I. Data Set Descriptors A. Title: Merryl Alber. 2012. GCE-LTER Hammock Well Vegetation and Invertebrate Monitoring - January 2012. Georgia Coastal Ecosystems LTER Data Catalog (data set MLT-GCEM-1201; http://gce-lter.marsci.uga.edu/public/app/dataset_details.asp?accession=MLT-GCEM-1201) B. Accession Number: MLT-GCEM-1201 C. Description 1. Originator(s): Name: Merryl Alber Address: Dept. of Marine Sciences University of Georgia Athens, Georgia 30602-3636 Country: USA Email: malber@uga.edu 2. Abstract: In July 2008 the GCE LTER program selected two hammocks for intensive study: HN_i_1 and PC_i_29. HN_i_1 is of Holocene origin and is located adjacent to Blackbeard Island to the north of Sapelo Island, Georgia. PC_i_29 is also of Holocene origin and is located adjacent to the south end of Sapelo Island. These hammocks are of similar size, with similar vegetation zones in the high marsh environment. Groundwater well transects were established that run from the upland, through the marsh, and up and over the upland area of each hammock. Two permanent plots were established at each well in order to characterize the plant and invertebrate diversity and abundance by surveying plots once a year. This data set includes the results of January 2012 monitoring studies. 3. Study Type: Monitoring 4. Study Themes: Plant Ecology, Aquatic Invertebrate Ecology 5. LTER Core Areas: Populations 6. Georeferences: geographic coordinates as data columns 7. Submission Date: Feb 01, 2012 D. Keywords: Amaranthaceae, Angiospermae, Animalia, Archaeopulmonata, Asteraceae, Asterales, Asteranae, Bataceae, Batis maritima, Bilateria, bivalves, Bivalvia, Borrichia, Borrichia frutescens, Brassicales, Caryophyllales, Caryophyllanae, Distichlis spicata, Ellobiidae, Gastropoda, GCE, Georgia, Georgia Coastal Ecosystems, Geukensia demissa, hammock, invertebrates, Juncaceae, Juncus, Juncus roemerianus, Lilianae, Littoraria irrorata, Littorinidae, Lophozoa, LTER, Magnoliopsida, Melampus bidentatus, Mollusca, mollusks, Mytilidae, Mytiloida, Neotaenioglossa, plant communities, plant cover, plant species composition, Plantae, plants, Poaceae, Poales, Populations, Protostomia, Pteriomorphia, Rosanae, Salicornia depressa, Sapelo Island, snails, Spartina, Spartina alterniflora, Spermatophytina, Streptophyta, Tracheophyta, USA, Viridaeplantae, wells II. Research Origin Descriptors A. Overall Project Description 1. Project Title: Georgia Coastal Ecosystems LTER Project II 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: May 01, 2006 to Jan 01, 2013 4. Objectives: To understand the mechanisms by which variation in the quality, source and amount of both fresh and salt water create temporal and spatial variability in estuarine habitats and processes, in order to predict directional changes that will occur in response to long-term shifts in estuarine salinity patterns 5. Abstract: The Georgia Coastal Ecosystems (GCE) LTER program, located on the central Georgia coast, was established in 2000. The study domain encompasses three adjacent sounds (Altamaha, Doboy, Sapelo) and includes upland (mainland, barrier islands, marsh hammocks), intertidal (fresh, brackish and salt marsh) and submerged (river, estuary, continental shelf) habitats. Patterns and processes in this complex landscape vary spatially within and between sites, and temporally on multiple scales (tidal, diurnal, seasonal, and interannual). Overlain on this spatial and temporal variation are long-term trends caused by climate change, sea level rise, and human alterations of the landscape. These long-term trends are likely to manifest in many ways, including changes in water quality, river discharge, runoff and tidal inundation patterns throughout the estuarine landscape. The overarching goal of the GCE program is to understand the mechanisms by which variation in the quality, source and amount of both fresh and salt water create temporal and spatial variability in estuarine habitats and processes, in order to predict directional changes that will occur in response to long-term shifts in estuarine salinity patterns. The objectives of the current funding cycle are 1) to continue to document long-term patterns of environmental forcing