I. Data Set Descriptors A. Title: Christine M. Hladik. 2018. May to July 2018 ground control points GPS coordinates of tidal marsh and tidal forest plant species to be used as ground control points in habitat mapping.. Georgia Coastal Ecosystems LTER Data Catalog (data set GIS-GCEL-1812; http://gce-lter.marsci.uga.edu/public/app/dataset_details.asp?accession=GIS-GCEL-1812) B. Accession Number: GIS-GCEL-1812 C. Description 1. Originator(s): Name: Christine M. Hladik Address: Department of Geology and Geography Georgia Southern University Statesboro, Georgia 30460 Country: USA Email: chladik@georgiasouthern.edu 2. Abstract: We collected field data from sites distributed in habitats along the salinity axis of the Altamaha River estuary and the Duplin River to be used as ground control points (GCP) and ground reference data for habitat mapping. GCPs for tidal marsh (salt, brackish, tidal fresh) and tidal fresh forest vegetation species were acquired. A real time kinematic (RTK) GPS survey of GPS coordinates and ground elevations for tidal marsh vegetation was carried out in May of June of 2018. A handheld GPS was used to collect GPS coordinates for tidal forest plant species in July of 2018. A total of 101 GCPs were collected in tidal habitats, with 26 in salt, 28 in brackish and 29 in tidal fresh marsh, and another 18 in tidal fresh forest. These observations will be used to create habitat maps from aerial photographs of the Altamaha River estuary, GA taken following Hurricane Irma to better understand how the storm surge affected tidal vegetation and to examine any shifts in vegetation type. 3. Study Type: Research Study 4. Study Themes: Geospatial Analysis, Plant Ecology 5. LTER Core Areas: Disturbance Patterns 6. Georeferences: none 7. Submission Date: Dec 03, 2018 D. Keywords: barrier island, disturbance, Disturbance Patterns, elevation, GCE, geographic information systems, Georgia, Georgia Coastal Ecosystems, GPS, habitats, land cover, latitude, longitude, LTER, plant communities, remote sensing, RTK, salt marshes, Sapelo Island, surveys, tidal forest, tidal fresh forest, tidal marsh, USA, wetlands II. Research Origin Descriptors A. Overall Project Description 1. Project Title: 2017 Hurricane Irma 2. Principal Investigators: Name: Merryl Alber Address: Dept. of Marine Sciences University of Georgia Athens, Georgia 30602-3636 Country: USA Email: malber@uga.edu 3. Funding Period: Nov 01, 2017 to Nov 01, 2018 4. Objectives: To evaluate the effects of disturbance along an abiotic salinity gradient by augmenting sampling of eleven core GCE-LTER monitoring sites, evaluate the effects of prior disturbance history by leveraging an ongoing field experiment to determine how prior saline disturbance treatments affect responses to the hurricane storm surge, evaluate state change using aerial imagery to look at landscape level shifts in vegetation type compared to pre-storm maps. 5. Abstract: The Georgia Coastal Ecosystems LTER program is studying how intertidal communities respond to changes in the upstream intrusion of salt water, due to both press (sea level rise) and pulse (droughts, storms) disturbances, and what it takes to tip these communities into a new state (which we define as a habitat shift). Hurricane Irma, which passed over the US on Sept. 11, 2017, caused the highest storm surge ever recorded on the central Georgia coast, and caused salt water to intrude far upstream. The GCELTER has long-term experiments and monitoring programs that provide ?before? data and a context for understanding the effects of this event. We hypothesize that the effects of disturbance will vary across abiotic gradients, that the response will depend on a site?s prior disturbance history, and that state change is more likely to occur in transitional areas. We will assess these hypotheses as follows: 1) To evaluate the effects of disturbance along an abiotic salinity gradient we will augment sampling of our 11 core monitoring sites. We predict that the greatest response and longest recovery times in upstream areas that rarely experience pulses of high salinity water; 2) To evaluate the effects of prior disturbance history