Sapelo Research Application Form
Research Application ID: GCE-150-2026 (submitted: 02/10/2026, status: approved)
Provide a brief title for web display
GCE-V: Variability x Elevation experiment, site 2
Investigator Information
On Island Sponsor: GCE SINERR UGAMI GADNR
| Principal Investigator: | Amanda C. Spivak | ||
| Home Institution: | University of Georgia | ||
| Award Information: | GCE-V | ||
| Mailing Address: | Marine Science Rm. 164 | Phone Number: | (706) 542-5709 |
| Marine Sciences | E-mail Address: | aspivak@uga.edu | |
| Athens, Georgia 30602-3636 | |||
| Co-investigators: | Steven C. Pennings (University of Houston), Alicia M. Wilson (University of South Carolina), Georgianne Moore (Georgia Southern University), Jessica L. O'Connell (Colorado State University), Joel Kostka (Georgia Institute of Technology) | ||
Briefly describe the project goals and methodology
Salinity and inundation are major structuring agents for coastal ecosystems. Plant are largely determined by salinity along the estuary (Higginbotham et al. 2004; Guo & Pennings 2012), and by inundation across elevation (Pennings et al. 2005; Simon et al. 2022), with parallel shifts in community structure, plant microbe interactions, and biogeochemical processes (Craft 2007; Craft et al. 2009; Kolton et al 2020; Hyun et al. 2007). As sea levels rise, we expect marsh habitats to shift longitudinally (as salt water is pushed upstream into tidal fresh areas) and vertically (into uplands). Our goal is to understand how ecosystem properties change along these gradients and assess whether there is a signal of increased spatial and/or temporal variation associated with transitions between habitats.
Where will the project be located?
31.466537°, -81.271044°. See KMZ file
How will you provide GPS coordinates for study sites?
I will provide a GIS file describing my study sites (ArcGIS shapefile, Google Earth KML/KMZ)
What are the expected start and end dates of the project?
Start Date: 05/01/2026 End Date: (ongoing)
How many people will access the site and at what frequency?
Small groups of 2-5 people will establish plots and install groundwater wells and flux chamber collars in May / June 2026 over 1-2 days. Between May - August 2026, small groups of 2-10 people will collect measurements described above over 1-5 day periods. After August 2026, ~2 people will download data from wells and collect dendrometer measurements every 4-6 months (~1 day each trip).
Keywords that describe your project
What equipment will be deployed in the field?
Structural components, including coordinates, that will be placed in jurisdiction (i.e. what equipment will be left in the field during the project, and what will the dimensions of those structures be?)
Equipment that will be placed in the jurisdiction include:
- PVC poles denoting marsh and upland plots
o 6 PVC poles per each of the 5 marsh plots within each survey and transition zone (grey and yellow areas in Fig 1). Poles will be 3/4" diameter X 1-4' tall, depending on vegetation height. May - August 2026.
o One, 4 ft PVC pole (3/4" diameter) in the center of each of the 5 upland plots within each zone (grey circles in Fig. 1). Poles will be held in place with a 4 ft piece of steel #3 (3/8 in) rebar driven 3 ft into the ground. May - August 2026.
o Only 1 PVC pole per marsh and upland plot would remain in place beyond August 2026. The total number of remaining PVC poles would be 70.
- Tree marking.
o Live trees in each plot greater than 4 in diameter will be tagged at 4.5 ft using a 1 in circular aluminum tree tag attached with a 2.5 in stainless-steel nail. A subset of 10 trees (distributed across all plots) will also have a stainless-steel band for continuous manual measurements of diameter growth. Bands are 0.25 in wide and have a 2 inx4 in brass scale on one end, attached to the tree with two 4 in stainless steel screws
- 5 groundwater wells
o Wells will be placed (1) in the Spartina habitat, (2) near the marsh succulent transition, (3) near the succulent upland transition, (4) at the upland transition, and (5) in the upland plot farthest from the marsh-upland transition. Wells will be constructed of 1 1/4" PVC pipe and will extend 2' above the ground and reach 3 to 9' belowground. Wells will be installed in May/June 2026 and left in place for 1 year (i.e., until May/June 2027)
- Flux chamber collars
o One collar will be placed in each of the 5 plots within 8 of the survey zones to capture the habitat endpoints, transition zones, and zones nearest the 2 transitions. Collars are 50 cm X 50 cm squares (approx. 20 in X 20 in) made of marine grade aluminum (see Fig. 3). They are inserted into the soil to the mid-point of the 1" diameter holes on each of the 4 walls. The walls allow free passage of water and small invertebrates and minimize potential effects of the collars on the soils. The collars extend 1-2" above the soil surface. Collars will be installed in May/June 2026 for 1 week to 1 month before gas flux measurements are taken. This allows acclimation prior to gas fluxes. Collars will be removed immediately after gas flux measurements.
Will plants or animals be collected as part of this study?
Yes. Marsh grasses will be collected from 1m2 plots .
What are the likely impacts of the project on the site?
It is likely that marsh plants will be walked upon between the road and the study site. This will cause temporary dieback of those plants but based on past experience we expect full recovery by the end of the growing season or beginning of the following growing season. Shallow holes (30 cm deep) will result from soil core collections but will likely infill quickly (i.e., < 1 h to ~1 week). No permanent damage is expected.
Will the project design include boardwalks? If not, explain why not.
How long will impacts persist after the research is concluded?
Likely 1 week to the following growing season, depending on the material colllected.
