I. Data Set Descriptors A. Title: Amy E. Kunza Vargas. 2006. Plant richness survey of mainland, barrier island and back-barrier hammock island locations around Sapelo Island and St. Simons Island, Georgia, in June-July 2005. Georgia Coastal Ecosystems LTER Data Catalog (data set PLT-GCET-0608; http://gce-lter.marsci.uga.edu/public/app/dataset_details.asp?accession=PLT-GCET-0608) B. Accession Number: PLT-GCET-0608 C. Description 1. Originator(s): Name: Amy E. Kunza Vargas Address: 915A Saulnier Houston, Texas 77019 Country: USA Email: amykunza@hotmail.com 2. Abstract: I conducted a plant richness survey of 59 sites around Sapelo Island and St. Simons Island, Georgia, in June-July 2005. Sites were chosen to include a range of mainland, barrier island, and back-barrier hammock island locations. All sites were dominated by salt marsh plant species, primarily Spartina alterniflora. To provide a general indication of the salinity conditions prevailing at each site, I measured salinity of the nearest body of water with a refractometer on the date that the site was sampled. Plant richness was documented along a single 5.0m wide transect at each site. Each transect began at the lower elevational limit of vegetation and continued perpendicular to the water's edge to the shrub community at the upper marsh border. Plant presence was noted in a series of nested subplots within a 1.0m x 5.0m plot at each meter along the transect. The results posted here are sites, position, salinity, and the site pool, or species encountered at the site. 3. Study Type: Graduate Thesis Study 4. Study Themes: Plant Ecology, Population Ecology 5. LTER Core Areas: Populations 6. Georeferences: geographic coordinates as data columns 7. Submission Date: Aug 24, 2006 D. Keywords: barrier island, community composition, hammock, marshes, plant communities, plant cover, plants, Populations, Sapelo Island, shoot height, species richness, St. Simons Island, terrestrial II. Research Origin Descriptors A. Overall Project Description 1. Project Title: Georgia Coastal Ecosystems LTER Project 2. Principal Investigators: Name: James T. Hollibaugh Address: Dept. of Marine Sciences University of Georgia Athens, Georgia 30602-3636 Country: USA Email: aquadoc@uga.edu 3. Funding Period: May 01, 2000 to May 01, 2006 4. Objectives: To investigate the linkages between coastal and distant upland areas in central Georgia mediated by surface and ground water delivery to the coastal zone. This will be addressed by examining the relationship between variability in environmental factors driven by river flow, primarily salinity, and ecosystem processes and structure. 5. Abstract: We propose to establish a Long Term Ecological Research site on the central Georgia coast in the vicinity of Sapelo Island. This is a barrier island and marsh complex with the Altamaha River, one of the largest and least developed rivers on the east coast of the US, as the primary source of fresh water. The proposed study would investigate the linkages between local and distant upland areas mediated by water - surface water and ground water - delivery to the coastal zone. We would explicitly examine the relationship between variability in environmental factors driven by river flow, primarily salinity because we can measure it at high frequency, and ecosystem processes and structure. We will accomplish this by comparing estuary/marsh complexes separated from the Altamaha River by one or two lagoonal estuary/marsh complexes that damp and attenuate the river signal. This spatial gradient is analogous to the temporal trend in riverine influence expected as a result of development in the watershed. We will implement a monitoring system that documents physical and biological variables and use the time trends and spatial distributions of these variables and of their variance structure to address questions about the factors controlling distributions, trophic structure, diversity, and biogeochemistry. An existing GIS-based hydrologic model will be modified to incorporate changes in river water resulting from changes in land use patterns that can be expected as the watershed develops. This model will be linked to ecosystem models and will serve as an heuristic and management