we will leverage an ongoing field experiment to determine how prior saline disturbance treatments affect responses to the hurricane storm surge. We predict that the press plots, which were already strongly affected, will take the longest to recover; that pulse plots may be pushed over a tipping point by the combination of the previous pulse treatment plus the hurricane; and that the control plots will be affected as observed in the pulse treatment before the hurricane; 3) To evaluate state change we will collect aerial imagery that will allow us to look at landscape level shifts in vegetation type compared to pre-storm maps, and augment sampling of transitional plots. We predict that transitional areas will be particularly vulnerable to state change, and that hurricane disturbance will re-set habitat distributions across the landscape. 6. Funding Source: NSF OCE 1803159 B. Sub-project Description 1. Site Description a. Geographic Location: GCE_Domain -- GCE Domain, Sapelo Island, Georgia Coordinates: GCE_Domain -- NW: 081 35 11.25 W, 31 33 49.82 N NE: 081 09 03.73 W, 31 33 49.82 N SE: 081 09 03.73 W, 31 10 12.96 N SW: 081 35 11.25 W, 31 10 12.96 N b. Physiographic Region: GCE_Domain -- unspecified c. Landform Components: GCE_Domain -- unspecified d. Hydrographic Characteristics: GCE_Domain -- Site contains the Altamaha River, Sapelo River, tidal creeks and free connections to the Atlantic Ocean through Doboy Sound and Sapelo Sound e. Topographic Attributes: GCE_Domain -- unspecified f. Geology, Lithology and Soils: GCE_Domain -- unspecified g. Vegetation Communities: GCE_Domain -- unspecified h. History of Land Use and Disturbance: none recorded i. Climate: Climate summary for Sapelo Island, Georgia, based on NWS data from 1980-2010: Daily-aggregated Values: Mean (sample standard deviation) mean air temperature: 20.09°C (7.28°C) minimum air temperature: 15.02°C (7.96°C) maximum air temperature: 24.82°C (6.98°C) total precipitation: 3.26mm (10.3mm) Yearly-aggregated Daily Values: Mean (sample standard deviation) total precipitation (1980-2010): 1124mm (266mm) 2. Experimental or Sampling Design a. Design Characteristics: Ground control point survey of Altamaha River and Duplin River tidal marsh and tidal fresh forest plant species. b. Permanent Plots: c. Data Collection Duration and Frequency: 101 target GCP sampling locations were randomly selected using the ArcGIS 10.4 software program. Sampling locations were uploaded to the RTK GPS and handheld GPS and in the field we navigated to each site to within 1-3 m of the target location insofar as that was possible. Beginning of Observations: May 23, 2018 End of Observations: Jul 07, 2018 3. Research Methods a. Field and Laboratory Methods: Method 1: Method 1 -- RTK- At each tidal marsh sampling location the RTK Rover foot was placed flush with the marsh surface and care was taken to leave the sediment and vegetation undisturbed. In addition to elevation, the dominant plant at each location was noted. For each sampling location, the RTK was set to record 5 sec readings, with a logging interval of 1 sec. Other RTK settings included: 10 degree elevation mask, PDOP mask of 6, minimum vertical precision of 0.015 m and a minimum horizontal precsion of 0.020 m. All RTK observations were automatically stored in the handheld Trimble Survey Controller and uploaded to the computer using the Trimble Geomatics Office Software and exported as ArcGIS shapefiles. Method 2: Method 2 -- Handheld GPS- At each tidal fresh forest site we established a 20 x 25 m plot within which the diameter at breast height (DBH) was recorded for all trees with diameters greater than 10 cm. Location information for the plot center were collected with a Garmin eTrex handheld GPS. b. Protocols: Method 1: none Method 2: none c. Instrumentation: Method 1: Trimble R8 RTK GPS Method 2: Garmin eTrex GPS d. Taxonomy and Systematics: Method 1: Method 2: e. Speclies List: f. Permit History: Method 1: none Method 2: none 4. Project Personnel a. Personnel: 1: Christine M. Hladik 2: Katie Shaw 3: Ashley Williamson 4: Cody Morgan 5: John F. Schalles 6: Merryl Alber b. Affiliations: 