Elevation data sites in the coastal marsh at Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Mississippi, from July 2018 through January 2020

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Frequently anticipated questions:

What does this data set describe?

Title:
Elevation data sites in the coastal marsh at Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Mississippi, from July 2018 through January 2020
Abstract:
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 (GNDNERR), Mississippi. 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 six 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, and wave data) are also provided in this data release. Some elevation data was collected at non-regularly sampled sites (Sites 0, 1, 2, and 3). Site 0 was the site designation given to any site that has not been part of the NST study and it was used to collect "test" points before every trip at the GNDNERR office. Sites 1-3 were previously occupied with NST. The main goal of collecting the shoreline elevation and location data was to validate a bathymetric data set. Data were collected during the following USGS Field Activities Numbers (FANs) 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.
Supplemental_Information:
USGS scientists collected elevation data through quarterly field visits. Each field visit was assigned a FAN and sub-FAN by USGS staff. This publication contains data for field activities: 1) 2018-332-FA (18CCT01, July 2018), 2) 2018-358-FA (18CCT10, October 2018), 3) 2019-303-FA (19CCT01, February 2019; 19CCT02, May 2019; 19CCT03, August 2019; 19CCT04, November 2019), 4) 2020-301-FA (20CCT01, January 2020). Elevation data were collected and processed by the Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve staff. This dataset, Grand_Bay_Elevation_Data.csv, was acquired in the North American Datum of 1983 State Plane Mississippi East Federal Information Processing Standard 2301 (NAD_1983_StatePlane_Mississippi_East_FIPS_2301) and transformed into the North American Datum of 1983 Universal Transverse Mercator Zone 16 North (NAD_1983_UTM_Zone_16N). The vertical datum of this data is North American Vertical Datum of 1988 (NAVD88) GEOID 12A.
  1. How might this data set be cited?
    Smith, Kathryn E.L., Terrano, Joseph F., Pitchford, Jonathan, and Brochard, Michael, 20250924, Elevation data sites in the coastal marsh at Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Mississippi, from July 2018 through January 2020:.

    This is part of the following larger work.

    Smith, Kathryn E.L., Terrano, Joseph F., Pitchford, Jonathan, Brochard, Michael, Vargas, Joseph M., Atchia, Isabelle D., Everhart, Cheyenne S., and Smith, Christopher G., 20200713, Shore proximal marsh sediment deposition and ancillary data from Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Mississippi, from July 2018 to January 2020: U.S. Geological Survey data release doi:10.5066/P9ONI8PS, U.S. Geological Survey, St. Petersburg, FL.

    Online Links:

