CORI Conducts Survey on St. Lawrence Island, AK

7.25.2013

Survey staff arrived last week in Savoonga for a ShoreZone coastal habitat imaging survey on St. Lawrence Island. ShoreZone is collecting high-resolution video and photo imagery of the entire 700-mile shoreline (1,100 km), including lagoon shores, using a Bering Air helicopter. Geologists and biologists then use the imagery to create maps of shoreline types, stability and biota which are used by communities and government agencies. All imagery collected will be web-posted and available for free download and DVD copies will be provided to the local communities.

A special coastal hazards map will also be created for St. Lawrence Island to show areas of high coastal erosion and areas sensitive to storm surges and sea level inundation. Special photos will also be collected to assist with oil spill contingency planning.

So far the weather has been challenging with fog and wind.

The St. Lawrence Island ShoreZone survey project is funded by the Oil Spill Recovery Institute in Cordova, Alaska and the Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys in Fairbanks. The survey is being managed by Coastal and Ocean Resources.

Please follow us on Facebook or on Twitter @ShoreZoneOrg for real-time updates from the field. You can also get more information about ShoreZone on The Nature Conservancy website ShoreZone.org and access to the imagery very soon on the NOAA ShoreZone page.

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