to the coastal zone, 2) to link environmental forcing to observed spatial and temporal patterns of biogeochemical processes, primary production, community dynamics, decomposition and disturbance, 3) to investigate the underlying mechanisms by which environmental gradients along the longitudinal (freshwater-saltwater) and 4) lateral (upland-subtidal) axes of estuaries drive ecosystem change, and 5) to explore the relative importance of larval transport and the conditions of the adult environment in determining community and genetic structure across both the longitudinal and vertical gradients of the estuary. To meet these objectives, we utilize a suite of approaches including long-term monitoring of abiotic drivers and ecosystem responses; manipulative and natural experiments designed to enable us to examine the importance of key ecosystem drivers; and modeling. 6. Funding Source: NSF OCE 0620959 B. Sub-project Description 1. Site Description a. Geographic Location: HN_i_1 -- Hammock HN_i_1, Sapelo Island, Georgia, USA PC_i_29 -- Hammock PC_i_29, Sapelo Island, Georgia, USA HN_i_1_WELL_LOC_2 -- Hammock HN_i_1 Well Location 2 HN_i_1_WELL_LOC_3 -- Hammock HN_i_1 Well Location 3 HN_i_1_WELL_LOC_4 -- Hammock HN_i_1 Well Location 4 HN_i_1_WELL_LOC_6 -- Hammock HN_i_1 Well Location 6 HN_i_1_WELL_LOC_7 -- Hammock HN_i_1 Well Location 7 HN_i_1_WELL_LOC_8 -- Hammock HN_i_1 Well Location 8 PC_i_29_WELL_LOC_1 -- Hammock PC_i_29 Well Location 1 PC_i_29_WELL_LOC_2 -- Hammock PC_i_29 Well Location 2 PC_i_29_WELL_LOC_3 -- Hammock PC_i_29 Well Location 3 PC_i_29_WELL_LOC_4 -- Hammock PC_i_29 Well Location 4 PC_i_29_WELL_LOC_6 -- Hammock PC_i_29 Well Location 6 PC_i_29_WELL_LOC_8 -- Hammock PC_i_29 Well Location 8 PC_i_29_WELL_LOC_9 -- Hammock PC_i_29 Well Location 9 Coordinates: HN_i_1 -- NW: 81 12 38.0 W, 31 31 06.6 N NE: 81 12 34.9 W, 31 31 06.6 N SE: 81 12 34.9 W, 31 31 01.6 N SW: 81 12 38.0 W, 31 31 01.6 N PC_i_29 -- NW: 81 16 43.6 W, 31 23 41.1 N NE: 81 16 39.3 W, 31 23 41.1 N SE: 81 16 39.3 W, 31 23 39.5 N SW: 81 16 43.6 W, 31 23 39.5 N HN_i_1_WELL_LOC_2 -- 81 12 34.6 W, 31 31 07.0 N HN_i_1_WELL_LOC_3 -- 81 12 35.9 W, 31 31 06.2 N HN_i_1_WELL_LOC_4 -- 81 12 36.8 W, 31 31 05.7 N HN_i_1_WELL_LOC_6 -- 81 12 37.3 W, 31 31 05.4 N HN_i_1_WELL_LOC_7 -- 81 12 37.5 W, 31 31 05.3 N HN_i_1_WELL_LOC_8 -- 81 12 38.0 W, 31 31 04.9 N PC_i_29_WELL_LOC_1 -- 81 16 39.9 W, 31 23 42.0 N PC_i_29_WELL_LOC_2 -- 81 16 40.2 W, 31 23 41.7 N PC_i_29_WELL_LOC_3 -- 81 16 40.5 W, 31 23 41.5 N PC_i_29_WELL_LOC_4 -- 81 16 41.0 W, 31 23 41.0 N PC_i_29_WELL_LOC_6 -- 81 16 42.7 W, 31 23 39.7 N PC_i_29_WELL_LOC_8 -- 81 16 42.8 W, 31 23 39.3 N PC_i_29_WELL_LOC_9 -- 81 16 43.3 W, 31 23 38.5 N b. Physiographic Region: HN_i_1 -- Back-barrier island PC_i_29 -- Back-barrier island HN_i_1_WELL_LOC_2 -- Back-barrier island HN_i_1_WELL_LOC_3 -- Back-barrier island HN_i_1_WELL_LOC_4 -- Back-barrier island HN_i_1_WELL_LOC_6 -- Back-barrier island HN_i_1_WELL_LOC_7 -- Back-barrier island HN_i_1_WELL_LOC_8 -- Back-barrier island PC_i_29_WELL_LOC_1 -- Back-barrier island PC_i_29_WELL_LOC_2 -- Back-barrier island PC_i_29_WELL_LOC_3 -- Back-barrier island PC_i_29_WELL_LOC_4 -- Back-barrier island PC_i_29_WELL_LOC_6 -- Back-barrier island PC_i_29_WELL_LOC_8 -- Back-barrier island PC_i_29_WELL_LOC_9 -- Back-barrier island c. Landform Components: HN_i_1 -- Maritime forest bordered by intertidal salt marsh PC_i_29 -- Maritime forest bordered by intertidal salt marsh HN_i_1_WELL_LOC_2 -- Marsh hammock HN_i_1_WELL_LOC_3 -- Marsh hammock HN_i_1_WELL_LOC_4 -- Marsh hammock HN_i_1_WELL_LOC_6 -- Marsh hammock HN_i_1_WELL_LOC_7 -- Marsh hammock HN_i_1_WELL_LOC_8 -- Marsh hammock PC_i_29_WELL_LOC_1 -- Marsh hammock PC_i_29_WELL_LOC_2 -- Marsh hammock PC_i_29_WELL_LOC_3 -- Marsh hammock PC_i_29_WELL_LOC_4 -- Marsh hammock PC_i_29_WELL_LOC_6 -- Marsh hammock PC_i_29_WELL_LOC_8 -- Marsh hammock PC_i_29_WELL_LOC_9 -- Marsh hammock d. Hydrographic Characteristics: HN_i_1 -- Site is subject to 2-3m semi-diurnal tides PC_i_29 -- Site is subject to 2-3m semi-diurnal tides HN_i_1_WELL_LOC_2 -- Site is subject to 2-3m semi-diurnal tides HN_i_1_WELL_LOC_3 -- Site is subject to 2-3m semi-diurnal tides HN_i_1_WELL_LOC_4 -- Site is subject to 2-3m semi-diurnal tides HN_i_1_WELL_LOC_6 -- Site is subject to 2-3m semi-diurnal tides HN_i_1_WELL_LOC_7 -- Site is subject to 2-3m semi-diurnal tides HN_i_1_WELL_LOC_8 -- Site is subject to 2-3m semi-diurnal tides PC_i_29_WELL_LOC_1 -- Site is subject to 2-3m semi-diurnal tides PC_i_29_WELL_LOC_2 -- Site is subject to 2-3m semi-diurnal tides PC_i_29_WELL_LOC_3 -- Site is subject to 2-3m semi-diurnal tides PC_i_29_WELL_LOC_4 -- Site is subject to 2-3m semi-diurnal tides PC_i_29_WELL_LOC_6 -- Site is subject to 2-3m semi-diurnal tides PC_i_29_WELL_LOC_8 -- Site is subject to 2-3m semi-diurnal tides PC_i_29_WELL_LOC_9 -- Site is subject to 2-3m semi-diurnal tides e. Topographic Attributes: HN_i_1 -- Flat, with elevations ranging from 0-3m above mean low tide PC_i_29 -- Flat, with elevations ranging from 0-3m above mean low tide HN_i_1_WELL_LOC_2 -- Flat, with elevations ranging from 0-3m above mean low tide HN_i_1_WELL_LOC_3 -- Flat, with elevations ranging from 0-3m above mean low tide HN_i_1_WELL_LOC_4 -- Flat, with elevations ranging from 0-3m above mean low tide HN_i_1_WELL_LOC_6 -- Flat, with elevations ranging from 0-3m above mean low tide HN_i_1_WELL_LOC_7 -- Flat, with elevations ranging from 0-3m above mean low tide HN_i_1_WELL_LOC_8 -- Flat, with elevations ranging from 0-3m above mean low tide PC_i_29_WELL_LOC_1 -- Flat, with elevations ranging from 0-3m above mean low tide PC_i_29_WELL_LOC_2 -- Flat, with elevations ranging from 0-3m above mean low tide PC_i_29_WELL_LOC_3 -- Flat, with elevations ranging from 0-3m above mean low tide PC_i_29_WELL_LOC_4 -- Flat, with elevations ranging from 0-3m above mean low tide PC_i_29_WELL_LOC_6 -- Flat, with elevations ranging from 0-3m above mean low tide PC_i_29_WELL_LOC_8 -- Flat, with elevations ranging from 0-3m above mean low tide PC_i_29_WELL_LOC_9 -- Flat, with elevations ranging from 0-3m above mean low tide f. Geology, Lithology and Soils: HN_i_1 -- Holocene sediments PC_i_29 -- Pleistocene sediments HN_i_1_WELL_LOC_2 -- Holocene sediments HN_i_1_WELL_LOC_3 -- Holocene sediments HN_i_1_WELL_LOC_4 -- Holocene sediments HN_i_1_WELL_LOC_6 -- Holocene sediments HN_i_1_WELL_LOC_7 -- Holocene sediments HN_i_1_WELL_LOC_8 -- Holocene sediments PC_i_29_WELL_LOC_1 -- Pleistocene sediments PC_i_29_WELL_LOC_2 -- Pleistocene sediments PC_i_29_WELL_LOC_3 -- Pleistocene sediments PC_i_29_WELL_LOC_4 -- Pleistocene sediments PC_i_29_WELL_LOC_6 -- Pleistocene sediments PC_i_29_WELL_LOC_8 -- Pleistocene sediments PC_i_29_WELL_LOC_9 -- Pleistocene sediments g. Vegetation Communities: HN_i_1 -- unspecified PC_i_29 -- unspecified HN_i_1_WELL_LOC_2 -- unspecified HN_i_1_WELL_LOC_3 -- unspecified HN_i_1_WELL_LOC_4 -- unspecified HN_i_1_WELL_LOC_6 -- unspecified HN_i_1_WELL_LOC_7 -- unspecified HN_i_1_WELL_LOC_8 -- unspecified PC_i_29_WELL_LOC_1 -- unspecified PC_i_29_WELL_LOC_2 -- unspecified PC_i_29_WELL_LOC_3 -- unspecified PC_i_29_WELL_LOC_4 -- unspecified PC_i_29_WELL_LOC_6 -- unspecified PC_i_29_WELL_LOC_8 -- unspecified PC_i_29_WELL_LOC_9 -- 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: Long term monitoring of the plots at each well were sampled for plant and invertebrate data once a year. b. Permanent Plots: "Two long term quadrats were established adjacent to each of the wells on hammocks HN_i_1 and PC_i_29. Size: At each of the wells (excluding the upland wells) on each of the two hammocks, 2 plots are established that measure either 0.25 x 0.25 m or 0.5 x 0.5 m depending on the number of plants in the plot (we want at least 10 plants in the plot, for example Juncus was denser and plots in these zones were generally 0.25 x 0.25m) Orientation: The two plots should be located in an un-trampled area within 3-m of the wells and approximately 2-m from one another. They are then marked with PVC painted orange and yellow (the orange PVC is in the northwest corner of the plot and yellow in the southeast corner). Labeling: The plots will be named according to the well location and orientation. In the pair of plots, the one closest to the hammock will always be labeled B. (Plots located at the third well would be named ‘W3A and W3B’ with the one closest to the hammock being plot