  2. What geographic area does the data set cover?
    West_Bounding_Coordinate: -88.44975162
    East_Bounding_Coordinate: -88.39620335
    North_Bounding_Coordinate: 30.42983734
    South_Bounding_Coordinate: 30.33572199
  3. What does it look like?
  4. Does the data set describe conditions during a particular time period?
    Beginning_Date: 18-Jul-2018
    Ending_Date: 28-Jan-2020
    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?
      This is a Point data set. It contains the following vector data types (SDTS terminology):
      • Point (2320)
    2. What coordinate system is used to represent geographic features?
      Grid_Coordinate_System_Name: Universal Transverse Mercator
      Universal_Transverse_Mercator:
      UTM_Zone_Number: 16
      Transverse_Mercator:
      Scale_Factor_at_Central_Meridian: 0.9996
      Longitude_of_Central_Meridian: -87.0
      Latitude_of_Projection_Origin: 0.0
      False_Easting: 500000.0
      False_Northing: 0.0
      Planar coordinates are encoded using coordinate pair
      Abscissae (x-coordinates) are specified to the nearest 0.6096
      Ordinates (y-coordinates) are specified to the nearest 0.6096
      Planar coordinates are specified in Meter
      The horizontal datum used is D_North_American_1983.
      The ellipsoid used is GRS_1980.
      The semi-major axis of the ellipsoid used is 6378137.0.
      The flattening of the ellipsoid used is 1/298.257222101.
  7. How does the data set describe geographic features?
    Grand_Bay_Elevation_Data.csv
    CSV file containing attribute information associated with location and elevation data collected in Grand Bay, Mississippi from 2018, 2019, and 2020. (Source: USGS)
    Sample_ID
    Sample identification number (Source: USGS) Character string. Sample IDs listed within the table used the naming convention FAN-GBXYY-ZZ, where FAN represents the USGS abbreviated field activity number (18CCT01 18CCT10, 19CCT01, 19CCT02, 19CCT03, 19CCT04 and 20CCT01), GB denotes samples are from Grand Bay, X is the site number (0, 1 ,2 , 3, 5, 6, 7, or 8), YY is the sample number, ZZ denotes the code where the elevation was collected from (see "type" field). For example, sample ID "18CCT10-GB600-WLS" is from the 18CCT10 trip from Site 6 measuring the elevation of the base of the water level logger well. Some samples have further specified sample numbers that follow ZZ. These sample numbers are used to distinguish samples of the same type collected at a specific site. For example, "18CCT10-GB500-SL-01" is from the 18CCT10 trip from Site 5 measuring shoreline elevations, with this specific point being the first point collected. GPS positions outside of net sedimentation tile sites are called "Site 0". No data was collected at Site 4.
    FAN
    USGS field activity number (FAN) assigned to each sample collection trip. (Source: USGS) Field activity numbers were assigned by the USGS to track field collection of samples. The FAN number consists of YYYY-XXX-FA, with YYYY being the 4-digit year, XXX being the trip number, and FA representing that it is a field activity. There are four FANs associated with this dataset: 2018-332-FA, 2018-358-FA, 2019-303-FA and 2020-301-FA.
    Alt_FAN
    Alternate (abbreviated) FAN number assigned each collection trip. (Source: USGS) Alternate FAN numbers were assigned by the USGS and are YYCCTXX, where YY is the 2-digit year, CCT stands for coastal change and transport, and XX is the trip number. For example, 20CCT01 was from 2020 sample collection trip 01.
    Site
    Site number. Site 0 was used for sites that were not regularly sampled or the Grand Bay NERR test point. Sites 1-3 were from a previous NST study. No data was collected at Site 4. Sites 5-8 are the current study sites this data release is focused on. (Source: USGS)
    Range of values
    Minimum:0
    Maximum:8
    Date
    Date the elevations were collected from Grand Bay in YYYYMMDD format. (Source: USGS)
    Range of values
    Minimum:20180718
    Maximum:20200128
    Type
    Codes used to identify what object was measured for elevation. (Source: USGS)
    ValueDefinition
    NERRReference elevation collected at the Grand Bay NERR.
    WLTElevation at the top of the water level logger well.
    WLSSediment surface elevation at the base of the water level logger well.
    05TElevation at the 5-meter net sedimentation tile plot.
    10TElevation at the 10-meter net sedimentation tile plot.
    15TElevation at the 15-meter net sedimentation tile plot.
    20TElevation at the 20-meter net sedimentation tile plot.
    25TElevation at the 25-meter net sedimentation tile plot.
    ATElevation of the base of the In-Situ AquaTroll 600 sensor.
    ATTElevation of the top of the In-Situ AquaTroll 600 sensor.
    SLElevation of the shoreline.
    SLVElevation of the shoreline used for bathymetric verification.
    BOSElevation at the bottom of the shoreline scarp.
    TOSElevation at the top of the shoreline scarp.
    ETElevation profile transect that extends from the estuary into the marsh.
    SSurficial sediment sample collected at the net sedimentation tile plots.
    RBREstuary surface elevation at the RBRsolo3 sensor.
    Detail_name
    Detailed name of the sample. (Source: USGS) Detailed name of the sample that is represented in the "Type" column.
    PT_number
    Value used to order the points as they were collected. Cells with no value denote the points do not need to be references as part of a sequence. (Source: USGS)
    Range of values
    Minimum:1
    Maximum:89
    Easting
    Easting coordinate of the elevation collection location in the North American Datum of 1983 (NAD83) Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) Zone 16N projected coordinate system. (Source: USGS)
    Range of values
    Minimum:360665.1738
    Maximum:365854.2625
    Northing
    Northing coordinate of the elevation collection location in the North American Datum of 1983 (NAD83) Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) Zone 16N projected coordinate system. (Source: USGS)
    Range of values
    Minimum:3356877.091
    Maximum:3367281.868
    Lat
    Latitude of the elevation collection location in the North American Datum of 1983 (NAD83). (Source: USGS)
    Range of values
    Minimum:30.33572199
    Maximum:30.42983734
    Long
    Longitude of the elevation collection location in the North American Datum of 1983 (NAD83). (Source: USGS)
    Range of values
    Minimum:-88.44975162
    Maximum:-88.39620335
    Elevation
    Elevation, in meters, in the North American Vertical Datum of 1988 (NAVD88) GEOID 12A. (Source: USGS)
    Range of values
    Minimum:-0.76196
    Maximum:8.15018
    Notes
    Notes about the GPS data collection. (Source: USGS) Written locations of where the elevation measurement was collected, additional point information, or notations for other analyses. Points labeled "start of profile" are the closest shoreline point to the tile plots selected by visual assessment. Points labeled "0 Plot" were used to calculate the average elevation of the shoreline closest to the tile plots.

