OCS Study BOEM 2018-037 ShoreZone Imaging and Mapping along the Alaska Peninsula US Department of the Interior Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Alaska OCS Region This page intentionally left blank. OCS Study BOEM 2018-037 ShoreZone Imaging and Mapping along the Alaska Peninsula August 2018 Authors: Sarah Cook, Sean Daley, Sue Saupe, Mandy Lindeberg, Mary Morris, Kalen Morrow, Rachel Myers and Ashley Park Prepared under BOEM Award No. M15PC00008 By Coastal and Ocean Resources 759A Vanalman Ave. Victoria, BC, Canada V8Z 3B8 US Department of the Interior Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Alaska OCS Region This page intentionally left blank. DISCLAIMER Study concept, oversight, and funding were provided by the US Department of the Interior, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), Environmental Studies Program, Washington, DC, under Contract Number M15PC00008. This report has been technically reviewed by BOEM, and it has been approved for publication. The views and conclusions contained in this document are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as representing the opinions or policies of the US Government, nor does mention of trade names or commercial products constitute endorsement or recommendation for use. REPORT AVAILABILITY To download a PDF file of this report, go to the US Department of the Interior, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Data and Information Systems webpage (http://www.boem.gov/Environmental- Studies-EnvData/), click on the link for the Environmental Studies Program Information System (ESPIS), and search on 2018-037. The report is also available at the National Technical Reports Library at https://ntrl.ntis.gov/NTRL/. CITATION Cook S, Daley S, Saupe S., Lindeberg M., Morris M., Morrow K., Myers R., Park A. 2018. ShoreZone Imaging and Mapping Along the Alaska Peninsula. Anchorage (AK): US Department of the Interior, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. OCS Study BOEM 2018-037, 301 p. ABOUT THE COVER M/V Natural Habitat Ursus anchored in Wide Bay, Alaska Peninsula. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS We would like to thank the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management for funding the imaging and mapping represented in this summary report. The ShoreZone program is a partnership of scientists, GIS specialists, web specialists, non-profit organizations and governmental agencies. We gratefully acknowledge the support of organizations working in partnership for the Alaska ShoreZone effort including: Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Alaska Department of Natural Resources, Archipelago Marine Research Ltd., Cook Inlet Regional Citizens’ Advisory Council, Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council, National Park Service, NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service, Prince William Sound Regional Citizens’ Advisory Council, The Nature Conservancy, United States Fish and Wildlife Service, the University of Alaska and the US Forest Service. Funding for the ShoreZone Shore Station survey was provided by Cook Inlet Regional Citizens Advisory Council (CIRCAC) with in-kind services provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Auke Bay Laboratories and the National Park Service (NPS). Benjamin Pister of NPS and Donna Aderhold of NOAA’s National Ocean Service and the Gulf Watch Alaska Program provided field support for biophysical data collections. Dr. Sandra Lindstrom conducted field sampling and provided taxonomic expertise for seaweed collections. We also thank the captain and crew of the R/V Natural Habitat Ursus for their efforts to get us safely on and off the beach in an area with particularly exposed and treacherous beaches. Contents List of Figures ............................................................................................................................................... ii List of Tables ................................................................................................................................................ vi Abbreviations and Acronyms ....................................................................................................................... vii 1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................................... 1 2 Imaging Flight Report ........................................................................................................................... 4 3 Physical Attribute Data Summary ......................................................................................................... 5 3.1 Coastal Class ................................................................................................................................ 5 3.2 Environmental Sensitivity Index (ESI) ........................................................................................... 8 3.3 Oil Residence Index (ESI) ........................................................................................................... 11 3.4 ShoreZone Coastal Vulnerability................................................................................................. 13 3.4.1 Flood Zone Width ................................................................................................................ 13 3.4.2 Coastal Vulnerability Index .................................................................................................. 15 3.5 Anthropogenic Shore Modifications ............................................................................................ 17 4 Biological Attribute Data Summary ..................................................................................................... 19 4.1 Biobands ..................................................................................................................................... 19 4.2 Biological Wave Exposure .......................................................................................................... 26 4.3 Habitat Class ............................................................................................................................... 28 5 Ground Station Survey Report ........................................................................................................... 30 5.1 Introduction and Methods ............................................................................................................ 30 5.2 Results ........................................................................................................................................ 32 5.3 Discussion ................................................................................................................................... 34 5.4 Expanded Bioband Table ............................................................................................................ 35 6 Aerial Imaging and Ground Station Data Comparison ....................................................................... 41 7 References ......................................................................................................................................... 45 Appendix A: Imaging Survey Summary Maps and Video Logs .................................................................. 46 Appendix B: Illustrated Data Dictionary ...................................................................................................... 75 Appendix C: Ground Station Site Data ....................................................................................................... 92 Appendix D: Narrative Descriptions of Ground Survey Sites ................................................................... 204 Appendix E: Site Verification Classification and Scoring Data ................................................................. 297 i List of Figures Figure 1. Extent of ShoreZone imagery and mapping as of June 2018….............................................. 2 Figure 2. ShoreZone funding partners in the Alaska Peninsula survey area.......................................... 3 Figure 3. Proportion of Grouped Coastal Class categories by shoreline length…….............................. 5 Figure 4. Distribution of Coastal Class catgories.................................................................................... 6 Figure 5. Proportion of Grouped most sensitive ESI categories by shoreline length……..................... 8 Figure 6. Distribution of the grouped ESI categories from least to most sensitive to oiling.................... 9 Figure 7. Proportion of Oil Residence Index categories by shoreline length………................................ 11 Figure 8. Distribution of the Oil Residence Index categories……........................................................... 12 Figure 9. Proportion of Flood Zone Class categories by shoreline length……....................................... 13 Figure 10. Distribution of the Coastal Vulnerability Flood Zone Class.................................................... 14 Figure 11. Proportion of Coastal Vulnerability Index ranks by shoreline length……............................... 15 Figure 12. Distribution of the Coastal Vulnerability Index ranks..............................................................16 Figure 13. Proportion of Shore Modifications by estimated shoreline length……................................... 17 Figure 14. Distribution and examples of types of primary Shore Modification........................................ 18 Figure 15. Distribution of the Surfgrass bioband…................................................................................. 22 Figure 16. Distribution of