Grain-size data from vibracores collected in 2014 from Barnegat Bay, New Jersey

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Title:
Grain-size data from vibracores collected in 2014 from Barnegat Bay, New Jersey
Abstract:
In response to the 2010 Governor’s Action Plan to clean up the Barnegat Bay–Little Egg Harbor (BBLEH) estuary in New Jersey, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) partnered with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection in 2011 to begin a multidisciplinary research project to understand the physical controls on water quality in the bay. Between 2011 and 2013, USGS scientists mapped the geological and morphological characteristics of the seafloor of the BBLEH estuary using a suite of geophysical tools. However, this mapping effort included only surficial characterization of bay sediments; to verify the sub-surface geophysical data, sediment cores were required. Data Series 985 associated with this metadata record serves as an archive of sedimentologic data from 18 vibracores collected from Barnegat Bay between May and August of 2014 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) on behalf of the USGS. The vibracores were collected in conjunction with an ongoing NRCS subaqueous soil survey for the BBLEH estuary. The data presented in this report, including descriptive core logs, core photographs, processed grain-size data, and Geographic Information System (GIS) data files with accompanying formal Federal Geographic Data Committee metadata, can be viewed or downloaded from https://pubs.usgs.gov/ds/985/ds985_data/.
Supplemental_Information:
The locations of vibracore sites were chosen based on analysis of high-resolution seismic reflection profiles collected by the USGS throughout the bay (Andrews and others, 2015). A total of 18 marine vibracores were collected from Barnegat Bay in water depths greater than 1.5 meters (m) between May and August of 2014 from the NRCS Research Vessel (R/V) Doerner. A vessel-mounted tripod system was used to position, deploy, and recover the vibracores. At two additional target sites, coring efforts failed to recover sediment. A 5 1/2-horsepower Briggs and Stratton motor attached to a concrete vibrator head with a 3-m shaft was used to vibrate 7.62-centimeter (cm) diameter aluminum core barrels into the estuarine seafloor to refusal. After recovery, cores were capped, sealed, and labeled. Measurements of compaction were recorded for each core based on a comparison of the external riser height and the depth of the sediment-water interface inside the barrel. Date, time, site location (latitude and longitude), water depth, tidal period, total extracted core length, and estimated compaction were recorded for each core. All vibracores were stored in a refrigerator at the NRCS Plant Materials Center (PMC) in Cape May, N.J., until they were transported from the NRCS PMC to the USGS St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center (SPCMSC) in early September for description and textural analysis. Surficial sediments previously collected from Barnegat Bay were analyzed in the sediment laboratory at the Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center (WHCMSC); therefore, the inorganic sample fractions were returned to that laboratory for textural analysis to facilitate comparisons. Coarse fractions (sand and gravel) were oven-dried, weighed and dry-sieved. Fine fractions (silt and clay) were analyzed using a Multisizer 3 Coulter Counter, which uses electrical impedance to measure the size distribution of sediments ranging in size from 0.4 to 1,200 microns (micrometers, μm). The combination of both techniques allows for the weight percentages of grain sizes from -5 to 11 phi to be determined. The sediment classification and frequency percentages were calculated using GSSTAT software (Poppe and others, 2004). The grain-size data can be viewed or downloaded from https://pubs.usgs.gov/ds/985/ds985_data/.
  1. How might this data set be cited?
    Bernier, Julie C., 2016, Grain-size data from vibracores collected in 2014 from Barnegat Bay, New Jersey:.

    Online Links:

    This is part of the following larger work.

    Bernier, Julie C., Stalk, Chelsea A., Kelso, Kyle W., Miselis, Jennifer L., and Tunstead, Rob, 2016, Sediment data collected in 2014 from Barnegat Bay, New Jersey: U.S. Geological Survey Data Series 985, U.S. Geological Survey, St. Petersburg, FL.

