Aleutian Archipelago
This region is characterized by a chain of volcanic islands stretching across 1,800 km separating the Bering Sea from the Pacific Ocean. Fourteen large islands and 55 smaller islands define this archipelago most of which fall within the Alaska Maritime National Refuge. These virtually treeless islands are either shrouded in rain and fog or high force winds. The Aleutian coastline has a repeating pattern of grassy hillsides, wave-pounded cliffs with waterfalls, and acres of kelp beds. With an average tidal range of 3 feet diverse areas of marine life are found in semi-exposed shallow reefs.
Katmai: Shelicof Seacoast
The Shelicof seacoast extends over 160 km in the Katmai National Park and Preserve. The Aleutian Range inland from the coast provides a dramatic back drop with volcanic peaks up to 7,600 feet. The Shelikof Strait seacoast is a rugged, diversified area of narrow to wide bays, long and narrow beaches/reefs, steep cliffs, canyons, and waterfalls. These features and an active volcanic history have created a unique coastal region.
Southeast Alaska
Southeast Alaska lies between the southern tip of Prince of Whales Is. to the far edge of the Malaspina Glacier west of Yakutat Bay, a distance of 800 km. This region is very complex with 33,600 km of shoreline and over 2,000 islands. The Tongass National Forest, 17 million acres, covers more than 80% of Southeast Alaska. There are over 5,000 glaciers in this region many of which spill into Glacier Bay National Park. There is a wide diversity of estuaries, fjords, bays, channels, and straits found in Southeast Alaska. This region hosts some of the most diverse marine life in all of Alaska.
Prince William Sound
PWS is a nearly enclosed embayment over 9,000 Km2 with an average depth of 300m. The perimeter is dominated by glacially carved fjords and some 20 glaciers calve directly into PWS. PWS is part of the Chugach National Forest, the second largest in the nation with 5.4 million acres. The Sound offers a variety of deep and shallow habitats from extensive intertidal mudflats to pinnacle islands, deep basins, and salmon streams.
Kenai Peninsula
The Kenai Peninsula is dominated by the Harding and Grewingk-Yalik icefields and much of this region falls in the Kenai Fjords National Park. These icefields have chiseled over 275 km of fjords and jagged peninsulas that plunge into the Gulf of Alaska. There are 10 tidewater glaciers within the park. Exposed high energy shores dominate this coastline providing prime habitat for marine flora and fauna.
Kodiak Archipelago
This region encompasses 13,000 square km and Kodiak Island is the second largest island in the U.S. Exposed bedrock and shallow soils prevail along 4,000 km of rugged coastline. Glaciers have left their mark with long, narrow fjords and U-shaped valleys. 1.8 million acres in the archipelago are part of the Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge. Estuaries, lagoons, wetlands, tide flats, rocky islands, and sea cliffs host a plethora of marine life in this region and exposed high-energy coasts are the dominate habitat.
Kachemak Bay
Kachemak Bay with over 240 km of coastline has been recognized as one of the most productive ecosystems in the world and is now a National Estuarine Research Reserve. This region is unique due to nutrient rich upwelling from the Gulf of Alaska and a 28 ft. tidal range. The bay's varied coastline consists of fjords, sheltered tidal flats, rocky substrates, and semi-exposed beaches. Next to the silt laden waters of Cook Inlet, Kachemak Bay is an oasis for marine life.