These data establish a baseline of benthic habitats to support future change detection activities in the Klawock River Lagoon on Alaska's Prince of Wales Island. In spring 2011, benthic habitats were mapped in the lagoon, adjacent Klawock Bay, and Klawock Harbor. The mapping emphasized eelgrass beds, which are essential for the early survival of salmon fry.

The Klawock River drains a 29,061-acre watershed with 132 miles of streambed habitat, supporting seven salmon and trout species. The salmon fishery is a vital economic, cultural, and food resource in the Klawock area. In 1964, a causeway was constructed, blocking access to the lagoon from Klawock Bay and significantly reducing salmon harvests. The Nature Conservancy led a partnership to construct a culvert through the causeway, reestablishing free passage between the river and Klawock Bay. This is expected to help restore full use of the river as salmon-spawning habitat and generally improve the lagoon's quality.

Aerial multispectral imagery was collected over the lagoon, bay, and harbor during the week of April 19, 2011, coinciding with the causeway's breaching. Environmental factors crucial for successful benthic mapping were incorporated into mission planning. These included collecting imagery within 1.5 hours of a zero or negative tide, clear water conditions (no algal blooms or sediment plumes from runoff), low winds to avoid surface waves, and sufficient solar illumination for imaging submerged areas.

Due to insufficient biomass or illumination through the water column at the time of the aerial mission, eelgrass habitats in the lagoon could not be mapped from that source. Therefore, eelgrass habitats were determined by two field-digitizing processes, conducted in August 2010 and September 2011. The final hybrid data capture habitats 10 meters by 10 meters or larger and possess the same positional accuracy as the source imagery.

The layers available within the data download include: biotic, geoform, and substrate.

Partners: The Nature Conservancy