    Online Links:

  2. What geographic area does the data set cover?
    West_Bounding_Coordinate: -74.176810
    East_Bounding_Coordinate: -74.073801
    North_Bounding_Coordinate: 40.016900
    South_Bounding_Coordinate: 39.759430
  3. What does it look like?
  4. Does the data set describe conditions during a particular time period?
    Beginning_Date: 13-May-2014
    Ending_Date: 19-Aug-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?
      Horizontal positions are specified in geographic coordinates, that is, latitude and longitude. Latitudes are given to the nearest 0.00001. Longitudes are given to the nearest 0.00001. Latitude and longitude values are specified in Decimal degrees. The horizontal datum used is GCS_WGS_1984.
      The ellipsoid used is WGS 1984.
      The semi-major axis of the ellipsoid used is 6378137.0.
      The flattening of the ellipsoid used is 1/298.257223563.
      Vertical_Coordinate_System_Definition:
      Altitude_System_Definition:
      Altitude_Datum_Name: North American Vertical Datum of 1988
      Altitude_Resolution: 0.001
      Altitude_Distance_Units: Meters
      Altitude_Encoding_Method: Attribute values
  7. How does the data set describe geographic features?
    BB-SPCMSC_grain-size_FINAL.xlsx
    Microsoft Excel spreadsheet containing grain-size data for sediment samples from vibracores collected in 2014 from Barnegat Bay, New Jersey (Source: USGS)
    CORE_ID
    Core identification number (Source: USGS) Character string
    FIELD_NO
    Sample identification number (Source: USGS) Character string
    CLASSIFICATION
    Sediment Classification - physical description of sediment textural group (Source: USGS)
    ValueDefinition
    CLAYEY SILTSediment whose main phase is silt, but with significant clay.
    GRAVELSediment whose main phase is >2 mm.
    GRAVELLY SEDIMENTSediment whose main phase is >2 mm, but with significant other sediment. Gravel > 10 percent.
    SANDSediment whose main phase is less than 2 mm, but greater than or equal to 0.062 mm.
    SAND SILT CLAYSediment with significant (over 20 percent) sand, silt, and clay.
    SANDY SILTSediment whose main phase is silt, but with significant sand.
    SILTSediment whose main phase is less than 0.0625 mm, but greater than or equal to 0.004 mm.
    SILTY CLAYSediment whose main phase is clay, but with significant silt.
    SILTY SANDSediment whose main phase is sand, but with significant silt.
    LATITUDE
    Latitude of the core location, in decimal degrees (WGS84) (Source: USGS)
    Range of values
    Minimum:39.75943
    Maximum:40.01690
    Units:Decimal degrees
    Resolution:0.00001
    LONGITUDE
    Longitude of the core location, in decimal degrees (WGS84) (Source: USGS)
    Range of values
    Minimum:-74.17681
    Maximum:-74.07380
    Units:Decimal degrees
    Resolution:0.00001
    CoreElev_m
    Surface elevation of the core site, in meters (NAVD88, GEOID09) (Source: USGS)
    Range of values
    Minimum:-3.46
    Maximum:-1.68
    Units:Meters
    Resolution:0.01
    T_DEPTH
    Top depth of the sample below the sediment-water interface, in centimeters (Source: USGS)
    Range of values
    Minimum:2
    Maximum:265
    Units:Centimeters
    Resolution:1
    B_DEPTH
    Bottom depth of the sample below the sediment-water interface, in centimeters (Source: USGS)
    Range of values
    Minimum:3
    Maximum:266
    Units:Centimeters
    Resolution:1
    M_DEPTH
    Median depth of the sample below the sediment-water interface, in centimeters (Source: USGS)
    Range of values
    Minimum:2.5
    Maximum:265.5
    Units:Centimeters
    Resolution:1
    M_ELEV
    Median elevation of the sample, in meters (NAVD88, GEOID09) (Source: USGS)
    Range of values
    Minimum:-6.112
    Maximum:-1.734
    Units:Meters
    Resolution:0.001
    WEIGHT
    Weight of dry sample, in grams (Source: USGS)
    Range of values
    Minimum:0.2123
    Maximum:68.5456
    Units:Grams
    Resolution:0.0001
    PHIm5
    -5 Phi: weight percent of the sample in the -5 Phi fraction and larger (nominal diameter of particles greater than or equal to 32 mm); very coarse pebbles, cobbles, and boulders (Source: USGS)
    Range of values
    Minimum:0
    Maximum:0
    Units:Percent
    Resolution:0.01
    PHIm4
    -4 Phi: weight percent of the sample in the -4 Phi fraction and larger (nominal diameter of particles greater than or equal to 16 mm, but less than 32 mm); coarse pebbles (Source: USGS)
    Range of values
    Minimum:0
    Maximum:19.41
    Units:Percent
    Resolution:0.01
    PHIm3
    -3 Phi: weight percent of the sample in the -3 Phi fraction and larger (nominal diameter of particles greater than or equal to 8 mm, but less than 16 mm); medium pebbles (Source: USGS)
    Range of values
    Minimum:0
    Maximum:42.25
    Units:Percent
    Resolution:0.01
    PHIm2
    -2 Phi: weight percent of the sample in the -2 Phi fraction and larger (nominal diameter of particles greater than or equal to 4 mm, but less than 8 mm); fine pebbles (Source: USGS)
    Range of values
    Minimum:0
    Maximum:28.53
    Units:Percent
    Resolution:0.01
    PHIm1
