Sediment Core Microfossil Data Collected from the Coastal Marsh of Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Mississippi, USA

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What does this data set describe?

Title:
Sediment Core Microfossil Data Collected from the Coastal Marsh of Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Mississippi, USA
Abstract:
To aid in geologic studies of sediment transport and environmental change in coastal marsh, 1-centimeter (cm) foraminiferal subsamples were taken from seven sediment push cores collected in the Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (GNDNERR), Mississippi, in October 2016. The push cores were collected along two, shore-perpendicular transects at 5, 15, 25, and 50 meters (m) from the shoreline, on opposite sides of Middle Bay during U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Field Activities Number (FAN) 2016-358-FA, also known as alternate FAN 16CCT07. Foraminiferal subsamples were processed and analyzed at the USGS St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center (SPCMSC). Sediment characteristics, loss-on-ignition (LOI), and site location information for the core sites can be found in Marot and others (2019; https://doi.org/10.5066/P9FO8R3Y). Downloadable data are available as Excel spreadsheets (.xlsx), comma-separated values text files (.csv), and Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) metadata (.txt and .xml).
  1. How might this data set be cited?
    Ellis, Alisha M., Jacobs, Jessica A., Smith, Kathryn E.L., Atchia, Isabelle D., and Smith, Christopher G., 20211012, Sediment Core Microfossil Data Collected from the Coastal Marsh of Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Mississippi, USA:.

    This is part of the following larger work.

    Ellis, Alisha M., Jacobs, Jessica A., Smith, Kathryn E.L., Atchia, Isabelle D., and Smith, Christopher G., 20211012, Sediment Core Microfossil Data Collected from the Coastal Marsh of Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Mississippi, USA: U.S. Geological Survey Data Release doi:10.5066/F7X63K24, U.S. Geological Survey, St. Petersburg, FL.

    Online Links:

  2. What geographic area does the data set cover?
    West_Bounding_Coordinate: -88.41242
    East_Bounding_Coordinate: -88.39657
    North_Bounding_Coordinate: 30.38365
    South_Bounding_Coordinate: 30.37600
  3. What does it look like?
  4. Does the data set describe conditions during a particular time period?
    Beginning_Date: 21-Oct-2016
    Ending_Date: 22-Oct-2016
    Currentness_Reference:
    Ground condition
  5. What is the general form of this data set?
    Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: tabular digital data
  6. How does the data set represent geographic features?
    1. How are geographic features stored in the data set?
    2. What coordinate system is used to represent geographic features?
  7. How does the data set describe geographic features?
    Entity_and_Attribute_Overview:
    Detailed attribute descriptions for the raw foraminiferal counts workbook are provided in the included data dictionary (16CCT07_Foraminiferal_Data_Dictionary.pdf). These metadata are not complete without this file. Supplemental information includes a taxonomic reference list, which may be used for visual and descriptive purposes and species name changes (16CCT07_Taxonomic_Reference_List.pdf).
    Entity_and_Attribute_Detail_Citation:
    Data Dictionary and Taxonomic Reference List for Foraminiferal Data Tables, in: Ellis, A.M., Jacobs, J.A., Smith, K.E.L., Atchia, I.D., and Smith, C.G., 2021, Sediment Core Microfossil Data Collected from the Coastal Marsh of Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Mississippi, USA, https://doi.org/10.5066/F7X63K24.

Who produced the data set?

  1. Who are the originators of the data set? (may include formal authors, digital compilers, and editors)
    • Alisha M. Ellis
    • Jessica A. Jacobs
    • Kathryn E.L. Smith
    • Isabelle D. Atchia
    • Christopher G. Smith
  2. Who also contributed to the data set?
    U.S. Geological Survey, Coastal and Marine Geology Program, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center.
  3. To whom should users address questions about the data?
    U.S. Geological Survey
    Attn: Alisha M. Ellis
    Geologist
    600 4th Street South
    St. Petersburg, FL
    USA

    (727) 502-8056 (voice)
    aellis@usgs.gov

Why was the data set created?

