Sapelo Research Application Form
Research Application ID: GCE-68-2015 (submitted: 08/12/2015, status: approved)
Provide a brief title for web display
Effect of Salt Marsh Vegetation Community on Sediment Respiration
Investigator Information
On Island Sponsor: GCE SINERR UGAMI GADNR
| Principal Investigator: | Elizabeth King | ||
| Home Institution: | University of Georgia | ||
| Award Information: | (not specified) | ||
| Mailing Address: | Odum School of Ecology | Phone Number: | (706) 542-1348 |
| University of Georgia | E-mail Address: | egking@uga.edu | |
| Athens, Georgia 30602 | |||
| Co-investigators: | Elizabeth Anne Guinessey (University of Georgia) | ||
Briefly describe the project goals and methodology
This project will collect greenhouse gas flux data in three salt marsh vegetation communities, short Spartina alterniflora, tall Spartina alterniflora, and Juncus roemerianus. Three marsh sites on Sapelo will be sampled and the sites will have three transects through each representative vegetation communities for a total of nine transects. At the time of sampling, ten cylindrical chambers will be randomly placed along a transect and gas samples will be extracted from the headspace of each chamber to establish a flux rate over the course of an hour. Biomass will be estimated along each transect using field techniques including counting number of stems per species and the total height for each species present.
Where will the project be located?
Airport Marsh, GCE Site 6, and one additional site to be determined.
How will you provide GPS coordinates for study sites?
I will provide a spreadsheet containing GPS coordinates for my study sites
What are the expected start and end dates of the project?
Start Date: 08/22/2015 End Date: 08/22/2016
How many people will access the site and at what frequency?
1 person will access the sites for 3-4 days every 2 months. Occasionally an additional volunteer may join.
Please list keywords (as many as are appropriate) that describe your project:
What equipment will be deployed in the field?
LONG TERM: 24" PVC pipes will be used to mark the ends of established transects. A total of 18 PVC pipes will be implemented between all three study sites. SHORT TERM: PVC chambers will be placed in the sediment along transects to collect gas flux data; these chambers will never be deployed for more than 6 hours at a time. Chambers will be removed from the marsh after sampling is completed.
Will plants or animals be collected as part of this study?
No plants or animals will be collected as part of this study.
What are the likely impacts of the project on the site?
Vegetation may be mildly trampled at the sites but efforts will be made to keep disturbance minimal.
Will the project design include boardwalks? If not, explain why not.
This project will not include boardwalks. Implementation of a boardwalk would likely provide more damage to vegetation than any expected impacts from this research.
How long will impacts persist after the research is concluded?
Any trampled vegetation should return within a year of this investigation.
Site Photographs:
Files attached to this application
GCE-68-2015_Maps_Guinessey_Sapelo_sites.jpg (Jpeg image, 70.64 kb, submitted 08/17/2015)
[web link: https://gce-lter.marsci.uga.edu/private/registration/files/Maps/GCE-68-2015_Maps_Guinessey_Sapelo_sites.jpg]