    -1 Phi: weight percent of the sample in the -1 Phi fraction and larger (nominal diameter of particles greater than or equal to 2 mm, but less than 4 mm); very fine pebbles (granules) (Source: USGS)
    Range of values
    Minimum:0
    Maximum:60
    Units:Percent
    Resolution:0.01
    PHI_0
    0 Phi: weight percent of the sample in the 0 Phi fraction and larger (nominal diameter of particles greater than or equal to 1 mm, but less than 2 mm); very coarse sand (Source: USGS)
    Range of values
    Minimum:0
    Maximum:67.11
    Units:Percent
    Resolution:0.01
    PHI_1
    1 Phi: weight percent of the sample in the 1 Phi fraction and larger (nominal diameter of particles greater than or equal to 0.5 mm, but less than 1 mm); coarse sand (Source: USGS)
    Range of values
    Minimum:0
    Maximum:38.85
    Units:Percent
    Resolution:0.01
    PHI_2
    2 Phi: weight percent of the sample in the 2 Phi fraction and larger (nominal diameter of particles greater than or equal to 0.25 mm, but less than 0.5 mm); medium sand (Source: USGS)
    Range of values
    Minimum:0.04
    Maximum:56.28
    Units:Percent
    Resolution:0.01
    PHI_3
    3 Phi: weight percent of the sample in the 3 Phi fraction and larger (nominal diameter of particles greater than or equal to 0.125 mm, but less than 0.25 mm); fine sand (Source: USGS)
    Range of values
    Minimum:0.06
    Maximum:79.45
    Units:Percent
    Resolution:0.01
    PHI_4
    4 Phi: weight percent of the sample in the 4 Phi fraction and larger (nominal diameter of particles greater than or equal to 0.00625 mm, but less than 0.125 mm); very fine sand (Source: USGS)
    Range of values
    Minimum:0.02
    Maximum:75.03
    Units:Percent
    Resolution:0.01
    PHI_5
    5 Phi: weight percent of the sample in the 5 Phi fraction and larger (nominal diameter of particles greater than or equal to 0.031 mm, but less than 0.0625 mm); coarse silt (Source: USGS)
    Range of values
    Minimum:0.08
    Maximum:59.99
    Units:Percent
    Resolution:0.01
    PHI_6
    6 Phi: weight percent of the sample in the 6 Phi fraction and larger (nominal diameter of particles greater than or equal to 0.016 mm, but less than 0.031 mm); medium silt (Source: USGS)
    Range of values
    Minimum:0.06
    Maximum:29.55
    Units:Percent
    Resolution:0.01
    PHI_7
    7 Phi: weight percent of the sample in the 7 Phi fraction and larger (nominal diameter of particles greater than or equal to 0.008 mm, but less than 0.016 mm); fine silt (Source: USGS)
    Range of values
    Minimum:0.12
    Maximum:29.04
    Units:Percent
    Resolution:0.01
    PHI_8
    8 Phi: weight percent of the sample in the 8 Phi fraction and larger (nominal diameter of particles greater than or equal to 0.004 mm, but less than 0.008 mm); very fine silt (Source: USGS)
    Range of values
    Minimum:0.12
    Maximum:27.32
    Units:Percent
    Resolution:0.01
    PHI_9
    9 Phi: weight percent of the sample in the 9 Phi fraction and larger (nominal diameter of particles greater than or equal to 0.002 mm, but less than 0.004 mm); coarse clay (Source: USGS)
    Range of values
    Minimum:0.1
    Maximum:20.54
    Units:Percent
    Resolution:0.01
    PHI_10
    10 Phi: weight percent of the sample in the 10 Phi fraction and larger (nominal diameter of particles greater than or equal to 0.001 mm, but less than 0.002 mm); medium clay (Source: USGS)
    Range of values
    Minimum:0.05
    Maximum:16.72
    Units:Percent
    Resolution:0.01
    PHI_11
    11 Phi: weight percent of the sample in the 11 Phi fraction and larger (nominal diameter of particles greater than or equal to 0.001 mm); fine clay (Source: USGS)
    Range of values
    Minimum:0.02
    Maximum:13.03
    Units:Percent
    Resolution:0.01
    GRAVEL_PCT
    Gravel content in percent dry weight of the sample (particles with nominal diameters greater than 2 mm; -1 Phi and larger) (Source: USGS)
    Range of values
    Minimum:0
    Maximum:88.53
    Units:Percent
    Resolution:0.01
    SAND_PCT
    Sand content in percent dry weight of the sample (particles with nominal diameters less than 2 mm, but greater than or equal to 0.0625 mm; 0 Phi through 4 Phi) (Source: USGS)
    Range of values
    Minimum:0.21
    Maximum:99.15
    Units:Percent
    Resolution:0.01
    SILT_PCT
    Silt content in percent dry weight of the sample (particles with nominal diameters less than 0.0625 mm, but greater than or equal to 0.004 mm; 5 Phi through 8 Phi, inclusive) (Source: USGS)
    Range of values
    Minimum:0.51
    Maximum:79.98
    Units:Percent
    Resolution:0.01
    CLAY_PCT
    Clay content in percent dry weight of the sample (particles with nominal diameters less than 0.004 mm; 9 Phi and smaller) (Source: USGS)
    Range of values
    Minimum:0.18
    Maximum:48.35
    Units:Percent
    Resolution:0.01
    MEDIAN_phi
    Middle point in the grain size distribution, in phi units (Source: USGS)
    Range of values
    Minimum:-3.28
    Maximum:7.92
    Units:Phi
    Resolution:0.01
    MEAN_phi
    Average value in the grain size distribution, in phi units (Source: USGS)
    Range of values
    Minimum:-2.02
    Maximum:7.93
    Units:Phi
    Resolution:0.01
    STDEV_phi