tool. Another consequence of coastal development is that as river flow decreases, groundwater flow increases and becomes nutrified. We will compare the effects of ground water discharge from the surficial aquifer in relatively pristine (Sapelo Island) versus more urbanized (mainland) sites to assess the relative importance of fresh water versus nutrients to productivity, structure and biomass turnover rate in marshes influenced by groundwater. We will also investigate the effect of marine processes (tides, storm surge) on mixing across the fresh/salt interface in the surficial aquifer. Additional physical studies will relate the morphology of salt marsh - tidal creek channel complexes to tidal current distributions and exchange. These findings will be incorporated into a physical model that will be coupled to an existing ecosystem model. The land/ocean margin ecosystem lies at the interface between two ecosystems in which distinctly different groups of decomposers control organic matter degradation. The terrestrial ecosystem is largely dominated by fungal decomposers, while bacterial decomposers dominate the marine ecosystem. Both groups are important in salt marsh-dominated ecosystems. Specific studies will examine, at the level of individual cells and hyphae, the relationship bacteria and fungi in the consortia that decompose standing dead Spartina and other marsh plants and examine how, or if, this changes along the salinity gradient. 6. Funding Source: NSF OCE 9982133 B. Sub-project Description 1. Site Description a. Geographic Location: GCE1 -- Eulonia, Georgia, USA GCE3 -- North Sapelo, Sapelo Island, Georgia, USA GCE4 -- Meridian, Georgia, USA GCE6 -- Dean Creek, Sapelo Island, Georgia, USA GCE10 -- Hunt Camp, Sapelo Island, Georgia, USA KF -- Kenan Field, Sapelo Island, Georgia, USA Airport_marsh -- Airport_marsh Apex_West -- Apex_West Back_River -- Back_River Bakers_Creek -- Bakers_Creek Baywood -- Baywood Belle_Bluff_Marina -- Belle_Bluff_Marina Belville -- Belville Black_Island -- Black_Island Blue-n-Hall -- Blue-n-Hall Bourbon_Field_West -- Bourbon_Field_West Buck_Hill_Swamp_GCE1 -- Buck_Hill_Swamp_GCE1 Cabretta_North -- Cabretta_North Cabretta_South -- Cabretta_South Chocolate -- Chocolate Creighton_Island -- Creighton_Island Culvert -- Culvert Dean_Creek_Low_GCE6 -- Dean_Creek_Low_GCE6 Dean_Creek_Upper -- Dean_Creek_Upper DNR_Brunswick -- DNR_Brunswick Golden_Isles_Marina -- Golden_Isles_Marina Hampton_Pt -- Hampton_Pt Harris_Neck_NWR -- Harris_Neck_NWR Hunt_Camp_NW_GCE10 -- Hunt_Camp_NW_GCE10 Hunt_Camp_SE_GCE10 -- Hunt_Camp_SE_GCE10 I95 -- I95 Jekyll_ISP_Bike_Path -- Jekyll_ISP_Bike_Path Jekyll_ISP_Boathouse -- Jekyll_ISP_Boathouse Jekyll_ISP_Pier -- Jekyll_ISP_Pier Kenan_Field_KF -- Kenan_Field_KF Kittles_Island -- Kittles_Island Lakefront_RV_Park -- Lakefront_RV_Park Lighthouse -- Lighthouse Lighthouse_pan -- Lighthouse_pan Lil_Sapelo_West -- Lil_Sapelo_West LTER_Northend_GCE3 -- LTER_Northend_GCE3 Marsh_Landing_ML -- Marsh_Landing_ML Meridian_GCE4 -- Meridian_GCE4 Meridian_VC_GCE4 -- Meridian_VC_GCE4 North_River_1 -- North_River_1 Old_Beach -- Old_Beach Old_Shellman -- Old_Shellman Old_Teakettle_Creek -- Old_Teakettle_Creek Patterson_Island -- Patterson_Island Piling_Hammock -- Piling_Hammock Pine_Harbor -- Pine_Harbor Pumpkin_Hammock -- Pumpkin_Hammock Riverside -- Riverside Sapelo_Golf_Club -- Sapelo_Golf_Club Sapelo_Golf_SBP -- Sapelo_Golf_SBP Sea_Island -- Sea_Island Shell_Hammock -- Shell_Hammock Shell_Ring -- Shell_Ring St_Andrews_Cem -- St_Andrews_Cem Timber_Dock_KF -- Timber_Dock_KF Valona -- Valona Village_Creek -- Village_Creek Websters -- Websters White_Chimney -- White_Chimney Young_man -- Young_man Coordinates: GCE1 -- NW: 081 25 42.53 W, 31 32 48.30 N NE: 081 24 38.64 W, 31 32 48.30 N SE: 081 24 38.64 W, 31 32 02.27 N SW: 081 25 42.53 W, 31 32 02.27 N GCE3 -- NW: 081 13 59.70 W, 31 32 48.72 N NE: 081 11 44.38 W, 31 32 48.72 N SE: 081 11 44.38 W, 31 30 54.68 N SW: 081 13 59.70 W, 31 30 54.68 N GCE4 -- NW: 081 22 14.71 W, 31 27 48.72 N NE: 081 21 26.12 W, 31 27 48.72 N SE: 081 21 26.12 W, 31 26 54.31 N SW: 081 22 14.71 W, 31 26 54.31 N GCE6 -- NW: 081 17 58.28 W, 31 23 38.66 N NE: 081 15 51.76 W, 31 23 38.66 N SE: 081 15 51.76 W, 31 22 15.61 N SW: 081 17 58.28 