B) " c. Data Collection Duration and Frequency: Plots were sampled once a year during the late summer beginning in 2008. Sampling for summer 2011 was pushed back to January 2012. Beginning of Observations: Jan 06, 2012 End of Observations: Jan 17, 2012 3. Research Methods a. Field and Laboratory Methods: Method 1: Plot Selection -- Two long term quadrats were established adjacent to each of the PVC groundwater wells installed on hammocks HN_i_1 and PC_i_29 on Sapelo Island. At each of the wells (excluding the upland wells) on each of the two hammocks, 2 plots were established that measured either 0.25 x 0.25 m or 0.5 x 0.5 m depending on the number of plants in the plot (we wanted at least 10 plants in the plot, for example Juncus was denser and plots in these zones were generally 0.25 x 0.25m). The two plots were located in an un-trampled area within 3-m of the wells and approximately 2-m from one another and marked with PVC pipe painted orange and yellow (the orange PVC is in the northwest corner of the plot and yellow in the southeast corner). The plots were named according to the well location and orientation. In the pair of plots, the one closest to the hammock was labeled B. Plots located at the third well were named ‘W3A and W3B’ with the one closest to the hammock being plot B. The locations of each well was precisely determined using an RTK-GPS system. Method 2: Invertebrate Sampling -- Crab holes, snails, mussels, and clams are counted in un-trampled plots set up adjacent the permanent plots so that they are not disturbed. A quadrat with 2 partitions, thus creating 3 areas out of a total 5000 cm2, is used to determine the number of each invertebrate in the plot. Crab holes: Count the number of crab holes in the smallest area (625 cm2), of the plot. Snails: Count the number of live snails in the second largest area (2500 cm2) if they are high in density, and over the entire area (5000 cm2) of the quadrat if they are in low density (Make sure to examine the ground closely, sometimes Melampus are hard to notice!). Mussels and Clams: Count the number of live mussels and clams present over the entire area of the quadrat (it is helpful to rub your fingers over the ground to make sure there aren’t any just below the surface). Method 3: Leaves -- Count the number of live leaves on the first ten plants around the yellow pole in each plot. Make sure to only take counts from Spartina, Juncus, and Borrichia. If there is a mixture, take up to 10 counts for each species ( if a plot was all Juncus with 2 Spartina plants you would record counts from 10 Juncus and 2 Spartina) Juncus: Count the number of live shoots in the plant. Spartina: Count the number of leaves in each plant except for the center most leaf. The leaves are easily separated from one another and if two leaves are not, then they are counted as 1. Borrichia: Count the number of nodes over the entire plant. A node is a region on the stem or branch with a cluster of leaves rising from it. There are generally many leaves at the tip of a stem or branch and these are considered 1 node. For Borrichia we are also noting whether there is branching or flowers present on the first 10 plants. Method 4: Plants -- Juncus: Plants are generally easily separated from one another and a ‘sheath’ is visible at the base of plants with 2+ shoots, with the shoots clustered together. Plants with only a single shoot are not uncommon and are generally separated from clusters of other plants. Spartina: Plants are very easily distinguished with a single thick base and 2+ leaves radiating outwards from the base. Borrichia: Plants can be branched or un-branched. They appear as a single stem coming out of the ground (If branching occurs very close to the ground but is obviously off of the same stem count it as one plant) Method 5: Stems -- Record the stem heights of all Juncus, Spartina, and Borrichia plants located within the plot starting from the ground to the nearest 5-cm, making sure to only measure the live part of the plant (not dead leaves, stems, or tips of shoots) . Juncus: Take the height of the tallest shoot in the plant. Spartina: Take the height of the tallest leaf in the plant (this is generally