    Standard deviation (root mean square of the deviations) of the grain size distribution, in phi units (sorting) (Source: USGS)
    Range of values
    Minimum:0.64
    Maximum:3.75
    Units:Phi
    Resolution:0.01
    SKEWNESS_phi
    Skewness (deviation from symmetrical form) of the grain size distribution, in phi units (Source: USGS)
    Range of values
    Minimum:-0.51
    Maximum:2.92
    Units:Phi
    Resolution:0.01
    KURTOSIS_phi
    Kurtosis (degree of curvature near the mode) of the grain size distribution, in phi units (Source: USGS)
    Range of values
    Minimum:-1.32
    Maximum:51.35
    Units:Phi
    Resolution:0.01
    MEDIAN_mm
    Middle point in the grain size distribution, in millimeters (Source: USGS)
    Range of values
    Minimum:0.00413
    Maximum:9.71356
    Units:Millimeters
    Resolution:0.00001
    MEAN_mm
    Average value in the grain size distribution, in millimeters (Source: USGS)
    Range of values
    Minimum:0.00410
    Maximum:4.05584
    Units:Millimeters
    Resolution:0.00001
    STDEV_mm
    Standard deviation (root mean square of the deviations) of the grain size distribution, in millimeters (sorting) (Source: USGS)
    Range of values
    Minimum:0.07433
    Maximum:0.64171
    Units:Millimeters
    Resolution:0.00001
    SKEWNESS_mm
    Skewness (deviation from symmetrical form) of the grain size distribution, in millimeters (Source: USGS)
    Range of values
    Minimum:0.13213
    Maximum:1.42405
    Units:Millimeters
    Resolution:0.00001
    KURTOSIS_mm
    Kurtosis (degree of curvature near the mode) of the grain size distribution, in millimeters (Source: USGS)
    Range of values
    Minimum:0.00000
    Maximum:2.49666
    Units:Millimeters
    Resolution:0.00001
    SORTING
    Physical description of sample sorting (Source: USGS) Character string
    SKEWNESS
    Physical description of sample skewness (Source: USGS) Character string
    KURTOSIS
    Physical description of sample kurtosis (Source: USGS) Character string
    D10
    Particle diameter representing the 10 percent cumulative percentile value (10 percent of the particles in the sediment sample are finer than the D10 grain size), in millimeters (Source: USGS)
    Range of values
    Minimum:0.00049
    Maximum:0.57435
    Units:Millimeters
    Resolution:0.00001
    D16
    Particle diameter representing the 16 percent cumulative percentile value (16 percent of the particles in the sediment sample are finer than the D16 grain size), in millimeters (Source: USGS)
    Range of values
    Minimum:0.00056
    Maximum:1.07177
    Units:Millimeters
    Resolution:0.00001
    D50
    Particle diameter representing the 50 percent cumulative percentile value (50 percent of the particles in the sediment sample are finer than the D50 grain size), in millimeters (Source: USGS)
    Range of values
    Minimum:0.00209
    Maximum:4.92458
    Units:Millimeters
    Resolution:0.00001
    D84
    Particle diameter representing the 84 percent cumulative percentile value (84 percent of the particles in the sediment sample are finer than the D84 grain size), in millimeters (Source: USGS)
    Range of values
    Minimum:0.00592
    Maximum:9.18959
    Units:Millimeters
    Resolution:0.00001
    D90
    Particle diameter representing the 90 percent cumulative percentile value (90 percent of the particles in the sediment sample are finer than the D90 grain size), in millimeters (Source: USGS)
    Range of values
    Minimum:0.00781
    Maximum:11.31371
    Units:Millimeters
    Resolution:0.00001
    phi10
    Particle diameter representing the 10 percent cumulative percentile value (10 percent of the particles in the sediment sample are finer than the phi10 grain size), in phi units (Source: USGS)
    Range of values
    Minimum:0.8
    Maximum:11
    Units:Phi
    Resolution:0.01
    phi16
    Particle diameter representing the 16 percent cumulative percentile value (16 percent of the particles in the sediment sample are finer than the phi16 grain size), in phi units (Source: USGS)
    Range of values
    Minimum:-0.1
    Maximum:10.8
    Units:Phi
    Resolution:0.01
    phi50
    Particle diameter representing the 50 percent cumulative percentile value (50 percent of the particles in the sediment sample are finer than the phi50 grain size), in phi units (Source: USGS)
    Range of values
    Minimum:-2.3
    Maximum:8.9
    Units:Phi
    Resolution:0.01
    phi84
    Particle diameter representing the 84 percent cumulative percentile value (84 percent of the particles in the sediment sample are finer than the phi84 grain size), in phi units (Source: USGS)
    Range of values
    Minimum:-3.2
    Maximum:7.4
    Units:Phi
    Resolution:0.01
    phi90
    Particle diameter representing the 90 percent cumulative percentile value (90 percent of the particles in the sediment sample are finer than the phi90 grain size), in phi units (Source: USGS)
    Range of values
    Minimum:-3.5
    Maximum:7
    Units:Phi
    Resolution:0.01
    LOI-OM_pct
    Percent total organic matter determined using loss-on-ignition technique (Source: USGS)
    Range of values
    Minimum:0.91
    Maximum:77.55
    Units:Percent
    Resolution:0.01

