Kachemak Bay Reserve, Alaska

Research

The Kachemak Bay Research Reserve is developing a science program with a vision to becoming the leading research facility for the Lower Cook Inlet and surrounding Gulf of Alaska waters. The program boundaries extend to the east as far as the Pye Islands in Kenai Fjords National Park, to the south as far as Shuyak Island in the Kodiak Archipelago, to the west across Shelikof Strait and Cook Inlet, and to the north as far as Kenai.

The Kachemak Bay Research Reserve facilities provide an excellent geographic location to access and monitor the waters flowing from the Gulf of Alaska into Cook Inlet, as well as those waters flowing into Shelikof Strait. Kachemak Bay is an ideal site for year-around instrument testing, long term deployments and protocol development and our science staff can provide on-site expertise on many advanced technologies, instrumentation and protocols.

Our strategic objective is to build a long-term coastal ocean observing program. As a sentinel site for the lower Cook Inlet Region, the Kachemak Bay Research Reserve can serve a vital function by providing the scientific and management communities with consistent long-term datasets. For example, by establishing regional oceanographic boundary conditions we can provide data for 1) predictive circulation models, 2) a baseline for change detection and 3) understanding the ecological linkages and rates of exchange between coastal and Gulf of Alaska water.

We use a combination of approaches in order to achieve this objective: 1) collaborate with universities, state and federal agencies and non-profits to deploy and maintain remote sensing instruments; 2) encourage other groups and individuals to conduct their research within the reserve; and 3) pursue partnerships and funding opportunities for research projects relevant to regional and reserve specific needs.