the central leaf). Borrichia: Take the height of the tallest branch for each plant (If no branching occurs, measure the height of the single stem). Method 6: Vegetation Percent Cover -- Record the percent cover of every species and amount of bare space present in the plot using a 0.5 x 0.5-m quadrat with 100 squares (The quadrat will hang over the edges of 0.25 x 0.25-m plots, just line it up the best you can). Some studies calculate percent cover by only counting squares with the base of a stem in it, for our purposes if a single plant can be viewed in multiple squares we will count those and not just the one with the base of the stem. b. Instrumentation: Method 1: RTK GPS Manufacturer: Trimble (Model: R6) Parameter: Elevation (Accuracy: 20mm + 1 ppm RMS, Readability: 1mm, ) Protocol: Base receiver is placed on a permanent cement base installed near each field site, connected to GLONASS satellite services via mobile 3G Internet connection, and allowed to establish a stable benchmark positional fix. A portable wireless rover unit is then used to collect and log horizontal position and vertical elevation data for sites being surveyed. Parameter: Latitude (Accuracy: 10 mm + 1 ppm RMS, Readability: 1mm, Range: 0-90 degrees) Protocol: Base receiver is placed on a permanent cement base installed near each field site, connected to GLONASS satellite services via mobile 3G Internet connection, and allowed to establish a stable benchmark positional fix. A portable wireless rover unit is then used to collect and log horizontal position and vertical elevation data for sites being surveyed. Parameter: Longitude (Accuracy: 10 mm + 1 ppm RMS, Readability: 1mm, Range: 0-180 degrees) Protocol: Base receiver is placed on a permanent cement base installed near each field site, connected to GLONASS satellite services via mobile 3G Internet connection, and allowed to establish a stable benchmark positional fix. A portable wireless rover unit is then used to collect and log horizontal position and vertical elevation data for sites being surveyed. Method 2: none Method 3: none Method 4: none Method 5: none Method 6: none c. Taxonomy and Systematics: Method 1: not applicable Method 2: not applicable Method 3: not applicable Method 4: not applicable Method 5: not applicable Method 6: not applicable d. Speclies List: e. Permit History: Method 1: not applicable Method 2: not applicable Method 3: not applicable Method 4: not applicable Method 5: not applicable Method 6: not applicable 4. Project Personnel a. Personnel: 1: Merryl Alber 2: Steven C. Pennings 3: Caroline M. Reddy 4: Justin P. Manley b. Affiliations: 1: University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 2: University of Houston, Houston, Texas 3: University of Georgia, Sapelo Island, Georgia 4: University of Georgia, Sapelo Island, Georgia III. Data Set Status and Accessibility A. Status 1. Latest Update: 06-Feb-2015 2. Latest Archive Date: 06-Feb-2015 3. Latest Metadata Update: 06-Feb-2015 4. Data Verification Status: Reviewed by GCE IM 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: Dept. of Marine Sciences University of Georgia Athens, Georgia 30602-3636 Country: USA Email: sheldon@uga.edu 3. Copyright Restrictions: not copyrighted 4. Restrictions: All publications based on this data set must cite the contributor and Georgia Coastal Ecosystems LTER project, and two copies of the manuscript must be submitted to the GCE-LTER Information Management Office. a. Release Date: Affiliates: Feb 01, 2012, Public: Feb 01, 2013 b. Citation: Data provided by the Georgia Coastal Ecosystems Long Term Ecological Research Project, supported by funds from NSF OCE 0620959 (data set MLT-GCEM-1201) 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: MLT-GCEM-1201_1_0.CSV 2. Size: 710 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: Q = questionable value, I = invalid value 7. Authentication Procedures: 8. Calculations: UTM_Zone: UTM_Zone = 17 9. Processing History: Software version: GCE Data Toolbox Version 3.9.2 (01-Dec-2014) Data structure version: GCE Data Structure 1.1 (29-Mar-2001) Original data file processed: MLT-GCEM-1201.txt (710 records) Data processing history: 22-Oct-2014: new