GCE-LTER Project News
April 2026 CalendarWater Quality Cruise Multispec Flight New or Updated Publications01/27/2026 –
MacDougall, A.S. and Pennings, S.C. 2026. The global extent of the grassland biome and implications for the terrestrial carbon sink. Nature Ecology and Evolution. (DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-025-02955-6) Latest Data Releases11/25/2025 – 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 Latest File Uploads03/25/2026 – Photograph 03/25/2026 – Photograph 03/25/2026 – Photograph 03/25/2026 – Photograph 03/25/2026 – Photograph |
GCE Project Announcements03/30/2026 – Research News
Georgia Southern MS student, Sandesh Dallakoti, has finished deploying three types of dendrometers in the new GCE-V forest plots at Marsh Landing to monitor sub-daily to seasonal tree growth across the marsh-forest ecotone and inland forest. The automated bands record minute-by-minute changes in tree diameters in mature pine trees. Manual bands are in large liveoaks and pines. So far we are seeing reductions in tree diameters with this winter's drought, but all trees are beginning to put on new growth for the spring. (contact Georgianne Moore for additional information)03/25/2026 – Research News
A new GCE experiment on Sapelo will look at how precipitation interacts with disturbance to affect plant and invertebrate community composition. UH graduate student Eamon Hennessy set up rainout shelters in March of 2026 in three vegetation mixtures--Juncus, high marsh meadow, and short Spartina. Treatments are a control, rain reduction, and rain addition (the water diverted from the reduction plot). Within each large plot, sub-plots will receive three different disturbance treatments. Much thanks to Odile, Chloe and the GCE technicians for their help in getting this large experiment set up! (contact Steve Pennings for additional information)03/16/2026 – Field Program News
A group of volunteers from Kennesaw State University weathered the gnats, Juncus, heat, and rain to help the techs remove material from the old High Marsh experiment site. Many thanks to the volunteers for their hard work! (contact John Williams for additional information)03/11/2026 – Field Program News
Pavlos Efthymiadis and Derrick Vaughn of Utah State University joined Amanda Spivak and John Williams for a site scouting trip, just south of GCE 10. The group searched for suitable locations for the second Elevation X Variability site. (contact John Williams for additional information)03/03/2026 – Field Program News
Our removal of the infrastructure at SALTEx is nearing completion. SALTEX (Seawater Addition Long Term Experiment) was a long-term field experiment initiated by GCE-LTER in 2011 in a Zizaniopsis marsh along the Altamaha River. The experiment was designed to mimic saltwater intrusion caused by droughts and long-term sea level rise. (contact John Williams for additional information)02/25/2026 – Field Program News
Periodically, the ground control points (GCPs) at Belle Marsh and Dean Creek need to be repainted, and sometimes replaced. GCPs are RTK-surveyed, fixed reference points that are used in drone imagery processing to improve spatial accuracy. (contact John Williams for additional information)» Add Announcement or Update Announcement (GCE only) » Subscribe to the GCENEWS-L Email List (weekly GCE newsletter) » View/Search Recent GCE Announcements |
