Building Habitat Resiliency for Chinook Salmon in Alaska's Deshka River Watershed - thermal imagery shape files

Cook Inletkeeper contracted NV5 Geospatial (formerly, Quantum Spatial Incorporated) to collect thermal infrared (TIR) during the summer of 2020 for the main channel of Deshka River in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough in Alaska. This section of Deshka River was contracted to be flown at the beginning of the summer and during the afternoon hours in order to maximize the thermal contrast between the river’s water and the banks. The survey extends for 52 km / 32 miles of the Deshka River starting from the confluence of Moose and Kroto Creeks upstream and ending at the confluence with the Susitna River. The data were collected to aid the Cook Inletkeeper team to identify the spatial variability in surface temperatures as well as thermal influence of point sources, tributaries, and surface springs. The data will also be used to identify high-value habitats for the Deshka River chinook salmon population.

Note: These data and related items of information have not been formally disseminated by NOAA and do not represent any agency determination, view, or policy.

Funding for this project came, in part, from the Alaska Sustainable Salmon Fund (AKSSF Project #53004).