GCE Data Structure 1.1 created ('newstruct') 22-Oct-2014: 710 rows imported from ASCII data file 'MLT-GCEM-1201.txt' ('imp_ascii') 22-Oct-2014: 82 metadata fields in file header parsed ('parse_header') 22-Oct-2014: data structure validated ('gce_valid') 22-Oct-2014: Q/C flagging criteria applied, 'flags' field updated ('dataflag') 22-Oct-2014: automatically assigned study date metadata descriptors based on the range of date values in date/time columns (add_studydates) 22-Oct-2014: imported Dataset, Project, Site, Study, Status, Supplement metadata descriptors from the GCE Metabase ('imp_gcemetadata') 22-Oct-2014: updated 48 metadata fields in the Dataset, Project, Site, Status, Study, Supplement sections ('addmeta') 22-Oct-2014: Description of column Number_of_Crab_Holes_in_625cm2_Quadrat edited; Name of column Hammock_ID changed to Site; Name of column Number_of_Crab_Holes_in_625cm2_Quadrat changed to Number_of_Crab_Holes_Quadrat; Name of column Number_of_Leaves/Nodes changed to Number_of_Leaves_Nodes;Variable Type of column Well_UTM_Easting changed from 'coordinate' to 'coord'; Variable Type of column Well_UTM_Northing changed from 'coordinate' to 'coord ('ui_editor') 22-Oct-2014: Units of column Plant_Species changed from 'code' to 'None'; Units of column Flowering changed from 'code' to 'None'; Units of column Branched changed from 'code' to 'None';Data Type of column Percent_Cover changed from 'd' to 'f';Numeric Type of column Percent_Cover changed from 'discrete' to 'continuous ('ui_editor') 06-Feb-2015: imported Dataset, Project, Site, Study, Status, Supplement metadata descriptors from the GCE Metabase ('imp_gcemetadata') 06-Feb-2015: updated 48 metadata fields in the Dataset, Project, Site, Status, Study, Supplement sections ('addmeta') 06-Feb-2015: calculated calendar date in DD-MMM-YYYY format from individual date component columns Year, Month and Day, added 'Date' column at position 1 ('add_datecol') 06-Feb-2015: Descriptions of columns Well_UTM_Easting and Well_UTM_Northing edited; Name of column Well_UTM_Easting changed to UTM_Northing; Name of column Well_UTM_Northing changed to UTM_Easting;deleted columns Year, Month and Day from data structure ('ui_editor') 06-Feb-2015: calculated column UTM_Zone generated by the expression '17' (add_calcexpr) 06-Feb-2015: updated 1 metadata fields in the Data sections ('addmeta') 06-Feb-2015: Description of column Plot_Number edited; Units of column Site changed from 'None' to 'none'; Units of column Well_Number changed from 'None' to 'none'; Units of column Plot_Number changed from 'None' to 'none'; Units of column Number_of_Crab_Holes_Quadrat changed from 'Count' to 'count'; Units of column Littoraria_Count changed from 'Count' to 'count'; Units of column Melampus_Count changed from 'Count' to 'count'; Units of column Geukensia_Count changed from 'Count' to 'count'; Units of column Plant_Species changed from 'None' to 'none'; Units of column Number_of_Leaves_Nodes changed from 'Count' to 'count'; Units of column Flowering changed from 'None' to 'none'; Units of column Branched changed from 'None' to 'none';Variable Type of column Plot_Number changed from 'nominal' to 'ordinal ('ui_editor') 06-Feb-2015: updated values in 12 row(s) of column UTM_Easting to 480099.367, based on the query 'strcmp(Site,'HN_i_1') & Well_Number == 2' ('update_query') 06-Feb-2015: added column 'Location' at position 4 ('addcol') 06-Feb-2015: calculated Latitude and Longitude from UTM coordinates in UTM_Zone, UTM_Easting and UTM_Northing using WGS84 datum ('add_latloncoords') 06-Feb-2015: added column 'Latitude' at position 8 ('addcol') 06-Feb-2015: Q/C flagging criteria applied for column(s) Latitude, 'flags' field updated ('dataflag') 06-Feb-2015: added column 'Longitude' at position 9 ('addcol') 06-Feb-2015: Q/C flagging criteria applied for column(s) Longitude, 'flags' field updated ('dataflag') 06-Feb-2015: manually edited data set metadata ('ui_editmetadata') 06-Feb-2015: Descriptions of columns Date and UTM_Zone edited; Q/C Criteria of column UTM_Zone changed from '' to 'x~=17='Q''; Q/C Criteria of column UTM_Northing changed from '' to 'x<0='I''; Q/C Criteria of column UTM_Easting changed from '' to 