1: Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, Georgia 2: null 3: Georgia Southern University 4: Georgia Southern University 5: Creighton University, Omaha, Nebraska 6: University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia III. Data Set Status and Accessibility A. Status 1. Latest Update: 04-Dec-2018 2. Latest Archive Date: 04-Dec-2018 3. Latest Metadata Update: 04-Dec-2018 4. Data Verification Status: new submission B. Accessibility 1. Storage Location and Medium: Stored at GCE-LTER Data Management Office Dept. of Marine Sciences Univ. of Georgia Athens, GA 30602-3636 USA on media: electronic data download (WWW) or compact disk 2. Contact Person: Name: Wade M. Sheldon, Jr. Address: Department of Marine Sciences University of Georgia Athens, Georgia 30602-3636 Country: USA Email: sheldon@uga.edu 3. Copyright Restrictions: not copyrighted 4. Restrictions: This information is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (see: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The consumer of these data ("Data User" herein) has an ethical obligation to cite it appropriately in any publication that results from its use. The Data User should realize that these data may be actively used by others for ongoing research and that coordination may be necessary to prevent duplicate publication. The Data User is urged to contact the authors of these data if any questions about methodology or results occur. Where appropriate, the Data User is encouraged to consider collaboration or co-authorship with the authors. The Data User should realize that misinterpretation of data may occur if used out of context of the original study. While substantial efforts are made to ensure the accuracy of data and associated documentation, complete accuracy of data sets cannot be guaranteed. All data are made available "as is." The Data User should be aware, however, that data are updated periodically and it is the responsibility of the Data User to check for new versions of the data. The data authors and the repository where these data were obtained shall not be liable for damages resulting from any use or misinterpretation of the data. a. Release Date: Affiliates: Dec 03, 2018, Public: Dec 03, 2020 b. Citation: Data provided by the Georgia Coastal Ecosystems Long Term Ecological Research Project, supported by funds from NSF OCE 1237140 (data set GIS-GCED-1812) c. Disclaimer: The user assumes all responsibility for errors in judgement based on interpretation of data and analyses presented in this data set. 5. Costs: free electronic data download via WWW, distribution on CD may be subject to nominal processing and handling fee IV. Data Structural Descriptors A. Data Set File 1. File Name: GIS-GCEL-1812_1_0.CSV 2. Size: 101 records 3. File Format: ASCII text (comma-separated value format) 3a. Delimiters: single comma 4. Header Information: 5 lines of ASCII text 5. Alphanumeric Attributes: 6. Quality Control Flag Codes: 7. Authentication Procedures: 8. Calculations: 9. Processing History: Software version: GCE Data Toolbox Version 3.9.8 (14-Mar-2018) Data structure version: GCE Data Structure 1.1 (29-Mar-2001) Original data file processed: NoName02.txt (101 records) Data processing history: 03-Dec-2018: new GCE Data Structure 1.1 created ('newstruct') 03-Dec-2018: 101 rows imported from ASCII data file 'NoName02.txt' ('imp_ascii') 03-Dec-2018: 81 metadata fields in file header parsed ('parse_header') 03-Dec-2018: data structure validated ('gce_valid') 03-Dec-2018: Variable Type of column Plants changed from 'data' to 'code ('ui_editor') 03-Dec-2018: updated 1 metadata fields in the Dataset sections ('addmeta') 03-Dec-2018: imported Dataset, Project, Site, Study, Status, Supplement metadata descriptors from the GCE Metabase ('imp_gcemetadata') 03-Dec-2018: updated 56 metadata fields in the Dataset, Project, Site, Status, Study, Supplement sections ('addmeta') 03-Dec-2018: manually edited data set metadata ('ui_editmetadata') 03-Dec-2018: Variable Type of column UTM_Zone changed from 'coord' to 'text'; Variable Type of column Dominant changed from 'data' to 'code ('ui_editor') 04-Dec-2018: manually edited data set metadata ('ui_editmetadata') 04-Dec-2018: Variable Type of column UTM_Zone changed from 'text' to 'nominal ('ui_editor') 04-Dec-2018: updated 1 metadata fields in the Dataset sections ('addmeta') 04-Dec-2018: imported Dataset, Project, Site, Study, Status, Supplement metadata descriptors from the GCE Metabase ('imp_gcemetadata') 04-Dec-2018: updated 44 metadata fields in the Dataset, Project, Site, Status, Study, Supplement sections ('addmeta') 04-Dec-2018: manually edited data set metadata ('ui_editmetadata') 04-Dec-2018: updated 1 metadata fields in the Dataset sections ('addmeta') 04-Dec-2018: imported Dataset, Project, Site, Study, Status, Supplement metadata descriptors from the GCE Metabase ('imp_gcemetadata') 04-Dec-2018: updated 44 metadata fields in the Dataset, Project, Site, Status, Study, Supplement sections ('addmeta') 04-Dec-2018: manually edited data set metadata ('ui_editmetadata') 04-Dec-2018: updated 6 metadata fields in the Data sections ('addmeta') 04-Dec-2018: updated 15 metadata fields in the Status, Data sections to reflect attribute metadata ('updatecols') 04-Dec-2018: parsed and formatted metadata ('listmeta') B. Variable Information 1. Variable Name: column 1. ID column 2. Plot_ID column 3. Date column 4. UTM_Zone column 5. UTM_Easting column 6. UTM_Northing column 7. Habitat column 8. Elevation column 9. Dominant column 10. Plants column 11. Height_DBH column 12. Count 2. Variable Definition: column 1. GCP sampling point identification number column 2. Original plot ID column 3. Calendar month, day, and year column 4. UTM Zone column 5. UTM easting coordinates column 6. UTM northing coordinates column 7. National Wetlands Inventory Habitat Classification column 8. surveyed RTK ground elevation for tidal marsh GCPs column 9. Dominant plant species present at GCP location column 10. All tidal marsh plant species present within a 0.25 m x 0.25 m quadrat centered on the GCP OR for tidal fresh forest GCPs, all species within a 20 x 25 m plot centered on the GCP column 11. Average height of all tidal marsh plants within a 0.25 m x 0.25 m quadrat centered on the GCP OR for tidal fresh forest GCPs, the average diameter at breast height (DBH) of all trees with DBH of 10 cm within a 20 x 25 m plot centered on the GCP column 12. Number of tidal marsh plant stems present within a 0.25 m x 0.25 m quadrat centered on the GCP OR for tidal fresh forest GCPs, the number of trees within a 20 x 25 m plot centered on the GCP 3. Units of Measurement: column 1. None column 2. None column 3. dd-mmm-yyyy column 4. None column 5. m column 6. m column 7. None column 8. m column 9. None column 10. None column 11. cm column 12. None 4. Data Type a. Storage Type: column 1. string column 2. string column 3. string column 4. string column 5. floating-point column 6. floating-point column 7. string column 8. floating-point column 9. string column 10. string column 11. floating-point column 12. integer b. Variable Codes: Dominant: RM = Acer rubrum (red maple), AL = Arenaria lateriflora (Moehringia lateriflora), SWC = Arundinaria tecta (Switch Cane), BH = Baccharis halimifolia, BM = Batis maritimas, BOLBO = Bolboschoenus spp., BF = Borrichia frutescens, HS = Carex lupulina (Hop Sedge), CEO = Cephalanthus occidentalis, NSO = Chasmanthium latifolium (Northern Sea Oats), CLAD = Cladium jamaicense, CP = Cypress spp., DC = Daucus carota, DIST = Distichlis spicata, ELEO = Eleocharis spp., ASH = Fraxinus caroliniana (Carolina Ash), MUD = Intertidal Mud, IVA = Iva frutescens, JUEF = Juncus effusus, JR = Juncus roemerianus, JV = Juniperus virginiana, KOVI = Kosteletzkya virginica, SG = Liquidambar styraciflua (Sweet Gum), LUPE = Ludwigia peploides, SBM = Magnolia virginica (Sweetbay Magnolia), MM = Marsh Meadow (BM-DIST-SV-SS mix), WT = Nyssa aquatica (Water Tupelo/Black Gum), SF = Onoclea sensibilis (Sensitive Fern), PAVI = Panicum virgatum, GAA = Peltandra virginica (Green Arrow Arum), PINE = Pine Forest, PLUC = Pluchea carolinensis, POLY = Polygonus spp, PONT = Pontederia cordata, SRO = Quercus falcata (Southern Red Oak), LSO = Quercus laurifolia (Laurel Swamp Oak), RV = Rumex verticillatus, SALA = Sagittaria