Sediment push cores were collected during USGS field activity number (FAN) 2016-358-FA, alternate FAN 16CCT07. Additional survey and data details are available from the USGS Coastal and Marine Geoscience Data System (CMGDS) at, https://cmgds.marine.usgs.gov/fan_info.php?fan=2016-358-FA. Location, sample dates, and related sedimentological datasets are available in Marot and others (2019). The file 16CCT07_Foram_Counts.zip includes all count data for the foraminifera samples collected in October 2016 during 2016-358-FA.

How was the data set created?

  1. From what previous works were the data drawn?
  2. How were the data generated, processed, and modified?
    Date: 22-Oct-2016 (process 1 of 2)
    In the Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Mississippi, two salt marsh shore-perpendicular transects, identified as sites 1 and 3, each had four cores collected at distances of 5, 15, 25, and 50 meters landward of the shoreline. Push cores were collected with 10.2-cm diameter polycarbonate barrels, driven into the sediment until refusal. Upon retrieval, similar to methods described in Osbourne and DeLaune (2013; with the exception of not adding water for extraction when not necessary due to the sediments being saturated) and calculation of compaction due to coring, the cores were visually inspected for disturbances (for example, slumping, washout, scouring, cracking, bubbling, and/or discontinuities) to ensure the core was intact and representative of the site. If the core appeared disturbed, it was discarded, and a new core was collected. Upon retrieval, the push cores were capped, labeled, and inspected for integrity. Push core recovered lengths ranged between 42 and 54 cm. The cores were transported upright, in order to avoid slumping and preserve the natural sediment orientation, to the SPCMSC laboratory for sectioning. Core identifiers consist of the USGS project ID/ alternate FAN (16CCT07) and a site-specific identifier (for example, GB301). An alphabetic identifier was appended to each site identifier to differentiate the collection method (M for marsh push core). Sediment characteristics, loss-on-ignition, and site location information for the core sites can be found in Marot and others (2019). Comma-separated values data files containing the tabular data in plain text are included in the download files. Person who carried out this activity:
    U.S. Geological Survey
    Attn: Alisha M. Ellis
    Geologist
    600 4th Street South
    St. Petersburg, FL
    USA

    (727) 502-8056 (voice)
    aellis@usgs.gov
    Date: 10-Sep-2020 (process 2 of 2)
    At the USGS SPCMSC, marsh push cores were extruded vertically and sectioned into 1-cm intervals using a serrated knife, pre-measured polycarbonate ring, and extruder (in accordance with methods described in Osbourne and Delaune, 2013 and in 1-cm intervals as is standard for foraminiferal microfossil analyses; Schönfeld and others, 2012; and radiochemical analyses; Nittrouer, 1979) at the USGS SPCMSC sediment core laboratory. The outer circumference of each sample interval was removed to avoid use of sediment that was in contact with the polycarbonate barrel which could result in contamination by sediment from other depths due to movement within the barrel both during collection and extruding. Each sediment interval was bagged in a zipped baggie, homogenized, and refrigerated (Osbourne and DeLaune, 2013). Select 1-cm push core interval subsamples from seven of the 8 cores collected were processed for foraminifera microfossils. One core, GB307M, was contaminated in the laboratory and not subsampled for foraminifera. The intervals selected for microfossil analyses were based on fluctuations in downcore sediment data in an attempt to capture both “background” intervals and contrasting, potential event intervals. In some cases, there was not enough sediment available to perform grain-size and microfossil analyses on a single 1-cm interval. In these cases, the 1-cm interval above or below was selected for microfossils and for comparison with grain-size, assuming dry bulk density and LOI values of the neighboring intervals were not significantly different. Foraminifera subsamples were collected from refrigerated wet sediment for processing which occurred episodically over 20 months (November 7, 2017 through June 11, 2019). Foraminifera subsample wet volume was recorded to the nearest 1 milliliter (mL) and then washed over a 63-, 125- and 500 micrometer (µm) sieve in order to remove clay material, to separate out large organics (Schönfeld and others, 2012), and for size class comparison with other foraminiferal datasets with size ranges of 125–500 µm (Haller and others, 2018a; Haller and others, 2018b; Haller and others, 2019; Ellis and Smith, 2020; Ellis and Smith, 2021). The first twelve intervals processed were sieved over only 63 and 500 micrometer (µm) sieves (GB301M: 1-2, 7-8, 16-17, and 24-25 cm, GB302M: 0-1, 5-6, 12-13, 15-16, and 19-20 cm, and GB303M: 0-1, 2-3, and 9-10 cm) and were later reassessed by measuring and separating the 63–125 µm individuals using a slide scale for consistency and comparison with the remainder of the dataset. After sieving, the 125–500 µm size fraction (or 63–500 µm in the aforementioned 12 samples) of each sample was split into equal parts with a microsplitter and spread evenly over a gridded picking tray. Entire splits were picked until at least 200 foraminiferal specimens were acquired for the calculation of foraminiferal densities. Identifications and counts were checked by Alisha Ellis following an initial sorting and identification by Jessica Jacobs. Identifications were made with assistance from Dr. Lisa Osterman, Dr. Steve Culver, and Dr. Christian Haller, and by making comparisons with published literature (Edwards and others, 2015; Haller and others, 2019). Person who carried out this activity:
    U.S. Geological Survey
    Attn: Alisha M. Ellis
    Geologist
    600 4th Street South
    St. Petersburg, FL
    USA

