Georgia Coastal Ecosystems LTER Data Set Details

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GCE-LTER Data Set Summary

Accession:

ALG-GCED-1610

Research Theme:

Algal Productivity (Directed Study)

Contributors:

Christopher B. Craft, Dontrece Smith, Jennifer Desha, Alyssa Peterson, Brendan Manley

Title:

Green algae, cyanobacteria and diatom concentrations from the GCE-LTER Seawater Addition Long-Term Experiment (SALTEx) Project

Abstract:

SALTEx (Seawater Addition Long-Term Experiment) is a field experiment designed to simulate saltwater intrusion in a tidal freshwater wetland to predict how chronic (Press) and acute (Pulse) salinization will affect this and other tidal freshwater ecosystems. The SALTEx experiment was initiated in 2012 and consists of 31 field plots , each 2.5 m on a side. There are three treatments (Press, Pulse, and Fresh) and two types of controls (with and without sides), each consisting of six replicates. The Press treatment plots receive regular (4 times each week) additions of a mixture of seawater and fresh river water. Pulse plots receive the same mixture of seawater and river water during September and October, which is historically a time of low flow in the river when natural saltwater intrusion occurs. The Fresh treatment plots receive regular additions of fresh river water. Treatment water is added during low tide to facilitate its infiltration into the soil, and all plots are inundated by astronomical tides at high tide. We are measuring the abundance of benthic algae with a BenthoTorch as one of the response variables for the SALTEx project.

DOI:

10.6073/pasta/7464fe6528c4cb2d04fb99642f19a433

Key Words:

algae, Bentho Torch, cyanobacteria, diatoms, SALTEx, seawater intrusion

LTER Core Area:

Disturbance Patterns, Primary Production

Research Themes:

GCE2 Q1 - External Forcing, GCE2 Q3 - Longitudinal Gradients, GCE3 Area3 - Responses to Salinity and Inundation, Algal Productivity, Phytoplankton Productivity

Study Period:

20-Feb-2016 to 28-Nov-2017

Study Sites:

SALTEx -- SALTEx Research Site, Champney Island, Georgia, USA

» Download Geographic Coverage: Google Earth

Project References:

SALTEx - Seawater Addition Long Term Experiment

Research Protocols:

SALTEx - BBE BenthoTorch Operational Protocol (Georgia Coastal Ecosystems LTER)

SALTEx - Bentho Torch Sampling Protocol (Georgia Coastal Ecosystems LTER)

SALTEx Map Plot Layout (Georgia Coastal Ecosystems LTER)

Publications:

Craft, C.B., Herbert, E., Li, F., Smith, D., Schubauer-Berigan, J.P., Widney, S., Angelini, C., Pennings, S.C., Medeiros, P.M., Byers, J. and Alber, M. 2016. Climate change and the fate of coastal wetlands. Wetland Science and Practice. 33(3):70-73.

Li, F., Angelini, C., Byers, J., Craft, C.B. and Pennings, S.C. 2022. Responses of a tidal freshwater marsh plant community to chronic and pulsed saline intrusion. Journal of Ecology. 110:1508-1524. (DOI: 10.1111/1365-2745.13885)

Downloads:

Data Table: ALG-GCED-1610 (Main data table for data set ALG-GCED-1610, 2728 records)

Access: Public (released 15-Oct-2017)

Metadata: Text (ESA FLED), XML (Ecological Metadata Language)

Data Formats: Spreadsheet (CSV) [141.57kb], Text File [135.70kb], MATLAB (GCE Toolbox) [564.05kb], MATLAB (Variables) [534.98kb], Text Report [162.55kb]

Column List:(hide)

Column	Name	Units	Type	Description
1	Year	YYYY	integer	Year the sample was collected
2	Month	M	integer	Month the sample was collected
3	Day	D	integer	Day the sample was collected
4	Date	yyyy-mm-dd	string	Date the sample was collected
5	Treatment	none	string	Sample treatment
6	Replicate	none	integer	Replicate
7	Mean_Elevation	m	floating-point	Mean elevation relative to MLW
8	Zone	none	integer	Zone of plot which was sampled
9	Green_algae_concentration	ug/cm2	floating-point	Concentration of green algae as ug/cm2
10	Cyanobacteria_concentration	ug/cm2	floating-point	Concentration of cyanobacteria as ug/cm2
11	Diatom_concentration	ug/cm2	floating-point	Concentration of diatoms as ug/cm2

Statistics:

Generate script code to retrieve data tables for analysis in: MATLAB, R, SAS, SPSS

Citation:

Craft, Christopher B. 2015. Green algae, cyanobacteria and diatom concentrations from the GCE-LTER Seawater Addition Long-Term Experiment (SALTEx) Project. Georgia Coastal Ecosystems LTER Project, University of Georgia, Long Term Ecological Research Network. http://dx.doi.org/10.6073/pasta/7464fe6528c4cb2d04fb99642f19a433

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