Who produced the data set?

  1. Who are the originators of the data set? (may include formal authors, digital compilers, and editors)
    • Kathryn E.L. Smith
    • Joseph F. Terrano
    • Jonathan Pitchford
    • Michael Brochard
  2. Who also contributed to the data set?
    The authors would like to acknowledge the GNDNERR staff for their contributions in collecting and reviewing this data.
  3. To whom should users address questions about the data?
    U.S. Geological Survey St Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center
    Attn: Kathryn Smith
    Research Ecologist
    600 4th Street South
    St. Petersburg, FL

    727-502-8073 (voice)
    727-502-8182 (FAX)
    kelsmith@usgs.gov

Why was the data set created?

This data release contains elevation data for shorelines, net sedimentation tile plots, water level logger wells, and AquaTroll sensors. Elevation data can be used in conjunction with in-situ sedimentation data to track lateral erosion and accretion of the marsh and estuary surface. Elevation data were collected using a using a Trimble R10 Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) set to 1 second (s) continuous topology for shorelines and 10 s static occupations for all other data points. This data should not be used for navigational purposes.

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: 2020 (process 1 of 3)
    A Trimble R10 GNSS and TSC3 data collector were used to collect global positioning system (GPS) coordinates and elevations. Both the R10 and TSC3 were mounted onto a 2-m graphite rod with a mounted foot to keep the rod on the surface of the marsh. A projected coordinate system (NAD_1983_StatePlane_Mississippi_East_FIPS_2301) was used for data collection. The Continuous Topo tool was used when capturing shoreline features, so a point was collected every 5 s along the shoreline. Prior to point collection, the rod foot was placed on the marsh surface until the point was captured. Next the surveyor took 2 to 4 steps before setting the rod down for the next point to be captured, making sure to firmly seat the rod on the marsh platform prior to data capture. Shoreline points were collected at the water-vegetation boundary, or top of scarp (TOS) if present, for each field survey date. For other points collected (for example, bottom of scarp, NST plots, etc.), the Measure Points tool was used with an occupation time of 10 s for each point collected. To capture the position of NST plots, a point was taken on the outside edge of each PVC marker (each plot has two corner markers). GPS points for the TOS generally followed the vegetation line closest to the erosional edge. The bottom of scarp (BOS) generally followed the first slope break from the erosional edge. BOS, TOS, and tile plots (plots) were coded as such in the TSC3 during data collection to help identify geomorphic features when subsequently viewing or analyzing the data. Data were exported from the TSC3 as a shapefile (.shp). The .shp was pulled from the export folder and brought into ArcGIS software where the projection was defined as NAD_1983_StatePlane_Mississippi_East_FIPS_2301. For additional GPS data collection methods see Smith and others (2025). For previous NST studies in Grand Bay see Smith and others (2020). Person who carried out this activity:
    Jonathan Pitchford
    Stewardship Coordinator
    6005 Bayou Heron Road
    Moss Point, MS
    USA

    228-523-4009 (voice)
    jonathan.pitchford@dmr.ms.gov
    Date: 2020 (process 2 of 3)
    Elevation data were sent to the USGS SPCMSC as shapefiles. Within ArcGIS Pro, the data were reprojected from NAD_1983_StatePlane_Mississippi_East_FIPS_2301 into NAD_1983_UTM_Zone_16N (Northing and Easting; meters), using the "project" tool. Fields with NAD83 (Latitude and Longitude; decimal degrees) were also added to the shapefile. Data from the following surveys 2018-358-FA (18CCT10), 2019-303-FA (19CCT01, 19CCT02,19CCT03, and 19CCT04), and 2020-301-FA (20CCT01) were merged into one shapefile and fields were then renamed for consistency with previous publications. The final shapefile was exported into tabular digital data (Comma Separated Values [CSV] format). Person who carried out this activity:
    Joseph Terrano
    Physical Scientist
    600 4th Street South
    St.Petersburg, FL
    USA

    727-502-8047 (voice)
    jterrano@usgs.gov
    Date: 24-Sep-2025 (process 3 of 3)
    The elevation data (Grand_Bay_Elevation_Data.csv) and metadata were revised (version 2.0) to append data from the 2018-332-FA (18CCT01, July 2018) survey in version 3.0 of this data release. Please refer to the version_history.txt file for more information regarding previous versions of this data release. Person who carried out this activity:
    Joseph Terrano
    Physical Scientist
    600 4th Street South
    St.Petersburg, FL
    USA

    727-502-8047 (voice)
    jterrano@usgs.gov
  3. What similar or related data should the user be aware of?
    Smith, Kathryn E.L., Terrano, Joseph F., Khan, Nicole S., and Stalk, Chelsea A., 20200226, Shore Proximal Sediment Deposition, Elevation, Turbidity, and Water Level Data for Four Sites in the Coastal Marsh at Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Mississippi, From October 2016 Through October 2017: U.S. Geological Survey, St. Petersburg, Florida.