    (727) 502-8056 (voice)
    aellis@usgs.gov
    Data sources produced in this process:
    • 16CCT07_Foram_Counts.zip
  3. What similar or related data should the user be aware of?
    Schönfeld, J., Alve, E., Geslin, E., Jorissen, F., Korsun, S., Spezzaferri, S., and Members of the FOBIMO group, 20120612, The FOBIMO (FOraminiferal BIo-MOnitoring) initiative-Towards a standardised protocol for soft-bottom benthic foraminiferal monitoring studies: Marine Micropaleontology Volume 94–95.

    Online Links:

    Other_Citation_Details: Pages 1-13
    Ellis, A.M., and Smith, C.G., 20200708, Benthic foraminiferal data from surface samples and sedimentary cores in the Grand Bay estuary, Mississippi and Alabama: U.S. Geological Survey data release doi:10.5066/P9YCK857.

    Online Links:

    Marot, M.E., Smith, C.G., McCloskey, T.A., Locker, S.D., Khan, N.S., and Smith, K.E.L., 20190301, Sedimentary data from Grand Bay, Alabama/Mississippi, 2014–2016 (ver. 1.1, April 2020): U.S. Geological Survey data release doi:10.5066/P9FO8R3Y.

    Online Links:

    Haller, C., Smith, C.G., McCloskey, T.A., Marot, M.E., Ellis, A.M., and Adams, C.S., 20180413, Benthic foraminiferal data from the eastern Mississippi Sound salt marshes and estuaries: U.S. Geological Survey data release doi:10.5066/F7MC8X5F.

    Online Links:

    Other_Citation_Details: 2018a
    Haller, C., Smith, C.G., McCloskey, T.A., Marot, M.E., Ellis, A.M., and Adams, C.S., 20180417, Benthic foraminiferal data from sedimentary cores collected in the Grand Bay (Mississippi) and Dauphin Island (Alabama) salt marshes: U.S. Geological Survey data release doi:10.5066/F7445KSG.

    Online Links:

    Other_Citation_Details: 2018b
    Ellis, A.M., and Smith, C.G., 20210514, Emerging dominance of Paratrochammina simplissima (Cushman and McCulloch) in the northern Gulf of Mexico following hydrologic and geomorphic changes: Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science Volume 255.

