New or Updated Publications
07/18/2026 –
Dunn, R. and Pennings, S.C. 2026. A salinity gradient mediates plant diversity-function-stability relationships across a coastal marsh landscape. Ecology. 107(7):e70436. (DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.70436)
07/01/2026 –
Napora, K., Lecher, A.L., Cherkinsky, A., Horan, R., Jacobs, C., Tyler, B. and Thompson, V.D. 2025. Subfossil bald cypress trees suggest localized, enduring effects of major climatic episodes on the Southeast Atlantic Coast of the United States. PNAS. 122(24). (DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2421181122)
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Latest Data Releases
11/25/2025 – Data Revision
The data set "Long-term water quality monitoring in the Altamaha River near Doctortown, Georgia" (https://gce-lter.marsci.uga.edu/public/app/dataset_details.asp?accession=NUT-GCEM-1909) was revised to correct data reported in incorrect units. Nitrate concentrations were mistakenly reported in parts per million (ppm) instead of parts per billion (ppb) for samples taken between November 2019 and December 2022. These data have been converted to the correct units and have been republished.
08/26/2024 – Data Release
Data sets PLT-GCEM-2012 "Long-term monitoring of seven high marsh plant mixtures on Sapelo Island GA" and PLT-GCEM-1309 "Annual monitoring of high marsh plots dominated by Juncus and Borrichia" have been updated to include recent data.
07/29/2024 – Data Release
Data set titled 'Percent cover measurements of four site-dominant species from the GCE-LTER Seawater Addition Long-Term Experiment (SALTEx) Project' was added to the GCE data catalog. You can view the data here: PLT-GCED-2404.
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. Percent cover was measured for four site-dominant species (Zizaniopsis miliacea, Pontederia cordata, Persicaria hydropiperoides, and Ludwigia repens) each July from 2013 to 2022.
Citation: Craft, Christopher B. 2024. Percent cover measurements of four site-dominant species 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/554fbb232ea0ae95144f0857a604e73c
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GCE Project Announcements
07/30/2026 – LTER News
From the Network Office: You are invited to participate in the Generative AI Experience and Professional Development Survey! This survey is being administered by the Office of Teaching and Learning and the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS) at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB). (keep reading) (contact Amanda Spivak for additional information)
07/30/2026 – Announcement
Deadline Extended: Logo Submissions DUE August 31, 2026 (keep reading) (contact Amanda Spivak for additional information)
07/21/2026 – Outreach News
From July 11-17, UGAMI welcomed 13 K-12 educators (nine new participants and four returning teacher mentors) to Sapelo Island for the 2026 GCE Schoolyard summer workshop. (keep reading) (contact John Williams for additional information)
07/18/2026 – Publication News
In experiments, higher plant diversity usually leads to higher ecosystem function and more stability of ecosystem function. But in nature, the same factors that determine plant species diversity may also affect stability. In the GCE domain, plant species richness along the creekbank is highest in the brackish marshes (like GCE 8) and lowest in both salt marshes (all Spartina) and the fresh marshes (all Zizaniopsis). As a result, plant richness was positively correlated with salininty variability over time (highest in brackish marshes) and biomass stability was greatest at low salininty (in Zizaniopsis). These results add to a growing body of work cautioning that the results of biodiversity-ecosystem-functioning (BEF) experiments may not always apply to natural systems. (keep reading) (contact Steve Pennings for additional information)
07/15/2026 – Workshop
Kalpana, Robert and Steve are representing GCE at the DRAGNet workshop in Minneapolis. GCE is one of 65 sites that to date are running the DRAGNet distributed experiment. The group is working on papers looking at how disturbance and nutrients affect biomass, species richness, beta diversity and more, and how the responses vary among sites. (keep reading) (contact Steve Pennings for additional information)
06/29/2026 – Seminar
Steve is visiting Japan for research and a conference, and gave a seminar about GCE-LTER research at the Shimoda Marine Research Center in Shimoda, Japan.
Steve giving research seminar in Shimoda, Japan in 2026 (contact Steve Pennings for additional information)
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