The remote nature of Alaska’s Kachemak Bay combined with intricate coastlines provide a challenging canvas to efficiently map. To overcome these obstacles, scientists stationed at the NCCOS Kasitsna Bay Laboratory in Seldovia, Alaska (situated along the larger Kachemak Bay system) are using uncrewed aerial systems (UAS) to map portions of the bay and offer critical information to resource managers.
Alaska’s nearshore habitats provide vital sources of food and shelter for fish and wildlife, while supporting local communities that rely on these resources for subsistence harvesting and mariculture farming.
Using UASs, NCCOS scientists have completed the orthomosaic map (a highly detailed map created by stitching together hundreds of images) of Jakolof Bay, the adjacent bay to Kasitsna Bay (where the NCCOS Kasitsna Bay Laboratory resides) which is home to several oyster farms as well as the location of a test farm for seaweed mariculture. Additionally, Jakolof Bay has been a popular location for research because of its close proximity to the lab providing Alaska’s scientists with convenient access for projects, such as studying harmful algal blooms (Alexandrium), estimating impacts of oyster farms on native filter feeding organisms, and the response of salmonids to petrochemicals. These maps will help local resource managers and scientists understand the distribution of habitat, including kelp forests and seagrass meadows, and how they shift over time. In addition, these maps may also help understand how these shifts might be affected or exacerbate toxins and contaminants.
This work is part of an ongoing project to map nearshore habitats in Kachemak Bay and is supported by the Coastal Zone Management Act.