    Online Links:

    Other_Citation_Details: 15 pages
    Haller, C., Smith, C.G., Hallock, P., Hine, A.C., Osterman, L.E., and McCloskey, T., 20190111, Distribution of Modern Salt-marsh Foraminifera from the Eastern Mississippi Sound, U.S.A.: Journal of Foraminiferal Research Volume 49, Issue 1.

    Online Links:

    Other_Citation_Details: pages 29-47
    Nittrouer, C.A., Sternberg, R.W., Carpenter, R., and Bennett, J.T., 1979, The use of Pb-210 geochronology as a sedimentological tool: Application to the Washington continental shelf: Marine Geology Volume 31, Issues 3-4.

    Online Links:

    Other_Citation_Details: pages 297-316
    Osbourne, T.Z. and DeLaune R.D., 20131018, Soil and Sediment sampling of Inundated Environments: SSSA Book Series Volume 10.

    Online Links:

    Other_Citation_Details: Pages 21-40
    Edwards, R.J. and Wright, A.J., 20150217, Foraminifera: Chapter 13 First Edition, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd, Chichester, United Kingdom.

    Online Links:

    Other_Citation_Details: Pages 191-217
    This is part of the following larger work.

    Shennan, I., Long, A.J., and Horton, B.P. (Eds.), 2015, Handbook of Sea-Level Research.

How reliable are the data; what problems remain in the data set?

  1. How well have the observations been checked?
    The foraminiferal data presented are the raw counts and are not volumetrically normalized. Data can be normalized by accounting for the fraction picked and the sediment volume.
  2. How accurate are the geographic locations?
  3. How accurate are the heights or depths?
  4. Where are the gaps in the data? What is missing?
    This is a complete raw foraminiferal dataset that includes counts for 69 subsamples from 7 push cores collected from the marshes surrounding Middle Bay in Grand Bay, Mississippi.
  5. How consistent are the relationships among the observations, including topology?
    The complete raw foraminiferal dataset includes all species counts, the percent of each sample picked and assessed, and total wet volume of the sample collected. Detailed information regarding species identifications is available upon request.

How can someone get a copy of the data set?

Are there legal restrictions on access or use of the data?
Access_Constraints: None
Use_Constraints:
Public domain data from the U.S. Government are freely redistributable with proper metadata and source attribution. The U.S. Geological Survey requests that it be acknowledged as the originator of this dataset in any future products or research derived from these data.
  1. Who distributes the data set? (Distributor 1 of 1)
    U.S. Geological Survey St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center
    Attn: Alisha M. Ellis
    Geologist
    600 4th Street South
    St. Petersburg, FL
    USA

    (727) 502-8056 (voice)
    aellis@usgs.gov
  2. What's the catalog number I need to order this data set? 16CCT07_Foram_Counts.xlsx, 16CCT07_Foram_Counts.csv
  3. What legal disclaimers am I supposed to read?
    Although these data have been processed successfully on a computer system at the U.S. Geological Survey, no warranty expressed or implied is made regarding the display or utility of the data on any other system, or for general or scientific purposes, nor shall the act of distribution imply any such warranty. The U.S. Geological Survey shall not be held liable for improper or incorrect use of the data described and (or) contained herein. Any use of trade, firm, or product name is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.
  4. How can I download or order the data?
  5. What hardware or software do I need in order to use the data set?
    The workbook included in this .zip file was created for use with Microsoft Excel. It may also be viewed with the Microsoft Excel viewer or by downloading a Microsoft Compatibility Pack to view with older versions of Microsoft Excel.

Who wrote the metadata?

Dates:
Last modified: 12-Oct-2021
Metadata author:
U.S. Geological Survey
Attn: Alisha M. Ellis
Geologist
600 4th Street South
St. Petersburg, FL
USA

(727) 502-8056 (voice)
aellis@usgs.gov
Metadata standard:
Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata (FGDC-STD-001-1998)
This page is <https://cmgds.marine.usgs.gov/catalog/spcmsc/16CCT07_Foram_metadata.faq.html>
Generated by mp version 2.9.50 on Thu Oct 14 10:45:06 2021