W, 31 22 15.61 N GCE10 -- NW: 081 17 43.82 W, 31 29 49.29 N NE: 081 15 32.07 W, 31 29 49.29 N SE: 081 15 32.07 W, 31 27 44.35 N SW: 081 17 43.82 W, 31 27 44.35 N KF -- NW: 081 17 08.64 W, 31 27 23.53 N NE: 081 16 19.00 W, 31 27 23.53 N SE: 081 16 19.00 W, 31 26 35.34 N SW: 081 17 08.64 W, 31 26 35.34 N Airport_marsh -- 081 17 22.8 W, 31 25 07.8 N Apex_West -- 081 13 50.4 W, 31 31 35.4 N Back_River -- 081 26 57.0 W, 31 09 55.8 N Bakers_Creek -- 081 20 13.8 W, 31 38 12.0 N Baywood -- 081 22 48.0 W, 31 26 07.8 N Belle_Bluff_Marina -- 081 21 42.6 W, 31 33 48.0 N Belville -- 081 21 36.6 W, 31 31 44.4 N Black_Island -- 081 24 04.8 W, 31 22 09.0 N Blue-n-Hall -- 081 23 46.8 W, 31 24 28.8 N Bourbon_Field_West -- 081 13 34.2 W, 31 29 54.0 N Buck_Hill_Swamp_GCE1 -- 081 25 26.4 W, 31 32 23.4 N Cabretta_North -- 081 14 30.0 W, 31 26 27.0 N Cabretta_South -- 081 14 21.6 W, 31 26 17.4 N Chocolate -- 081 15 16.8 W, 31 30 05.4 N Creighton_Island -- 081 19 36.0 W, 31 29 48.6 N Culvert -- 081 21 30.6 W, 31 29 43.8 N Dean_Creek_Low_GCE6 -- 081 16 15.0 W, 31 23 32.4 N Dean_Creek_Upper -- 081 16 50.4 W, 31 23 21.6 N DNR_Brunswick -- 081 28 40.8 W, 31 07 36.6 N Golden_Isles_Marina -- 081 25 02.4 W, 31 10 09.0 N Hampton_Pt -- 081 20 40.2 W, 31 17 43.8 N Harris_Neck_NWR -- 081 17 19.8 W, 31 37 27.6 N Hunt_Camp_NW_GCE10 -- 081 16 16.2 W, 31 28 51.0 N Hunt_Camp_SE_GCE10 -- 081 16 13.2 W, 31 28 42.0 N I95 -- 081 23 39.6 W, 31 38 34.2 N Jekyll_ISP_Bike_Path -- 081 25 28.8 W, 31 04 57.6 N Jekyll_ISP_Boathouse -- 081 25 18.0 W, 31 03 04.8 N Jekyll_ISP_Pier -- 081 24 59.4 W, 31 06 50.4 N Kenan_Field_KF -- 081 16 42.0 W, 31 27 06.0 N Kittles_Island -- 081 21 14.4 W, 31 27 38.4 N Lakefront_RV_Park -- 081 23 22.8 W, 31 38 50.4 N Lighthouse -- 081 17 07.8 W, 31 23 19.8 N Lighthouse_pan -- 081 16 52.2 W, 31 23 21.0 N Lil_Sapelo_West -- 081 18 03.0 W, 31 26 03.6 N LTER_Northend_GCE3 -- 081 13 45.6 W, 31 31 09.6 N Marsh_Landing_ML -- 081 17 43.8 W, 31 24 58.2 N Meridian_GCE4 -- 081 21 57.6 W, 31 27 31.2 N Meridian_VC_GCE4 -- 081 21 54.6 W, 31 27 12.0 N North_River_1 -- 081 19 16.2 W, 31 24 28.8 N Old_Beach -- 081 15 43.2 W, 31 24 31.2 N Old_Shellman -- 081 19 40.2 W, 31 36 24.6 N Old_Teakettle_Creek -- 081 19 16.8 W, 31 27 39.6 N Patterson_Island -- 081 20 41.4 W, 31 27 22.8 N Piling_Hammock -- 081 17 51.6 W, 31 30 57.0 N Pine_Harbor -- 081 22 15.0 W, 31 33 07.2 N Pumpkin_Hammock -- 081 17 15.6 W, 31 27 16.8 N Riverside -- 081 27 54.6 W, 31 10 34.2 N Sapelo_Golf_Club -- 081 19 44.4 W, 31 33 37.8 N Sapelo_Golf_SBP -- 081 20 03.6 W, 31 33 03.6 N Sea_Island -- 081 21 46.8 W, 31 10 44.4 N Shell_Hammock -- 081 17 21.0 W, 31 24 03.0 N Shell_Ring -- 081 14 39.6 W, 31 30 53.4 N St_Andrews_Cem -- 081 24 40.8 W, 31 22 45.0 N Timber_Dock_KF -- 081 16 39.6 W, 31 27 28.8 N Valona -- 081 20 57.0 W, 31 28 47.4 N Village_Creek -- 081 21 43.8 W, 31 12 15.0 N Websters -- 081 22 32.4 W, 31 26 52.2 N White_Chimney -- 081 21 35.4 W, 31 35 01.8 N Young_man -- 081 19 37.8 W, 31 37 34.2 N b. Physiographic Region: GCE1 -- Lower coastal plain GCE3 -- Barrier island GCE4 -- Lower coastal plain GCE6 -- Barrier island GCE10 -- Barrier island KF -- Barrier island and tidal marsh Airport_marsh -- unspecified Apex_West -- unspecified Back_River -- unspecified Bakers_Creek -- unspecified Baywood -- unspecified Belle_Bluff_Marina -- unspecified Belville -- unspecified Black_Island -- unspecified Blue-n-Hall -- unspecified Bourbon_Field_West -- unspecified Buck_Hill_Swamp_GCE1 -- unspecified Cabretta_North -- unspecified Cabretta_South -- unspecified Chocolate -- unspecified Creighton_Island -- unspecified Culvert -- unspecified Dean_Creek_Low_GCE6 -- unspecified Dean_Creek_Upper -- unspecified DNR_Brunswick -- unspecified Golden_Isles_Marina -- unspecified Hampton_Pt -- unspecified Harris_Neck_NWR -- unspecified Hunt_Camp_NW_GCE10 -- unspecified Hunt_Camp_SE_GCE10 -- unspecified I95 -- unspecified Jekyll_ISP_Bike_Path -- unspecified Jekyll_ISP_Boathouse -- unspecified Jekyll_ISP_Pier -- unspecified Kenan_Field_KF -- unspecified Kittles_Island -- unspecified Lakefront_RV_Park -- unspecified Lighthouse -- unspecified Lighthouse_pan -- unspecified Lil_Sapelo_West -- unspecified LTER_Northend_GCE3 -- unspecified Marsh_Landing_ML -- unspecified Meridian_GCE4 -- unspecified Meridian_VC_GCE4 -- unspecified North_River_1 -- unspecified Old_Beach -- unspecified Old_Shellman -- unspecified Old_Teakettle_Creek -- unspecified Patterson_Island -- unspecified Piling_Hammock -- unspecified Pine_Harbor -- unspecified Pumpkin_Hammock -- unspecified Riverside -- unspecified Sapelo_Golf_Club -- unspecified Sapelo_Golf_SBP -- unspecified Sea_Island -- unspecified Shell_Hammock -- unspecified Shell_Ring -- unspecified St_Andrews_Cem -- unspecified Timber_Dock_KF -- unspecified Valona -- unspecified Village_Creek -- unspecified Websters -- unspecified White_Chimney -- unspecified Young_man -- unspecified c. Landform Components: GCE1 -- Intertidal salt marsh bordering maritime forest GCE3 -- Intertidal salt marsh, mud flat, and maritime forest GCE4 -- Intertidal salt marsh bordering maritime forest GCE6 -- Intertidal salt marsh, sand beach, maritime forest GCE10 -- Intertidal salt marsh bordering maritime forest KF -- Intertidal salt marsh bordering maritime forest Airport_marsh -- unspecified Apex_West -- unspecified Back_River -- unspecified Bakers_Creek -- unspecified Baywood -- unspecified Belle_Bluff_Marina -- unspecified Belville -- unspecified Black_Island -- unspecified Blue-n-Hall -- unspecified Bourbon_Field_West -- unspecified Buck_Hill_Swamp_GCE1 -- unspecified Cabretta_North -- unspecified Cabretta_South -- unspecified Chocolate -- unspecified Creighton_Island -- unspecified Culvert -- unspecified Dean_Creek_Low_GCE6 -- unspecified Dean_Creek_Upper -- unspecified DNR_Brunswick -- unspecified Golden_Isles_Marina -- unspecified Hampton_Pt -- unspecified Harris_Neck_NWR -- unspecified Hunt_Camp_NW_GCE10 -- unspecified Hunt_Camp_SE_GCE10 -- unspecified I95 -- unspecified Jekyll_ISP_Bike_Path -- unspecified Jekyll_ISP_Boathouse -- unspecified Jekyll_ISP_Pier -- unspecified Kenan_Field_KF -- unspecified Kittles_Island -- unspecified Lakefront_RV_Park -- unspecified Lighthouse -- unspecified Lighthouse_pan -- unspecified Lil_Sapelo_West -- unspecified LTER_Northend_GCE3 -- unspecified Marsh_Landing_ML -- unspecified Meridian_GCE4 -- unspecified Meridian_VC_GCE4 -- unspecified North_River_1 -- unspecified Old_Beach -- unspecified Old_Shellman -- unspecified Old_Teakettle_Creek -- unspecified Patterson_Island -- unspecified Piling_Hammock -- unspecified Pine_Harbor -- unspecified Pumpkin_Hammock -- unspecified Riverside -- unspecified Sapelo_Golf_Club -- unspecified Sapelo_Golf_SBP -- unspecified Sea_Island -- unspecified Shell_Hammock -- unspecified Shell_Ring -- unspecified St_Andrews_Cem -- unspecified Timber_Dock_KF -- unspecified Valona -- unspecified Village_Creek -- unspecified Websters -- unspecified White_Chimney -- unspecified Young_man -- unspecified d. Hydrographic Characteristics: GCE1 -- Site contains the upper reaches of the Sapelo River, and is subject to 2-3m semi-diurnal tides GCE3 -- Site includes Sapelo Sound and portions of Blackbeard Creek, and is subject to 2-3m semi-diurnal tides GCE4 -- Site includes Hudson Creek and is subject to 2-3m semi-diurnal tides GCE6 -- Site contains Dean Creek and borders Doboy Sound, and is subject to 2-3m semi-diurnal tides GCE10 -- Site borders the Mud River and contains tidal creeks and the upper reach of the Duplin River, and is subject to 2-3m semi-diurnal tides KF -- Site borders the Duplin River and contains Barn Creek, and is subject to 2-3m semi-diurnal tides Airport_marsh -- unspecified Apex_West -- unspecified Back_River -- unspecified Bakers_Creek -- unspecified Baywood -- unspecified Belle_Bluff_Marina -- unspecified Belville -- unspecified Black_Island -- unspecified Blue-n-Hall -- unspecified Bourbon_Field_West -- unspecified Buck_Hill_Swamp_GCE1 -- unspecified Cabretta_North -- unspecified Cabretta_South -- unspecified Chocolate -- unspecified Creighton_Island -- unspecified Culvert -- unspecified Dean_Creek_Low_GCE6 -- unspecified Dean_Creek_Upper -- unspecified DNR_Brunswick -- unspecified Golden_Isles_Marina -- unspecified Hampton_Pt -- unspecified Harris_Neck_NWR -- unspecified Hunt_Camp_NW_GCE10 -- unspecified Hunt_Camp_SE_GCE10 -- unspecified I95 -- unspecified Jekyll_ISP_Bike_Path -- unspecified Jekyll_ISP_Boathouse -- unspecified Jekyll_ISP_Pier -- unspecified Kenan_Field_KF -- unspecified Kittles_Island -- unspecified Lakefront_RV_Park -- unspecified Lighthouse -- unspecified Lighthouse_pan -- unspecified Lil_Sapelo_West -- unspecified LTER_Northend_GCE3 -- unspecified Marsh_Landing_ML -- unspecified Meridian_GCE4 -- unspecified Meridian_VC_GCE4 -- unspecified North_River_1 -- unspecified Old_Beach -- unspecified Old_Shellman -- unspecified Old_Teakettle_Creek -- unspecified Patterson_Island -- unspecified Piling_Hammock -- unspecified Pine_Harbor -- unspecified Pumpkin_Hammock -- unspecified Riverside -- unspecified Sapelo_Golf_Club -- unspecified Sapelo_Golf_SBP -- unspecified Sea_Island -- unspecified Shell_Hammock -- unspecified Shell_Ring -- unspecified St_Andrews_Cem -- unspecified Timber_Dock_KF -- unspecified Valona -- unspecified Village_Creek -- unspecified Websters -- unspecified White_Chimney -- unspecified Young_man -- unspecified e. Topographic Attributes: GCE1 -- Flat, with elevations ranging from 0-3m above mean low tide GCE3 -- Flat, with elevations ranging from 0-3m above mean low tide GCE4 -- Flat, with elevations ranging from 0-3m above mean low tide GCE6 -- Flat, with elevations ranging from 0-3m above mean low tide GCE10 -- Flat, with elevations ranging from 0-3m above mean low tide KF -- Flat, with elevations ranging from 0-3m above mean low tide Airport_marsh -- unspecified Apex_West -- unspecified Back_River -- unspecified Bakers_Creek -- unspecified Baywood -- unspecified Belle_Bluff_Marina -- unspecified Belville -- unspecified Black_Island -- unspecified Blue-n-Hall -- unspecified Bourbon_Field_West -- unspecified Buck_Hill_Swamp_GCE1 -- unspecified Cabretta_North -- unspecified Cabretta_South -- unspecified Chocolate -- unspecified Creighton_Island -- unspecified Culvert -- unspecified Dean_Creek_Low_GCE6 -- unspecified Dean_Creek_Upper -- unspecified DNR_Brunswick -- unspecified Golden_Isles_Marina -- unspecified Hampton_Pt -- unspecified Harris_Neck_NWR -- unspecified Hunt_Camp_NW_GCE10 -- unspecified Hunt_Camp_SE_GCE10 -- unspecified I95 -- unspecified Jekyll_ISP_Bike_Path -- unspecified Jekyll_ISP_Boathouse -- unspecified Jekyll_ISP_Pier -- unspecified Kenan_Field_KF -- unspecified Kittles_Island -- unspecified Lakefront_RV_Park -- unspecified Lighthouse -- unspecified Lighthouse_pan -- unspecified Lil_Sapelo_West -- unspecified LTER_Northend_GCE3 -- unspecified Marsh_Landing_ML -- unspecified Meridian_GCE4 -- unspecified Meridian_VC_GCE4 -- unspecified North_River_1 -- unspecified Old_Beach -- unspecified Old_Shellman -- unspecified Old_Teakettle_Creek -- unspecified Patterson_Island -- unspecified Piling_Hammock -- unspecified Pine_Harbor -- unspecified Pumpkin_Hammock -- unspecified Riverside -- unspecified Sapelo_Golf_Club -- unspecified Sapelo_Golf_SBP -- unspecified Sea_Island -- unspecified Shell_Hammock -- unspecified Shell_Ring -- unspecified St_Andrews_Cem -- unspecified Timber_Dock_KF -- unspecified Valona -- unspecified Village_Creek -- unspecified Websters -- unspecified White_Chimney -- unspecified Young_man -- unspecified f. Geology, Lithology and Soils: GCE1 -- unspecified GCE3 -- unspecified GCE4 -- unspecified GCE6 -- unspecified GCE10 -- unspecified KF -- unspecified Airport_marsh -- unspecified Apex_West -- unspecified Back_River -- unspecified Bakers_Creek -- unspecified Baywood -- unspecified Belle_Bluff_Marina -- unspecified Belville -- unspecified Black_Island -- unspecified Blue-n-Hall -- unspecified Bourbon_Field_West -- unspecified Buck_Hill_Swamp_GCE1 -- unspecified Cabretta_North -- unspecified Cabretta_South -- unspecified Chocolate -- unspecified Creighton_Island -- unspecified Culvert -- unspecified Dean_Creek_Low_GCE6 -- unspecified Dean_Creek_Upper -- unspecified DNR_Brunswick -- unspecified Golden_Isles_Marina -- unspecified Hampton_Pt -- unspecified Harris_Neck_NWR -- unspecified Hunt_Camp_NW_GCE10 -- unspecified Hunt_Camp_SE_GCE10 -- unspecified I95 -- unspecified Jekyll_ISP_Bike_Path -- unspecified Jekyll_ISP_Boathouse -- unspecified Jekyll_ISP_Pier -- unspecified Kenan_Field_KF -- unspecified Kittles_Island -- unspecified Lakefront_RV_Park -- unspecified Lighthouse -- unspecified Lighthouse_pan -- unspecified Lil_Sapelo_West -- unspecified LTER_Northend_GCE3 -- unspecified Marsh_Landing_ML -- unspecified Meridian_GCE4 -- unspecified Meridian_VC_GCE4 -- unspecified North_River_1 -- unspecified Old_Beach -- unspecified Old_Shellman -- unspecified Old_Teakettle_Creek -- unspecified Patterson_Island -- unspecified Piling_Hammock -- unspecified Pine_Harbor -- unspecified Pumpkin_Hammock -- unspecified Riverside -- unspecified Sapelo_Golf_Club -- unspecified Sapelo_Golf_SBP -- unspecified Sea_Island -- unspecified Shell_Hammock -- unspecified Shell_Ring -- unspecified St_Andrews_Cem -- unspecified Timber_Dock_KF -- unspecified Valona -- unspecified Village_Creek -- unspecified Websters -- unspecified White_Chimney -- unspecified Young_man -- unspecified g. Vegetation Communities: GCE1 -- Vegetation is 3/4 Juncus and 1/4 Spartina alterniflora, and upland area is heavily forested. GCE3 -- Short and tall Spartina alterniflora, very small amounts of Juncus. GCE4 -- Vegetation is 1/4 Juncus, 3/4 medium and tall Spartina alterniflora. GCE6 -- Vegetation is mostly short and tall Spartina alterniflora, with small amounts of Juncus and Borrichia. GCE10 -- Vegetation mostly tall and medium Spartina alterniflora, with some Juncus present. Upland heavily forested. KF -- unspecified Airport_marsh -- unspecified Apex_West -- unspecified Back_River -- unspecified Bakers_Creek -- unspecified Baywood -- unspecified Belle_Bluff_Marina -- unspecified Belville -- unspecified Black_Island -- unspecified Blue-n-Hall -- unspecified Bourbon_Field_West -- unspecified Buck_Hill_Swamp_GCE1 -- unspecified Cabretta_North -- unspecified Cabretta_South -- unspecified Chocolate -- unspecified Creighton_Island -- unspecified Culvert -- unspecified Dean_Creek_Low_GCE6 -- unspecified Dean_Creek_Upper -- unspecified DNR_Brunswick -- unspecified Golden_Isles_Marina -- unspecified Hampton_Pt -- unspecified Harris_Neck_NWR -- unspecified Hunt_Camp_NW_GCE10 -- unspecified Hunt_Camp_SE_GCE10 -- unspecified I95 -- unspecified Jekyll_ISP_Bike_Path -- unspecified Jekyll_ISP_Boathouse -- unspecified Jekyll_ISP_Pier -- unspecified Kenan_Field_KF -- unspecified Kittles_Island -- unspecified Lakefront_RV_Park -- unspecified Lighthouse -- unspecified Lighthouse_pan -- unspecified Lil_Sapelo_West -- unspecified LTER_Northend_GCE3 -- unspecified Marsh_Landing_ML -- unspecified Meridian_GCE4 -- unspecified Meridian_VC_GCE4 -- unspecified North_River_1 -- unspecified Old_Beach -- unspecified Old_Shellman -- unspecified Old_Teakettle_Creek -- unspecified Patterson_Island -- unspecified Piling_Hammock -- unspecified Pine_Harbor -- unspecified Pumpkin_Hammock -- unspecified Riverside -- unspecified Sapelo_Golf_Club -- unspecified Sapelo_Golf_SBP -- unspecified Sea_Island -- unspecified Shell_Hammock -- unspecified Shell_Ring -- unspecified St_Andrews_Cem -- unspecified Timber_Dock_KF -- unspecified Valona -- unspecified Village_Creek -- unspecified Websters -- unspecified White_Chimney -- unspecified Young_man -- 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: Plant richness was documented along a single 5.0m wide transect at each site. Each transect began at the lower elevational limit of vegetation and continued perpendicular to the water's edge to the shrub community at the upper marsh border. Plant presence was noted in a series of nested subplots within a 1.0m x 5.0m plot at each meter along the transect. b. Permanent Plots: none c. Data Collection Duration and Frequency: Plant presence or absence was noted visually Beginning of Observations: Jun 02, 2005 End of Observations: Jul 25, 2005 3. Research Methods a. Field and Laboratory Methods: Method 1: Site Selection -- Sites were chosen to include a range of mainland, barrier island, and backbarrier hammock island locations. All sites were dominated by salt marsh plant species, primarily Spartina alterniflora. Method 2: Plant Survey -- Plant richness was documented along a single 5.0m wide transect at each site. Each transect began at the lower elevational limit of vegetation and continued perpendicular to the water's edge to the shrub community at the upper marsh border. Plant presence was noted in a series of nested subplots within a 1.0m x 5.0m plot at each meter along the transect. Method 3: Salinity Measurement -- To provide a general indication of the salinity conditions prevailing at each site, I measured salinity of the nearest body of water with a refractometer on the date that the site was sampled. b. Instrumentation: Method 1: Magellan GPS Manufacturer: Magellan (Model: 310) Parameter: Geographic coordinates (Accuracy: 15m, Readability: 0.01 minutes, Range: 0-180 degrees) Method 2: none Method 3: Refractometer Manufacturer: Vista (Model: A355ATC) Parameter: Salinity (Accuracy: 1 PSU, Readability: 1 PSU, Range: 0-100 PSU) c. Taxonomy and Systematics: Method 1: not applicable Method 2: Plants were identified following Duncan and Duncan 1987. Duncan, W.H. and M.B. Duncan. 