizens Advisory Council; Prince William Sound Science Center; Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, The Ocean Fund; Sitka Tribe of Alaska; The Nature Conservancy; The Skaggs Foundation; Southeast Alaska Petroleum Resources Organization; U.S. Coast Guard; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; USDA Forest Service; University of Alaska Fairbanks; and University of Alaska Southeast.

The multi-agency program offers the opportunity to build a contiguous, integrated coastal resource database that extends from the mouth of the Columbia River, through BC, the Gulf of Alaska, Bristol Bay, and northwards to the Arctic coast.  With additional data collection and partners, the program could be expanded from the Columbia River to southern California and beyond.