Assateague Island sediment core radiochemistry data from March-April 2014, USGS Field Activity Number 2014-301-FA

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Frequently anticipated questions:

What does this data set describe?

Title:
Assateague Island sediment core radiochemistry data from March-April 2014, USGS Field Activity Number 2014-301-FA
Abstract:
The influence of tropical and extratropical cyclones on coastal wetlands and marshes is highly variable in both space and time and depends on a number of climatic, geologic, and physical variables. The impacts storms can be either positive or negative with respect to the wetland and marsh ecosystems. Small to moderate amounts of inorganic sediment added during storms or other events helps to abate pressure from sea-level rise. However, if the volume of sediment is large and the resulting deposits thick, the organic substrate may compact causing submergence and a loss in elevation. Similarly, thick deposits of coarse inorganic sediment may also alter the hydrology of the site and impede vegetative processes. Alternative impacts associated with storms include shoreline erosion at the marsh edge as well as potential emergence. Predicting the outcome of these various responses and potential long-term implications can be obtained from a systematic assessment of both historical and recent event deposits. The objectives of this study are to 1) characterize the surficial sediment of the relict to recent washover fans and back-barrier marshes, and 2) characterize the sediment of 6 marsh cores from the back-barrier marshes and a single marsh island core near the mainland. These geologic data will be integrated with other remote sensing data collected along Assateague Island, Maryland / Virginia and assimilated into an assessment of coastal wetland response to storms.
Supplemental_Information:
This publication contains data for the field activities conducted in 2014: March 26 – April 4, 2014.
  1. How might this data set be cited?
    Smith, Christopher G., Marot, Marci E., Ellis, Alisha M., Wheaton, Cathryn J., Bernier, Julie C., and Adams, C. Scott, 20150501, Assateague Island sediment core radiochemistry data from March-April 2014, USGS Field Activity Number 2014-301-FA: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2015-1169.

    Online Links:

    This is part of the following larger work.

    Smith, Christopher G., Marot, Marci E., Ellis, Alisha M., Wheaton, Cathryn J., Bernier, Julie C., and Adams, C. Scott, 20150501, Sedimentological and radiochemical characteristics of marsh deposits from Assateague Island and adjacent vicinity, Maryland and Virginia, following Hurricane Sandy: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2015-1169, U.S. Geological Survey - St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center, St. Petersburg, Florida.

    Online Links:

  2. What geographic area does the data set cover?
    West_Bounding_Coordinate: -75.46667
    East_Bounding_Coordinate: -75.11111
    North_Bounding_Coordinate: 38.26667
    South_Bounding_Coordinate: 37.82222
  3. What does it look like?
  4. Does the data set describe conditions during a particular time period?
    Beginning_Date: 26-Mar-2014
    Ending_Date: 04-Apr-2014
    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?
    14CTB Alpha Spec Data.xlsx
    Alpha spectroscopy radiochemistry results of sediment cores collected on Assateague Island, Maryland. (Source: USGS)
    Core ID
    Marsh sediment core site number (Source: USGS) Core site identification number assigned by USGS scientist
    Depth (cm)
    Sample interval depth measured from top of the core (cm) (Source: USGS)
    Range of values
    Minimum:0-1
    Maximum:56-57
    Total Pb-210 Activity (dpm/g)
    Total Pb-210 specific activity measured in disintegrations per minute per gram of dry sediment at the date of field collection. (Source: USGS)
    Range of values
    Minimum:0.033
    Maximum:22.94
    Total Pb-210 Activity Error (+/- dpm/g)
    Total Pb-2107 specific activity counting error measured in disintegrations per minute per gram of dry sediment at the date of field collection. (Source: USGS)
    Range of values
    Minimum:0.004
    Maximum:0.555

Who produced the data set?

  1. Who are the originators of the data set? (may include formal authors, digital compilers, and editors)
    • Christopher G. Smith
    • Marci E. Marot
    • Alisha M. Ellis
    • Cathryn J. Wheaton
    • Julie C. Bernier
    • C. Scott Adams
  2. Who also contributed to the data set?
    U.S. Geological Survey
  3. To whom should users address questions about the data?
    U.S. Geological Survey - St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center
    Attn: Christopher G. Smith
    Research Geologist
    600 4th Street South
    St. Petersburg, FL
    US

    (727) 502-8035 (voice)
    cgsmith@usgs.gov

Why was the data set created?

