NOAA Fisheries News Releases
NEWS RELEASE
July 23, 2009
Sheela McLean, Public Affairs
(907) 586-7032
NOAA funds another piece of coastal mapping in Alaska
Contractors for the ShoreZone project captured this image of the head of Whitewater Bay during the July 2009 aerial survey of shorelines in Southeast Alaska. Photo credit: Mary Morris/Archipelago Marine Research Ltd.
A helicopter is flying the shores of Southeast Alaska, adding to a large, multi-organization, multi-year effort to map the coastal features of Alaska.
Due to finish Saturday, July 25, the aerial survey covers the shore of southern Admiralty Island along Chatham Strait, Frederick Sound and Stephens Passage plus Holkham Bay to Thomas Bay on the mainland. Coastal & Ocean Resources Inc., under contract to the National Atmospheric and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), is conducting the survey, called ShoreZone.
"We view the ShoreZone project as an integral part of NOAA's marine stewardship mission and we've contributed to the program since 2004," said Doug Mecum, Acting Regional Administrator for NOAA Fisheries' Alaska Region. "Shorezone is used to identify essential fish habitat and archeological sites, manage coastal zones, plan marine debris clean-up and for oil spill pre-planning and response."
The ShoreZone survey uses digital video imagery of the coastal zone collected during the lowest tides of the year, usually from a helicopter flying at or below 330 feet. The aircraft’s geographic position system (GPS) position is continuously recorded and a geologist and a biologist on board the aircraft supply comments, also recorded.
After this survey, approximately 87% of the Southeast Alaska shoreline will have images stored in ShoreZone.
The images, recordings and GPS data are eventually posted to the internet, and web users can 'fly' the coastline of Alaska at alaskafisheries.noaa.gov/maps/szintro.htm. A tutorial on how to use ShoreZone can be found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qu56l6gFwIk.
"We recognize the contributions of all the partners and especially the coordination work of The Nature Conservancy," said Mecum.
In addition to NOAA and The Nature Conservancy, other ShoreZone project partners include the State of Alaska, the USDA Forest Service, Minerals Management Service, the Cook Inlet and Prince William Sound Regional Citizens Advisory Councils, Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines Ocean Fund, the Skaggs Foundation, the Southeast Alaska Petroleum Resources Organization, the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council, and others.
The ShoreZone system was used in the 1980s and 1990s to map coastal features in British Columbia and Washington State and was initiated in Alaska in 2001.
NOAA understands and predicts changes in the Earth's environment, from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and conserves and manages our coastal and marine resources. Visit http://www.noaa.gov. To learn more about NOAA Fisheries in Alaska, visit http://alaskafisheries.noaa.gov or: www.afsc.noaa.gov.