1987. Seaside plants of the Gulf and Atlantic Coasts. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington D.C. Method 3: not applicable d. Permit History: Method 1: not applicable Method 2: not applicable Method 3: not applicable 4. Project Personnel a. Personnel: 1: Amy E. Kunza Vargas 2: Steven C. Pennings b. Affiliations: 1: University of Houston, Houston, Texas 2: University of Houston, Houston, Texas III. Data Set Status and Accessibility A. Status 1. Latest Update: 20-Jun-2013 2. Latest Archive Date: 18-Nov-2011 3. Latest Metadata Update: 20-Jun-2013 4. Data Verification Status: Reviewed by GCE-LTER 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: Aug 24, 2006, Public: Nov 29, 2007 b. Citation: Data provided by the Georgia Coastal Ecosystems Long Term Ecological Research Project, supported by funds from NSF OCE 9982133 (data set PLT-GCET-0608) 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: PLT-GCET-0608_2_0.CSV 2. Size: 1593 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: mixed case 6. Quality Control Flag Codes: I = invalid value (out of range), Q = questionable value 7. Authentication Procedures: 8. Calculations: 9. Processing History: Software version: GCE Data Toolbox Version 3.6.0 (05-Jun-2013) Data structure version: GCE Data Structure 1.1 (29-Mar-2001) Original data file processed: PLT-GCET-0608.TXT (1593 records) Data processing history: 22-Jan-2007: new GCE Data Structure 1.1 created ('newstruct') 22-Jan-2007: 1593 rows imported from ASCII data file 'PLT-GCET-0608.TXT' ('imp_ascii') 22-Jan-2007: 13 metadata fields in file header parsed ('parse_header') 22-Jan-2007: data structure validated ('gce_valid') 22-Jan-2007: Q/C flagging criteria applied, 'flags' field updated ('dataflag') 22-Jan-2007: automatically assigned study date metadata descriptors based on the range of date values in date/time columns (add_studydates) 23-Jan-2007: imported Dataset, Project, Site, Study, Status, Supplement metadata descriptors from the GCE Metabase ('imp_gcemetadata') 23-Jan-2007: updated 66 metadata fields in the Data, Dataset, Project, Site, Status, Study, Supplement sections ('imp_gcemetadata') 13-Dec-2007: Q/C flagging criteria of columns Envir_Type, Salinity and Species_Code edited ('ui_editor') 13-Dec-2007: Q/C flagging criteria applied for column(s) Envir_Type, Salinity and Species_Code, 'flags' field updated ('dataflag') 13-Dec-2007: imported Dataset, Project, Site, Study, Status, Supplement metadata descriptors from the GCE Metabase ('imp_gcemetadata') 13-Dec-2007: updated 66 metadata fields in the Data, Dataset, Project, Site, Status, Study, Supplement sections ('imp_gcemetadata') 15-Nov-2011: imported Dataset, Project, Site, Study, Status, Supplement metadata descriptors from the GCE Metabase ('imp_gcemetadata') 15-Nov-2011: updated 57 metadata fields in the Dataset, Project, Site, Status, Study, Supplement sections ('imp_gcemetadata') 18-Nov-2011: imported Dataset, Project, Site, Study, Status, Supplement metadata descriptors from the GCE Metabase ('imp_gcemetadata') 18-Nov-2011: updated 57 metadata fields in the Dataset, Project, Site, Status, Study, Supplement sections ('imp_gcemetadata') 20-Jun-2013: converted dates in column(s) Date to format yyyy-mm-dd 20-Jun-2013: flags for column Salinity converted to data columns, flag codes updated in metadata ('flags2cols') 20-Jun-2013: updated 6 metadata fields in the Data sections ('addmeta') 20-Jun-2013: updated 15 metadata fields in the Status, Data sections to reflect attribute metadata ('updatecols') 20-Jun-2013: parsed and formatted metadata ('listmeta') B. Variable Information 