July 28th, 2025
NOAA and partners to survey Port of Valdez and Valdez Glacier Lake
A new partnership between NOAA and the City of Valdez, Alaska will help emergency managers prepare for future earthquakes, tsunamis, and underwater landslides.
This partnership will support mapping 34 square nautical miles of the Port of Valdez — an important gateway to interior Alaska. A devastating earthquake in 1964 caused submerged sediment piles to shift, creating an underwater landslide-generated tsunami that killed 32 people in the City of Valdez. The newly collected bathymetric survey data, or maps of the seafloor, will identify the current sediment buildup and inform the underwater landslide risk.
The improved knowledge of the seafloor’s depth, shape, and composition has other far-reaching benefits, including safer navigation, stronger forecasting models, preservation of marine habitats, and a deeper understanding of the natural resources needed for sustainable ocean economies.
Field teams will also map 2 square nautical miles of Valdez Glacier Lake. It's a popular recreational spot for locals and tourists alike, but large bergy bits, or smaller pieces of icebergs, frequently break off from the Valdez Glacier in the lake. These ice calving events can be dangerous or even deadly for those who get caught in the icy slush and debris. The mapping effort will inform the City of Valdez and the State of Alaska’s efforts to better model these events, and learn more about risks and mitigation measures.
“Partnering with NOAA gives us a clearer picture of how Port Valdez is changing over time,” said Aaron Baczuk, Emergency Manager for the City of Valdez. “This updated data not only helps us plan for safety and resilience after events like earthquakes but also strengthens our role as Alaska’s northernmost ice-free port — a vital connection point for communities across the state.”
NOAA will also incorporate this modern, high resolution bathymetric data into its navigation products and services; and the data will be made publicly available on NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information database. To view real-time coverage updates for this survey, as well as other NOAA hydrographic survey projects, see the 2025 Hydrographic Survey Story Map
NOAA selected the City of Valdez for a partnership with the NOAA Office of Coast Survey last year under the Brennan Ocean Mapping Fund. This fund commemorates the vision of former Coast Survey Director Rear Adm. Richard T. Brennan, who passed away in 2021. Admiral Brennan was a champion of using NOAA’s hydrographic knowledge and expertise to fulfill many coastal and ocean mapping needs under the Integrated Ocean and Coastal Mapping banner to “Map Once, Use Many Times.” NOAA matches selected non-Federal partners at a 70:30 NOAA-to-partner ratio for contract mapping projects totaling up to $1,000,000 in ocean, coastal and/or Great Lakes waters.
The Brennan Ocean Mapping Fund is currently accepting applications for FY2027 projects until October 10, 2025, back...
A new partnership between NOAA and the City of Valdez, Alaska will help emergency managers prepare for future earthquakes, tsunamis, and underwater landslides.
This partnership will support mapping 34 square nautical miles of the Port of Valdez — an important gateway to interior Alaska. A devastating earthquake in 1964 caused submerged sediment piles to shift, creating an underwater landslide-generated tsunami that killed 32 people in the City of Valdez. The newly collected bathymetric survey data, or maps of the seafloor, will identify the current sediment buildup and inform the underwater landslide risk.
The improved knowledge of the seafloor’s depth, shape, and composition has other far-reaching benefits, including safer navigation, stronger forecasting models, preservation of marine habitats, and a deeper understanding of the natural resources needed for sustainable ocean economies.
Field teams will also map 2 square nautical miles of Valdez Glacier Lake. It's a popular recreational spot for locals and tourists alike, but large bergy bits, or smaller pieces of icebergs, frequently break off from the Valdez Glacier in the lake. These ice calving events can be dangerous or even deadly for those who get caught in the icy slush and debris. The mapping effort will inform the City of Valdez and the State of Alaska’s efforts to better model these events, and learn more about risks and mitigation measures.
“Partnering with NOAA gives us a clearer picture of how Port Valdez is changing over time,” said Aaron Baczuk, Emergency Manager for the City of Valdez. “This updated data not only helps us plan for safety and resilience after events like earthquakes but also strengthens our role as Alaska’s northernmost ice-free port — a vital connection point for communities across the state.”
NOAA will also incorporate this modern, high resolution bathymetric data into its navigation products and services; and the data will be made publicly available on NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information database. To view real-time coverage updates for this survey, as well as other NOAA hydrographic survey projects, see the 2025 Hydrographic Survey Story Map
NOAA selected the City of Valdez for a partnership with the NOAA Office of Coast Survey last year under the Brennan Ocean Mapping Fund. This fund commemorates the vision of former Coast Survey Director Rear Adm. Richard T. Brennan, who passed away in 2021. Admiral Brennan was a champion of using NOAA’s hydrographic knowledge and expertise to fulfill many coastal and ocean mapping needs under the Integrated Ocean and Coastal Mapping banner to “Map Once, Use Many Times.” NOAA matches selected non-Federal partners at a 70:30 NOAA-to-partner ratio for contract mapping projects totaling up to $1,000,000 in ocean, coastal and/or Great Lakes waters.
The Brennan Ocean Mapping Fund is currently accepting applications for FY2027 projects until October 10, 2025, back...
