{
    "tag": 19184,
    "title": "Vegetation survey in a coastal marsh at the Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Mississippi",
    "pubdate": "20230605",
    "sername": null,
    "series_name": null,
    "issue": null,
    "publish": null,
    "publisher_name": null,
    "onlink": "https:\/\/cmgds.marine.usgs.gov\/catalog\/spcmsc\/Grand_Bay_Vegetation_Metadata.faq.html",
    "format": null,
    "email": null,
    "descript": "To better understand sediment deposition in marsh environments, scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center (USGS-SPCMSC) selected four study sites (Sites 5, 6, 7, and 8) along the Point Aux Chenes Bay shoreline of the Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Mississippi (GNDNERR). These datasets were collected to serve as baseline data prior to the installation of a living shoreline (a subtidal sill). Each site consisted of five plots located along a transect perpendicular to the marsh-estuary shoreline at 5-meter (m) increments (5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 m from the shoreline). Each plot contained four net sedimentation tiles (NST) that were secured flush to the marsh surface using polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipe. NST are an inexpensive and simple tool to assess short- and long-term deposition that can be deployed in highly dynamic environments without the compaction associated with traditional coring methods. The NST were deployed for three month sampling periods, measuring sediment deposition from July 2018 to January 2020, with one set of NST being deployed for six months. Sediment deposited on the NST were processed to determine physical characteristics, such as deposition thickness, volume, wet weight\/dry weight, grain size, and organic content (loss-on-ignition [LOI]). For select sampling periods, ancillary data (water level, elevation, turbidity, and wave data) are also provided in this data release. Data were collected during Field Activities Numbers (FAN) 2018-332-FA (18CCT01), 2018-358-FA (18CCT10), 2019-303-FA (19CCT01, 19CCT02, 19CCT03, and 19CCT04, respectively), and 2020-301-FA (20CCT01). Additional survey and data details are available from the U.S. Geological Survey Coastal and Marine Geoscience Data System (CMGDS) at, https:\/\/cmgds.marine.usgs.gov\/. Data from a related NST study in the GNDNERR (Middle Bay and North Rigolets) can be found in Smith and others (2020). Data collected after the living shoreline (subtidal sill) installation can be found in Terrano and others (2025). For additional information on data processing and analysis, refer to the accompanying journal publication Smith and others (2025). Please read the full metadata for details on data collection, dataset variables, and data quality.",
    "lang": null,
    "journal": null,
    "pwid": null,
    "originator": [
        {
            "name": "Pitchford, Jonathan L.",
            "role": "Author"
        },
        {
            "name": "Brochard, Michael",
            "role": "Author"
        },
        {
            "name": "Terrano, Joseph F.",
            "role": "Author"
        },
        {
            "name": "Smith, Kathryn E. L.",
            "role": "Author"
        },
        {
            "name": "Vargas, Joseph M.",
            "role": "Author"
        },
        {
            "name": "Atchia, Isabelle D.",
            "role": "Author"
        },
        {
            "name": "Everhart, Cheyenne S.",
            "role": "Author"
        },
        {
            "name": "Smith, Christopher G.",
            "role": "Author"
        }
    ],
    "index_term": [
        {
            "thcode": 2,
            "code": "1799",
            "name": "coastal processes",
            "scope": "Processes unique to coastal areas including longshore transport, beach erosion, storm surge, shoreline change, delta formation, barrier island migration, beach stabilization by vegetation"
        },
        {
            "thcode": 2,
            "code": "464",
            "name": "geology",
            "scope": "Study of the planet earth, its composition, structure, physical and chemical processes, and history since its origin."
        },
        {
            "thcode": 2,
            "code": "468",
            "name": "geomorphology",
            "scope": "Branch of geology dealing with surface land features and the processes that create and change them."
        },
        {
            "thcode": 2,
            "code": "628",
            "name": "land use and land cover",
            "scope": "The vegetation, water, natural surface, and cultural features on the land surface."
        },
        {
            "thcode": 2,
            "code": "911",
            "name": "plot sampling",
            "scope": "Outlining small areas of land within a larger area to use as samples to study biological populations or ecosystems."
        },
        {
            "thcode": 2,
            "code": "1199",
            "name": "unconsolidated deposits",
            "scope": "Loosely bound sediments such as sand, gravel, and silt which tend to accumulate in low areas or valleys."
        },
        {
            "thcode": 2,
            "code": "1266",
            "name": "vegetation",
            "scope": "Plant life or general plant cover in an area."
        },
        {
            "thcode": 2,
            "code": "1326",
            "name": "wetland ecosystems",
            "scope": "Ecosystems whose soil is saturated for long periods seasonally or continuously, including marshes, swamps, and ephemeral ponds.  More detailed terms for wetlands can be selected from the FGDC Wetland Classification <http:\/\/fgdc.gov\/standards\/status\/sub3_4.html>."
        },
        {
            "thcode": 15,
            "code": "007",
            "name": "environment",
            "scope": "Environmental resources, protection and conservation, for example environmental pollution, waste storage and treatment, environmental impact assessment, monitoring environmental risk, nature reserves, landscape, water quality, air quality, environmental modeling"
        },
        {
            "thcode": 15,
            "code": "008",
            "name": "geoscientificInformation",
            "scope": "Information pertaining to earth sciences, for example geophysical features and processes, geology, minerals, sciences dealing with the composition, structure and origin of the earth's rocks, risks of earthquakes, volcanic activity, landslides, gravity information, soils, permafrost, hydrogeology, groundwater, erosion"
        },
        {
            "thcode": 15,
            "code": "014",
            "name": "oceans",
            "scope": "Features and characteristics of salt water bodies (excluding inland waters), for example tides, tidal waves, coastal information, reefs, maritime, outer continental shelf submerged lands, shoreline"
        }
    ],
    "place_term": [
        {
            "thcode": 1,
            "code": "fUS",
            "name": "United States",
            "scope": "country",
            "pname": "North America"
        },
        {
            "thcode": 1,
            "code": "f05093",
            "name": "Mississippi",
            "scope": "county",
            "pname": "Arkansas"
        },
        {
            "thcode": 1,
            "code": "fOC16",
            "name": "Gulf of Mexico",
            "scope": "ocean or sea",
            "pname": "Atlantic"
        }
    ],
    "image": [],
    "fan": []
}