lancifolia, SLAT = Sagittaria latifolia, SV = Salicornia virginica (Sarcoconia spp), LT = Saururus cernuus (Lizard’s Tail), SCAM = Schoenoplectus americanus, SCHO = Schoenoplectus spp., SCTA = Schoenoplectus tabernaemontani, PALM = Serenoa repens, ST = Spartina alterniflora (tall), SM = Spartina alterniflora (medium), SS = Spartina alterniflora (short), SC = Spartina cynosuroides, SUAE = Suaeda linearis, HLT = Tracaulon arifolium (Halberd-Leaved Tearthumb), TYPH = Typha domingensis, WE = Ulmus americana (White Elm), ZIMI = Zizaniopsis miliacea Plants: RM = Acer rubrum (red maple), AL = Arenaria lateriflora (Moehringia lateriflora), SWC = Arundinaria tecta (Switch Cane), BH = Baccharis halimifolia, BM = Batis maritimas, BOLBO = Bolboschoenus spp., BF = Borrichia frutescens, HS = Carex lupulina (Hop Sedge), CEO = Cephalanthus occidentalis, NSO = Chasmanthium latifolium (Northern Sea Oats), CLAD = Cladium jamaicense, CP = Cypress spp., DC = Daucus carota, DIST = Distichlis spicata, ELEO = Eleocharis spp., ASH = Fraxinus caroliniana (Carolina Ash), MUD = Intertidal Mud, IVA = Iva frutescens, JUEF = Juncus effusus, JR = Juncus roemerianus, JV = Juniperus virginiana, KOVI = Kosteletzkya virginica, SG = Liquidambar styraciflua (Sweet Gum), LUPE = Ludwigia peploides, SBM = Magnolia virginica (Sweetbay Magnolia), MM = Marsh Meadow (BM-DIST-SV-SS mix), WT = Nyssa aquatica (Water Tupelo/Black Gum), SF = Onoclea sensibilis (Sensitive Fern), PAVI = Panicum virgatum, GAA = Peltandra virginica (Green Arrow Arum), PINE = Pine Forest, PLUC = Pluchea carolinensis, POLY = Polygonus spp, PONT = Pontederia cordata, SRO = Quercus falcata (Southern Red Oak), LSO = Quercus laurifolia (Laurel Swamp Oak), RV = Rumex verticillatus, SALA = Sagittaria lancifolia, SLAT = Sagittaria latifolia, SV = Salicornia virginica (Sarcoconia spp), LT = Saururus cernuus (Lizard’s Tail), SCAM = Schoenoplectus americanus, SCHO = Schoenoplectus spp., SCTA = Schoenoplectus tabernaemontani, PALM = Serenoa repens, ST = Spartina alterniflora (tall), SM = Spartina alterniflora (medium), SS = Spartina alterniflora (short), SC = Spartina cynosuroides, SUAE = Suaeda linearis, HLT = Tracaulon arifolium (Halberd-Leaved Tearthumb), TYPH = Typha domingensis, WE = Ulmus americana (White Elm), ZIMI = Zizaniopsis miliacea c. Numeric Range: column 1. (none) column 2. (none) column 3. (none) column 4. (none) column 5. 3462449.874 to 3483497.547 column 6. 445043.8148 to 473899.052 column 7. (none) column 8. 0.2 to 1.179 column 9. (none) column 10. (none) column 11. 14.154 to 263 column 12. 0 to 82 d. Missing Value Code: 5. Data Format a. Column Type: column 1. text column 2. text column 3. text column 4. text column 5. numerical column 6. numerical column 7. text column 8. numerical column 9. text column 10. text column 11. numerical column 12. numerical b. Number of Columns: 12 c. Decimal Places: column 1. 0 column 2. 0 column 3. 0 column 4. 0 column 5. 3 column 6. 3 column 7. 0 column 8. 3 column 9. 0 column 10. 0 column 11. 2 column 12. 0 6. Logical Variable Type: column 1. nominal (none) column 2. nominal (none) column 3. datetime (none) column 4. nominal (none) column 5. geographic coordinate (continuous) column 6. geographic coordinate (continuous) column 7. free text (none) column 8. data (continuous) column 9. coded value (none) column 10. coded value (none) column 11. data (continuous) column 12. data (discrete) 7. Flagging Criteria: column 1. none column 2. none column 3. none column 4. none column 5. none column 6. none column 7. none column 8. none column 9. none column 10. none column 11. none column 12. none C. Data Anomalies: V. Supplemental Descriptors A. Data Acquisition 1. Data Forms: Field notebooks, Excel spreadsheets 2. Form Location: Office of Christine Hladik 3. Data Entry Validation: B. Quality Assurance/Quality Control Procedures: C. Supplemental Materials: D. Computer Programs: Microsoft Excel 2016; Trimble Geomatics Office E. Archival Practices: F. Publications: not specified G. History of Data Set Usage 1. Data Request History: not specified 2. Data Set Update History: none 3. Review History: none 4. Questions and Comments from Users: none