The 14CTB_Alpha_Spec_Data.zip file includes all alpha spectroscopy radiochemistry analysis results from the 8 marsh push cores and 1 auger core collected on Assateague Island and the mainland of Maryland and Virginia in March/April and October 2014 by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center.

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: 01-May-2015 (process 1 of 3)
    At the USGS SPCMSC, the cores were extruded in 1-centimeter intervals and placed in labeled bags. The samples were refrigerated until further analysis. Person who carried out this activity:
    U.S. Geological Survey St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center
    Attn: Christopher G. Smith
    Research Geologist
    600 4th Street South
    St. Petersburg, FL
    U.S.

    (727) 502-8035 (voice)
    cgsmith@usgs.gov
    Date: 2014 (process 2 of 3)
    Each subsample (approximately 20-30 mL of wet sediment) was oven-dried at 60°C for 48 hours. The dried sediment was homogenized to a fine powder using a porcelain mortar and pestle. Total Pb-210 (via granddaughter polonium-210; [Po-210]) were determined by alpha spectroscopy following the procedure of Marot and Smith (2012). Briefly, approximately 1 – 5 g of sediment was spiked with a 0.5 mL of Po-209 of known activity (12 decays per minute per milliliter [dpm mL-1]). Sediments were leached with a combination of concentrated nitric and hydrochloric acid with the addition of 30 % H2O2 to remove organics. Sediments were taken to near dryness and re-saturated three times with hydrochloric acid until all nitric acid is removed. Po-209 and Po-210 were electroplated onto silver planchets and counted on an alpha spectrometer. Count rate efficiency for Po-209 were determined and applied to Po-210 counts. Total Pb-210 is then assumed to be in secular equilibrium with Po-210 in the down-core sediment. Person who carried out this activity:
    U.S. Geological Survey St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center
    Attn: Christopher G. Smith
    Research Geologist
    600 4th Street South
    St. Petersburg, FL
    U.S.

    (727) 502-8035 (voice)
    cgsmith@usgs.gov
    Date: 13-Oct-2020 (process 3 of 3)
    Added keywords section with USGS persistent identifier as theme keyword. Person who carried out this activity:
    U.S. Geological Survey
    Attn: VeeAnn A. Cross
    Marine Geologist
    384 Woods Hole Road
    Woods Hole, MA

    508-548-8700 x2251 (voice)
    508-457-2310 (FAX)
    vatnipp@usgs.gov
  3. What similar or related data should the user be aware of?

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

  1. How well have the observations been checked?
    The radioisotopic activities reported in the Excel spreadsheets include the counting error for all samples.
  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 processed radiochemistry data file for USGS FAN 2014-301-FA (14CTB).
  5. How consistent are the relationships among the observations, including topology?
    The data include core ID, sample depth interval in core (cm), total Pb-210 activity, and total Pb-210 counting error.

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:
The U.S. Geological Survey requests that it be referenced 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: Christopher G. Smith
    600 4th Street South
    St. Petersburg, FL
    U.S.

    502-8035 (voice)
    cgsmith@usgs.gov
  2. What's the catalog number I need to order this data set? Downloadable data
  3. What legal disclaimers am I supposed to read?
    This publication was prepared by an agency of the United States Government. 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, 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. Reference herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise does not constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States Government or any agency thereof.
  4. How can I download or order the data?
  5. Is there some other way to get the data?
    none
  6. What hardware or software do I need in order to use the data set?
    These spreadsheets included in this .zip file were created for use with Microsoft Excel 2010. 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. The .zip file also contains comma delimited files (.csv) of the radiochemsitry data for each core. The .csv data files contains the tabular data in plain text and may be viewed with a standard text editor.

Who wrote the metadata?

Dates:
Last modified: 13-Oct-2020
Metadata author:
U.S. Geological Survey St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center
Attn: Christopher G. Smith
Research Geologist
600 4th Street South
St. Petersburg, FL
U.S.

(727) 502-8035 (voice)
cgsmith@usgs.gov
Metadata standard:
FGDC Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata (FGDC-STD-001-1998)
This page is <https://cmgds.marine.usgs.gov/catalog/spcmsc/OFR20151169_Radiochemistry-met.faq.html>
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