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Wetland Classification and Mapping of the Kenai Lowland, Alaska
Map Unit Descriptions Ecosystem: Kettle Map Unit: K1-3; K13; K31
Extent: K1-3: 161 wetland polygons; 1263.9 ha; 0.89% of wetland area; 0.98% of wetland polygons. K13: 17 wetland polygons; 99.7 ha; 0.07% of wetland area; 0.10% of wetland polygons. K31: 9 wetland polygons; 46.2 ha; 0.03% of wetland area; 0.05% of wetland polygons. |
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 A K13 wetland near the Boxcar Hills, 20 miles northeast of Homer (polygon 30730).
A segregated K1-3 unit off of Cohoe Loop Road (polygon 9437).
A marginal K31 unit near Mackey Lakes. The shrubby sweetgale component can occupy a K2 or K3 position. (polygon 712). |
Wetland Indicators Type: Peat Average depth to water table: K1: n/a K2: 9.1 cm; n=39 K3: 28.1 cm; n=60
Organic layer thickness:
K1: n/a K2: 136.0 cm; n=41 K3: 98.8 cm; n=60
Average depth to redoximorphic features:
K1: n/a K2: 18.0 cm; n=6 K3: 19.0 cm; n=3 Common Soils: K1: pond K2: STARICHKOF, DOROSHIN, SALAMATOF K3: STARICHKOF, DOROSHIN, TRUULI, NIKOLAI, SALAMATOF, CHUNILNA Common Plant communities: K1 Component: Tall cottongrass - Livid sedge K2 Component: Sphagnum moss / Tall cottongrass Tufted bulrush - Tall cottongrass Sphagnum moss - Creeping sedge K3 Component: |
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Accuracy assessment: 35 polygons interpreted as K1-3 on
aerial photographs were field checked. 21 remained K1-3; 5 were
revised to K23; 2 were revised to
LB21 and 1 each was revised
to D1-3, DW2-5A,
DW52, H1-3,
K2, LB1-3 and LB1-4. 3 polygons interpreted as K13 on aerial photographs were field checked. All 3 remained K13. 4 polygons interpreted as K31 on aerial photographs were field checked. 1 remained K31; 2 were revised to K1-3 and 1 was revised to K1-4. |
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K1-3 complexes span from the open water pond component (K1) through the sedge or sweetgale dominated component (K2) to the shrubby peatland component with a deeper water table (K3). They occupy smaller kettles where the components typically occur concentrically arranged and segregated, at a scale too fine to delineate at 1:25,000. When the shallow water table K2 is absent the unit is named K13 or K31 depending on whether the open water (K1) component or the shrubby (K3) component is dominant, respectively.
K1-3 complexes are by far most common of these wetlands. They are widespread on the re-worked moraines between Nikiski and Sterling on the central and northern peninsula, on the broad moraine south of Kasilof and in the finely reticulate kettle-kame terrain along the Old Sterling Highway south of Anchor Point.