Who produced the data set?

  1. Who are the originators of the data set? (may include formal authors, digital compilers, and editors)
    • Julie C. Bernier
  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: Julie Bernier
    Geologist
    600 4th Street South
    St. Petersburg, FL
    USA

    727-502-8000 (voice)
    jbernier@usgs.gov

Why was the data set created?

This zip archive includes the grain-size data in Microsoft Excel format and associated metadata for sediment samples from vibracores collected in 2014 from Barnegat Bay, New Jersey.

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: 2014 (process 1 of 8)
    Core locations were recorded at the time of collection using a Hemisphere Crescent XF100 Series Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver. Person who carried out this activity:
    U.S. Department of Agriculture National Resources Conservation Service
    Attn: Rob Tunstead
    August Professional Center
    858 S. White Horse Pike, Suite 3
    Hammonton, NJ
    USA

    609-561-3223 (voice)
    rob.tunstead@nj.usda.gov
    Date: 2014 (process 2 of 8)
    Sample locations were imported into Esri ArcGIS version 10.2 and surface elevations of the core sites were interpolated from a 10-meter cell size USGS terrain model encompassing the Barnegat Bay study area (Andrews and others, 2015) using the Spatial Analyst Extract Values to Points tool. Person who carried out this activity:
    U.S. Geological Survey
    Attn: Julie Bernier
    Geologist
    600 4th Street South
    St. Petersburg, FL
    USA