'x<0='I''; Q/C Criteria of column Latitude changed from 'x<-90='I';x>90='I'' to 'x<-90='I';x>90='I';x<31='Q';x>32='Q''; Q/C Criteria of column Longitude changed from 'x<-180='I';x>180='I'' to 'x<-180='I';x>180='I';x<-82='Q';x>-80='Q''; Q/C Criteria of column Plot_Number changed from 'x<1='I';x>2='I';x<1='Q';x>2='Q'' to 'x<1='I';x>2='Q''; Q/C Criteria of column Number_of_Crab_Holes_Quadrat changed from 'x<0='I';x<0='Q'' to 'x<0='I''; Q/C Criteria of column Mollusc_Quadrat_Area changed from 'x<625='I';x>5000='I';x<625='Q';x>5000='Q'' to 'x<625='I';x>5000='I''; Q/C Criteria of column Littoraria_Count changed from 'x<0='I';x<0='Q'' to 'x<0='I''; Q/C Criteria of column Melampus_Count changed from 'x<0='I';x<0='Q'' to 'x<0='I''; Q/C Criteria of column Geukensia_Count changed from 'x<0='I';x<0='Q'' to 'x<0='I''; Q/C Criteria of column Percent_Cover changed from 'x<0='I';x>100='I';x<0='Q';x>100='Q'' to 'x<0='I';x>100='I''; Q/C Criteria of column Plant_Quadrat_Size changed from 'x<625='I';x>5000='I';x<625='Q';x>5000='Q'' to 'x<625='I';x>5000='I''; Q/C Criteria of column Height changed from 'x<0='I';x<0='Q'' to 'x<0='I''; Q/C Criteria of column Number_of_Leaves_Nodes changed from 'x<0='I';x<0='Q'' to 'x<0='I''; Q/C Criteria of column Flowering changed from 'x<0='I';x>1='I';x<0='Q';x>1='Q'' to 'x<0='I';x>1='I''; Q/C Criteria of column Branched changed from 'x<0='I';x>1='I';x<0='Q';x>1='Q'' to 'x<0='I';x>1='I' ('ui_editor') 06-Feb-2015: Q/C flagging criteria applied for column(s) UTM_Zone, UTM_Northing, UTM_Easting, Latitude, Longitude, Plot_Number, Number_of_Crab_Holes_Quadrat, Mollusc_Quadrat_Area, Littoraria_Count, Melampus_Count, Geukensia_Count, Percent_Cover, Plant_Quadrat_Size, Height, Number_of_Leaves_Nodes, Flowering and Branched, 'flags' field updated ('dataflag') 06-Feb-2015: added geographic metadata based on matching values in columns Site and Location to site and transect names registered in 'geo_polygons.mat' and location and station names registered in 'geo_locations.mat' ('add_sitemetadata') 06-Feb-2015: updated 8 metadata fields in the Site sections ('addmeta') 06-Feb-2015: converted dates in column(s) Date to format mm/dd/yyyy 06-Feb-2015: Units of column Date changed from 'mm/dd/yyyy' to 'MM/DD/YYYY ('ui_editor') 06-Feb-2015: manually edited data set metadata ('ui_editmetadata') 06-Feb-2015: Name of column Number_of_Crab_Holes_Quadrat changed to Number_of_Crab_Hole ('ui_editor') 06-Feb-2015: updated 6 metadata fields in the Data sections ('addmeta') 06-Feb-2015: updated 15 metadata fields in the Status, Data sections to reflect attribute metadata ('updatecols') 06-Feb-2015: parsed and formatted metadata ('listmeta') B. Variable Information 1. Variable Name: column 1. Date column 2. Site column 3. Well_Number column 4. Location column 5. UTM_Zone column 6. UTM_Northing column 7. UTM_Easting column 8. Latitude column 9. Longitude column 10. Plot_Number column 11. Number_of_Crab_Holes column 12. Mollusc_Quadrat_Area column 13. Littoraria_Count column 14. Melampus_Count column 15. Geukensia_Count column 16. Plant_Species column 17. Percent_Cover column 18. Plant_Quadrat_Size column 19. Height column 20. Number_of_Leaves_Nodes column 21. Flowering column 22. Branched 2. Variable Definition: column 1. Calendar date of sampling column 2. GCE-LTER Hammock ID column 3. Well number column 4. GCE Hammock well location id column 5. UTM zone of the hammock well column 6. UTM Northing of the hammock well (WGS84 datum) column 7. UTM Easting of the hammock well (WGS84 datum) column 8. Geographic latitude in decimal degrees column 9. Geographic longitude in decimal degrees column 10. Plot number column 11. Number of individual crab holes counted in the specified 625 cm^2 quadrat column 12. Number of square meters in the quadrat sampled column 13. Number of indivudual Littoraria collected in the specified quadrat column 14. Number of individual Melampus collected in the specified quadrat column 15. Number of individual Geukensia collected in the specified quadrat column 16. Plant species code column 17. Percent cover of species in quadrat column 18. Number of square meters in quadrat sampled column 19. Stem Height of species to nearest 5-cm column 20. Number of live leaves on plant column 21. Is the plant flowering? column 22. Is the plant branched? 