    Online Links:

    Other_Citation_Details:
    Contains data from a related NST study in North Rigolets and Middle Bay areas of the GNDNERR.
    Terrano, Joseph F., Ellis, Alisha M., Smith, Kathryn E.L., Pitchford, Jonathan, Archer, Michael, Vargas, Joseph M., Griffiths, Jonathan P., Randall, Samuel M., Virden, Matthew, Everhart, Cheyenne S., and Sparks, Eric, 20250527, Shore Proximal Marsh Sediment Deposition and Ancillary Data From Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Mississippi, From October 2020 to January 2023: U.S. Geological Survey, St. Petersburg, Florida.

    Online Links:

    Smith, Kathryn E.L., Pitchford, Jonathan L., Sparks, Eric L., Archer, Michael J., Virden, Matthew F., Terrano, Joseph F., and Smith, Christopher G., 20250612, Evaluating the influence of constructed subtidal reefs on marsh shoreline erosion, sediment deposition, and wave energy: Estuaries and Coasts Volume 48, Article 128, Springer Nature, Online.

    Online Links:

    Inc., Trimble, 2025, Trimble specifications help page: Trimble Inc., Sunnyvale, CA.

    Online Links:

    Other_Citation_Details: Contains information about the Trimble R10 specifications.

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

  1. How well have the observations been checked?
    The positional accuracy of the sample locations has a horizontal error of +/-8 millimeters (mm) + 0.5 parts per million (ppm) root mean square (RMS) and a vertical error of +/-15 mm + 0.5 ppm RMS (Trimble, 2025).
  2. How accurate are the geographic locations?
    +/-8 mm + 0.5 ppm RMS
  3. How accurate are the heights or depths?
    +/-15 mm + 0.5 ppm RMS
  4. Where are the gaps in the data? What is missing?
    This dataset includes the locations of 2,320 elevation points collected from shorelines, water level logger wells, AquaTroll sensors, RBR sensors, and net sedimentation tile study sites that were collected from Grand Bay Mississippi from July 2018 to January 2020 (USGS FANs 18CCT01, 18CCT10, 19CCT01, 19CCT02, 19CCT03, 19CCT04, and 20CCT01). This dataset is considered complete for the information presented, as described in the abstract section. Users are advised to read the rest of the metadata before using data. No data values are represented as blank cells and are intentionally left blank as there are no values associated with the data.
  5. How consistent are the relationships among the observations, including topology?
    Position and elevation data at each sample site were recorded with a Trimble R10 GNSS system set to 1 s continuous topo for shorelines and 10 s static occupations for all other data points. At the start of each survey a baseline mark was collected at the same location at the Grand Bay NERR headquarters.

How can someone get a copy of the data set?

Are there legal restrictions on access or use of the data?
Access_Constraints No access constraints. Please see 'Distribution Information' for details.
Use_Constraints These data are marked with a Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal License. These data are in the public domain and do not have any use constraints. Users are advised to read the dataset's metadata thoroughly to understand appropriate use and data limitations.
  1. Who distributes the data set? (Distributor 1 of 1)
    U.S. Geological Survey, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center
    Attn: USGS SPCMSC Data Management
    600 4th Street South
    Saint Petersburg, FL
    United States

    727-502-8000 (voice)
    gs-g-spcmsc_data_inquiries@usgs.gov
  2. What's the catalog number I need to order this data set? Grand_Bay_Elevation_Data.csv
  3. What legal disclaimers am I supposed to read?
    Unless otherwise stated, all data, metadata and related materials are considered to satisfy the quality standards relative to the purpose for which the data were collected. Although these data and associated metadata have been reviewed for accuracy and completeness and approved for release by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), no warranty expressed or implied is made regarding the display or utility of the data for other purposes, nor on all computer systems, nor shall the act of distribution constitute any such warranty. Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.
  4. How can I download or order the data?

Who wrote the metadata?

Dates:
Last modified: 23-Sep-2025
Metadata author:
U.S. Geological Survey, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center
Attn: USGS SPCMSC Data Management
600 4th Street South
Saint Petersburg, FL
United States

727-502-8000 (voice)
gs-g-spcmsc_data_inquiries@usgs.gov
Metadata standard:
Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata (FGDC-STD-001-1998)
This page is <https://cmgds.marine.usgs.gov/catalog/spcmsc/Grand_Bay_Elevation_Metadata_2018_2020.faq.html>
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