    727-502-8000 (voice)
    jbernier@usgs.gov
    Date: 2014 (process 3 of 8)
    At the SPCMSC core-analysis laboratory, each vibracore was cut into 1-m sections and split in half lengthwise. One-half of each core was described using standard sediment-logging methods then photographed, sealed, and archived at the SPCMSC core repository. The other half was sub-sampled for grain-size analysis based on physical description. Person who carried out this activity:
    U.S. Geological Survey
    Attn: Kyle Kelso
    Geologist
    600 4th Street South
    St. Petersburg, FL
    USA

    727-502-8000 (voice)
    kkelso@usgs.gov
    Date: 2015 (process 4 of 8)
    The percent total organic matter (TOM) for 38 samples from 10 cores was determined using a mass loss technique known as loss-on-ignition (LOI). Samples were selected when visual characteristics indicated high organic matter content. During LOI processing, samples were combusted at high temperatures, oxidizing all organic carbon and allowing determination of mass loss by weight. Bulk wet samples were split, homogenized, placed on pre-weighed aluminum trays, and weighed. All weights were recorded with a precision of 0.01 grams (g) using an analytical balance. The wet sediment and tray were placed inside a drying oven pre-heated to 60 degrees Celsius (°C) for 48 hours. Water content was determined as the mass of water (lost when dried) relative to the initial wet sediment mass. The dried samples were homogenized using a porcelain mortar and pestle. Approximately 5 g of the ground sediment was placed in a pre-weighed porcelain crucible, weighed, and then placed inside a laboratory muffle furnace equipped with stabilizing temperature controls. The furnace was heated to 110 °C for a minimum of 6 hours to remove hygroscopic water absorbed onto the sediment particles. The furnace temperature was then lowered to 60 °C and the sediment was reweighed. The dried sediment was returned to the furnace and heated to 550 °C for 6 hours. The furnace temperature was cooled and held at 110 °C overnight, and then cooled to 60 °C before weighing. The mass lost during the 6-hour baking period, relative to the 110 °C dry mass, was used as a metric of organic matter content. The LOI organic content of the 38 organic-rich samples ranged from 0.91 to 77.55 percent. Prior to grain-size analysis, these samples were chemically leeched of all organic matter to prevent organics from being counted as part of the sample and biasing the grain-size distribution. Organic matter was removed from the samples using approximately 8 milliliters (mL) of 30 percent hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) overnight. The H2O2 was then evaporated through slow heating on a hot plate, and the sediment was washed and centrifuged twice with deionized water. Due to the high organic content of some samples, excess amounts of H2O2 were added to induce reactions and ensure full digestion. Person who carried out this activity:
    U.S. Geological Survey
    Attn: Chelsea Stalk
    Geologist
    600 4th Street South
    St. Petersburg, FL
    USA

    727-502-8000 (voice)
    cstalk@usgs.gov
    Date: 2015 (process 5 of 8)
    Surficial sediments previously collected from Barnegat Bay were analyzed in the sediment laboratory at the Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center (WHCMSC); therefore, the inorganic sample fractions were returned to that laboratory for textural analysis to facilitate comparisons. For the analysis of the inorganic sediment fraction, approximately 50 grams (g) of wet sample were wet-sieved through a 0.062 millimeter (mm) sieve to separate the coarse and fine fractions. For several of the organic-rich samples, less than 50 g of wet sediment remained after the organic matter was removed. In two cases, the organic content was high enough that an insufficient amount of inorganic sediment remained for textural analysis. Coarse fractions (sand and gravel) were oven-dried, weighed and dry-sieved. Fine fractions (silt and clay) were analyzed using a Multisizer 3 Coulter Counter, which uses electrical impedance to measure the size distribution of sediments ranging in size from 0.4 to 1,200 microns (micrometers, μm). The combination of both techniques allows for weight percentages of grain sizes from -5 to 11 phi (ϕ) to be determined. The sediment classification and frequency percentages were calculated using GSSTAT software (Poppe and others, 2004). Person who carried out this activity:
    U.S. Geological Survey
    Attn: Katherine McMullen
    Field and Laboratory Technician
    384 Woods Hole Road
    Woods Hole, MA
    USA

