Coastal Strategy
Remote and rugged terrain, unpredictable weather and short field seasons make mapping Alaska’s expansive coastal areas uniquely challenging, but data on coastal dynamics and nearshore bathymetry are urgently needed. Coastal erosion and flooding threaten coastal communities while marine traffic including passenger cruise ships and oil tankers is increasing in Alaska’s waters.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Alaska Ocean Observing System (AOOS) and the Alaska Geospatial Council (AGC) have partnered to evaluate Alaska’s coastal mapping needs. The Coastal Strategist provides guidance, coordination, and leadership in the development of a cohesive statewide strategy for geospatial data collection in the Alaskan coastal and nearshore areas (broadly defined as <30 m MLLW depth to areas on land that may be subject to flooding within 1 km of tidally influenced water).
To ensure broad stakeholder engagement, the Coastal Strategist works with established mapping committees, agency liaisons, Native Corporations, NGOs, the private sector, and academia to organize the diverse coastal mapping needs in Alaska by location, quality-level, partner, capacity, feasibility, and refresh-rate, with the overall objective of developing a long-term strategy for prioritizing coastal mapping activities. The outcome of this strategic planning effort will be a roadmap of options to meet stakeholder requirements and priorities for the longest shoreline in the United States.
Contact
Contact the Coastal Mapping Strategist Marta Kumle by email or submit a comment/question by form here.
If you have any mapping projects, plans or specific data needs, please add these areas to SeaSketch.
Alaska Coastal Mapping Summits
On February 9, 2018, AOOS and the Interagency Working Group on Ocean and Coastal Mapping (IWG-OCM) hosted the second Alaska Coastal Mapping Summit in Anchorage, Alaska. Approximately 100 attendees from federal, state, local government, native corporations, non-governmental organizations, academia, and the private sector participated. Presentations covered a wide range of topics including an overview of the upcoming 3D Nation Study; an update on NOAA Charting Plans, 2018 coastal imagery, and a new Monthly Water Clarity Atlas; a review of Coastal Resilience and Adaptation Workshops hosted by Adapt Alaska; federal geospatial contracting opportunities at the USGS and NOAA, and private sector perspectives on mapping opportunities in Alaska. For the complete agenda, breakout discussion questions and pdf versions of presentations, see the link below.
2018 Alaska Coastal Mapping Summit photograph.