1. Variable Name: column 1. Location column 2. Date column 3. Latitude column 4. Longitude column 5. Envir_Type column 6. Salinity column 7. Flag_Salinity column 8. Species_Code column 9. Plant_Presence 2. Variable Definition: column 1. Researcher-defined name of location surveyed column 2. Date of survey column 3. Geographic latitude of survey location column 4. Geographic longitude of survey location column 5. Environment type surveyed column 6. Salinity of nearest body of water to survey location column 7. QA/QC flags for Salinity of nearest body of water to survey location (flagging criteria, where "x" is Salinity: x<0="I", x>37="Q") column 8. Plant species code column 9. Observations of plant species presence in study plots during the survey (0 = species not present, 1 = species present) 3. Units of Measurement: column 1. none column 2. yyyy-mm-dd column 3. degrees column 4. degrees column 5. none column 6. PSU column 7. none column 8. none column 9. none 4. Data Type a. Storage Type: column 1. alphanumeric column 2. alphanumeric column 3. floating-point column 4. floating-point column 5. alphanumeric column 6. floating-point column 7. alphanumeric column 8. alphanumeric column 9. integer b. Variable Codes: Envir_Type: mainland = Mainland, hammock = back-barrier island hammock, island = barrier island Species_Code: ast = Aster tenuifolius, bac = Baccharis halimifolia, bat = Batis maritima, bor = Borrichia frutescens, cyn = Cynanchum angustifolium, dst = Distichlis spicata, fbr = Fibristylis sp., iva = Iva frutescens, jnc = Juncus sp., jun = Juncus roemerianus, lil = Lilaeopsis, lim = Limonium carolinianum, sab = Salicornia biglovii, sav = Salicornia virginica, sca = Scirpus americanus, scr = Scirpus robustus/maritimus, sol = Solidago sempervirens, spa = Spartina alterniflora, spb = Spartina bakeri, spc = Spartina cynosuroides, spo = Sporobolus virginicus, spp = Spartina patens, sps = Spartina spartinae, sua = Suaeda linearis, ukg = uknown grass, ukn9 = uknown species 9, ukn10 = uknown species 10 c. Numeric Range: column 1. (none) column 2. (none) column 3. 31.0513 to 31.6473 column 4. -81.478 to -81.2262 column 5. (none) column 6. 1 to 37 column 7. (none) column 8. (none) column 9. 0 to 1 d. Missing Value Code: 5. Data Format a. Column Type: column 1. text column 2. text column 3. numerical column 4. numerical column 5. text column 6. numerical column 7. text column 8. text column 9. numerical b. Number of Columns: 9 c. Decimal Places: column 1. 0 column 2. 0 column 3. 5 column 4. 5 column 5. 0 column 6. 0 column 7. 0 column 8. 0 column 9. 0 6. Logical Variable Type: column 1. nominal (none) column 2. datetime (none) column 3. geographic coordinate (continuous) column 4. geographic coordinate (continuous) column 5. coded value (none) column 6. data (continuous) column 7. coded value (none) column 8. coded value (none) column 9. logical (discrete) 7. Flagging Criteria: column 1. none column 2. none column 3. x<31="Q", x>32="Q", x<-90="I", x>90="I" column 4. x<-82="Q", x>-80="Q", x<-180="I", x>180="I" column 5. flag_notinlist(x,"island,hammock,mainland")="Q" column 6. x<0="I", x>37="Q" column 7. none column 8. flag_notinlist(x,"ast,bac,bat,bor,cyn,dst,fbr,iva,jnc,jun,lil,lim,sab,sav,sca,scr,sol,sp a,spb,spc,spo,spp,sps,sua,ukg,ukn9,ukn10")="Q" column 9. x<0="I", x>1="I" C. Data Anomalies: V. Supplemental Descriptors A. Data Acquisition 1. Data Forms: Field data sheets 2. Form Location: Lab of Dr. Steven Pennings, University of Houston 3. Data Entry Validation: not specified B. Quality Assurance/Quality Control Procedures: QA/QC flags are generated automatically according to domain criteria specified for each data column. A flag column is generated and appended to the data table if any flags are assigned to any value, listing the flags for each column on each row. C. Supplemental Materials: none D. Computer Programs: Microsoft Excel, Statistix E. Archival Practices: Data sets and documentation are stored in structured binary (MATLAB 6.x files) and delimited ASCII text formats, and archived on magnetic tape and CD at the GCE LTER Information Management Office at the University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA 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