    508-548-8700 (voice)
    kmcmullen@usgs.gov
    Date: 2015 (process 6 of 8)
    Sediment parameters (mean, median, sorting, and skewness) were converted from phi to metric units and the 10, 16, 50, 84, and 90 percent cumulative percentiles were calculated using MATLAB software. Person who carried out this activity:
    U.S. Geological Survey
    Attn: Jennifer Miselis
    Research Geologist
    600 4th Street South
    St. Petersburg, FL
    USA

    727-502-8000 (voice)
    jmiselis@usgs.gov
    Date: 27-Mar-2018 (process 7 of 8)
    Keywords section of metadata optimized by adding theme keyword thesauri and associated keywords. Person who carried out this activity:
    U.S. Geological Survey
    Attn: Arnell S. Forde
    Geologist
    600 4th Street South
    St. Petersburg, FL
    USA

    (727) 502-8000 (voice)
    aforde@usgs.gov
    Date: 13-Oct-2020 (process 8 of 8)
    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?
    Andrews, Brian D., Miselis, Jennifer L., Danforth, William W., Irwin, Barry J., Worley, Charles R., Bergeron, Emile M., and Blackwood, Dann S., 2015, Marine geophysical data collected in a shallow back-barrier estuary, Barnegat Bay, New Jersey: U.S. Geological Survey Data Series 937, U.S. Geological Survey, Woods Hole, MA.

    Online Links:

    Poppe, Lawrence J., Eliason, A.H., and Hastings, M.E., 2004, A Visual Basic Program to Generate Sediment Grain-size Statistics and to Extrapolate Particle Distributions: Computers and Geosciences Volume 30, number 7.

    Online Links:

    Other_Citation_Details: Pages 791-795

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 core locations is determined by the accuracy of the Hemisphere Crescent XF100 Series Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver used to locate the samples at the time of collection. Sample depths were measured to the nearest centimeter using a metric tape measure. The sediment textural data was analyzed using standard procedures at the Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center (WHCMSC). Coarse fractions (sand and gravel) were dry-sieved, and fine fractions (silt and clay) were analyzed using a Multisizer 3 Coulter Counter. The sediment classification and frequency percentages were calculated using GSSTAT software (Poppe and others, 2004).
  2. How accurate are the geographic locations?
    Core locations were recorded at the time of collection using a Hemisphere Crescent XF100 Series GPS receiver.
  3. How accurate are the heights or depths?
    Surface elevations of the core sites were interpolated from a 10-meter cell size USGS terrain model encompassing the Barnegat Bay study area (Andrews and others, 2015). Sample depths were measured to the nearest centimeter using a metric tape measure.
  4. Where are the gaps in the data? What is missing?
    This dataset includes grain-size data for 235 samples from 18 vibracores collected in Barnegat Bay, New Jersey from May to August, 2014.
  5. How consistent are the relationships among the observations, including topology?
    Core locations were recorded at the time of collection using a Hemisphere Crescent XF100 Series GPS receiver. All sediment textural data were analyzed using standard procedures at WHCMSC.

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 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
    Attn: Julie Bernier
    Geologist
    600 4th Street South
    St. Petersburg, FL
    USA

    727-502-8000 (voice)
    jbernier@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, 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. 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?
    • Availability in digital form:
      Data format: This zip archive includes the grain-size data in Microsoft Excel format and associated metadata for sediment samples from vibracores collected in 2014 from Barnegat Bay, New Jersey. in format Compressed (zip) file Tabular digital data Size: 0.162
      Network links: https://pubs.usgs.gov/ds/0985/downloads/BB-SPCMSC_grain-size.zip
    • Cost to order the data: None, if obtained online

  5. What hardware or software do I need in order to use the data set?
    The grain-size spreadsheet was created in Microsoft Excel 2010 and can be opened using Microsoft Excel 2007 or higher; these data may also be viewed using the free Microsoft Excel Viewer (http://office.microsoft.com/).

Who wrote the metadata?

Dates:
Last modified: 13-Oct-2020
Metadata author:
U.S. Geological Survey
Attn: Julie Bernier
Geologist
600 4th Street South
St. Petersburg, FL
USA

727-502-8000 (voice)
jbernier@usgs.gov
Metadata standard:
Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata (FGDC-STD-001-1998)
This page is <https://cmgds.marine.usgs.gov/catalog/spcmsc/ds985_grain-size-met.faq.html>
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