3. Units of Measurement: column 1. MM/DD/YYYY column 2. none column 3. none column 4. none column 5. none column 6. m column 7. m column 8. degrees column 9. degrees column 10. none column 11. count column 12. cm^2 column 13. count column 14. count column 15. count column 16. none column 17. percent column 18. cm^2 column 19. cm column 20. count column 21. none column 22. none 4. Data Type a. Storage Type: column 1. string column 2. string column 3. integer column 4. string column 5. integer column 6. floating-point column 7. floating-point column 8. floating-point column 9. floating-point column 10. integer column 11. integer column 12. floating-point column 13. integer column 14. integer column 15. integer column 16. string column 17. floating-point column 18. floating-point column 19. floating-point column 20. integer column 21. integer column 22. integer b. Variable Codes: Plant_Species: JR = Juncus roemerianus, SA = Spartina alterniflora, BF = Borrichia frutescens, DIST = Distichlis spicata, BM = Batis maritima, SV = Salicornia virginica, Bare area = unvegetated bare area, Cedar tree branch = overhanging Cedar tree branch c. Numeric Range: column 1. (none) column 2. (none) column 3. 1 to 9 column 4. (none) column 5. 17 to 17 column 6. 3473305.753 to 3487098.684 column 7. 473505.396 to 480099.367 column 8. 31.394 to 31.5186 column 9. -81.2787 to -81.2096 column 10. 1 to 2 column 11. 0 to 46 column 12. 625 to 5000 column 13. 0 to 131 column 14. 0 to 0 column 15. 0 to 29 column 16. (none) column 17. 3 to 100 column 18. 625 to 2500 column 19. 5 to 106 column 20. 1 to 11 column 21. 0 to 0 column 22. 0 to 1 d. Missing Value Code: 5. Data Format a. Column Type: column 1. text column 2. text column 3. numerical column 4. text column 5. numerical column 6. numerical column 7. numerical column 8. numerical column 9. numerical column 10. numerical column 11. numerical column 12. numerical column 13. numerical column 14. numerical column 15. numerical column 16. text column 17. numerical column 18. numerical column 19. numerical column 20. numerical column 21. numerical column 22. numerical b. Number of Columns: 22 c. Decimal Places: column 1. 0 column 2. 0 column 3. 0 column 4. 0 column 5. 0 column 6. 3 column 7. 3 column 8. 6 column 9. 6 column 10. 0 column 11. 0 column 12. 3 column 13. 0 column 14. 0 column 15. 0 column 16. 0 column 17. 0 column 18. 3 column 19. 0 column 20. 0 column 21. 0 column 22. 0 6. Logical Variable Type: column 1. datetime (none) column 2. nominal (none) column 3. nominal (discrete) column 4. nominal (none) column 5. geographic coordinate (discrete) column 6. geographic coordinate (continuous) column 7. geographic coordinate (continuous) column 8. geographic coordinate (continuous) column 9. geographic coordinate (continuous) column 10. ordinal (discrete) column 11. data (discrete) column 12. data (continuous) column 13. data (discrete) column 14. data (discrete) column 15. data (discrete) column 16. coded value (none) column 17. data (continuous) column 18. data (continuous) column 19. data (continuous) column 20. data (discrete) column 21. logical (discrete) column 22. logical (discrete) 7. Flagging Criteria: column 1. none column 2. none column 3. x<1="I";x>9="I";x<1="Q";x>9="Q" column 4. none column 5. x~=17="Q" column 6. x<0="I" column 7. x<0="I" column 8. x<-90="I";x>90="I";x<31="Q";x>32="Q" column 9. x<-180="I";x>180="I";x<-82="Q";x>-80="Q" column 10. x<1="I";x>2="Q" column 11. x<0="I" column 12. x<625="I";x>5000="I" column 13. x<0="I" column 14. x<0="I" column 15. x<0="I" column 16. none column 17. x<0="I";x>100="I" column 18. x<625="I";x>5000="I" column 19. x<0="I" column 20. x<0="I" column 21. x<0="I";x>1="I" column 22. x<0="I";x>1="I" C. Data Anomalies: None V. Supplemental Descriptors A. Data Acquisition 1. Data Forms: Field notebooks, Excel spreadsheets 2. Form Location: GCE LTER office, Sapelo Island, GA 3. Data Entry Validation: None B. Quality Assurance/Quality Control Procedures: C. Supplemental Materials: None D. Computer Programs: Microsoft Excel 2003 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