Sand auger and trench site locations collected in March/April and October 2014 from Assateague Island, Maryland (U.S. Geological Survey Field Activity Numbers [FAN] 2014-301-FA and 2014-322-FA)

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Frequently anticipated questions:

What does this data set describe?

Title:
Sand auger and trench site locations collected in March/April and October 2014 from Assateague Island, Maryland (U.S. Geological Survey Field Activity Numbers [FAN] 2014-301-FA and 2014-322-FA)
Abstract:
The U.S. Geological Survey has a long history of responding to and documenting the impacts of storms along the Nation’s coasts and incorporating these data into storm impact and coastal change vulnerability assessments. Although physical changes caused by tropical and extratropical storms to the sandy beaches and dunes fronting barrier islands are generally well documented, the interaction between sandy shoreline erosion and overwash with the back-barrier wetland and estuarine environments is poorly constrained. The goal of the Barrier Island and Estuarine Wetland Physical Change Assessment project is to integrate a wetland-change assessment with existing coastal-change assessments for the adjacent sandy dunes and beaches, initially focusing on Assateague Island along the Maryland and Virginia coastline. Assateague Island was impacted by waves and storm surge associated with the passage of Hurricane Sandy in October 2012, causing erosion and overwash along the ocean-facing sandy shoreline as well as erosion and overwash deposition in the back-barrier and estuarine bay environments. Data Series 999 associated with this metadata record describes sediment data collected using sand augers in active overwash zones on Assateague Island in Maryland. Samples were collected by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) during two surveys in March/April and October 2014 (USGS Field Activity Numbers [FAN] 2014-301-FA and 2014-322-FA, respectively). The physical characteristics (for example, sediment texture or bedding structure) of and spatial differences among these deposits will provide information about overwash processes and sediment transport from the sandy barrier-island reaches to the back-barrier environments. Metrics derived from these data, such as mean grain size or deposit thicknesses, can be used to ground-truth remote sensing and geophysical data and can also be incorporated into sediment transport models. Data products, including sample location tables, descriptive core logs, core photographs and x-radiographs, the results of sediment grain-size analyses, and Geographic Information System (GIS) data files with accompanying formal Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) metadata can be downloaded from http://pubs.usgs.gov/ds/999/ds999_data.html.
Supplemental_Information:
USGS scientists collected sediment samples from Assateague Island and Chincoteague Bay during two surveys—one in the spring, March 26 to April 4, 2014, and one in the fall, October 21–30, 2014 (USGS FAN 2014-301-FA and 2014-322-FA, respectively). Samples were collected from a variety of depositional environments, including mainland wetlands, back-barrier wetlands, and sparsely vegetated to unvegetated washover deposits. Site locations were identified as 14CTB-XXX# where XXX is a consecutive number from 01 to 500 (01–200 for spring; 300–500 for fall) and # represents the type of sample collected. Data Series 999 describes sediment data from sand augers (sample type W) collected from active overwash zones on Assateague Island. Sand extents derived from pre- and post-storm aerial imagery were analyzed to identify areas of Assateague Island that were overwashed during Hurricane Sandy. Coring sites targeted three active overwash zones (transects 1, 3, and 4) and one control transect (transect 2). During the spring survey, a total of 19 cores were collected from 17 sites, including 8 cores from 7 back-barrier marsh sites. During the fall survey, all of the spring sand auger sites were re-cored, and additional cores were collected from overwash deposits at transects 1 and 4 located approximately 1 kilometer (km) north of the Verrazano Bridge Causeway on Sinepuxent Bay and at the Fox Hills Level north of Green Run Bay, respectively. The expanded sampling strategy targeted sites that had overwashed historically (since 1989) in addition to those sites that were overwashed during Hurricane Sandy. In October, a total of 81 core sections were collected from 69 sites. All sample locations were recorded at the time of collection with a Garmin GPSMAP 76S handheld Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver. Position and elevation data were also recorded with an Ashtech Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS) receiver and geodetic antenna, which provided more accurate horizontal and vertical control than handheld GPS systems. A stop-and-go rapid-static survey technique was used, with a static occupation duration of 5 minutes at each sample site. DGPS data were recorded concurrently throughout the survey at multiple National Park Service (NPS) benchmarks using a similar instrument combination. Cores were collected using an AMS sand/loose sediment soil probe, which can accommodate a 2.54-centimeter(cm) (1-inch) diameter by approximately 60-cm (2-feet) plastic sleeve. In addition to cores collected from the ground surface, during the October survey a second core was collected at some sites from a trench dug to just above the groundwater table. The purpose of collecting a second, deeper, core was to try to penetrate organic-rich deposits representing the pre-overwash surface below the washover sediments. Cores from sites where a second core was collected were identified as 14CTB-XXXW-1 (surface core) and 14CTB-XXXW-2. After extraction, each core was capped, sealed, and labeled with transect location, core number, and orientation. The cores were transported to the USGS St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center (SPCMSC) for processing and analysis. During the October survey, shallow trenches were also dug at each of the transect 1 and 4 washover sites for the purpose of supplementing washover thickness and sedimentologic data from the sand augers with additional sediment samples from targeted strata. Trench depths, however, were limited by a shallow water table, and in most cases the trenches back filled or collapsed before the pre-overwash surface could be identified. The site information, along with core and trench descriptions, is available from http://pubs.usgs.gov/ds/999/ds999_data.html.
  1. How might this data set be cited?
    Bernier, Julie C., Zaremba, Nicholas J., Wheaton, Cathryn J., Ellis, Alisha M., Marot, Marci E., and Smith, Christopher G., 2016, Sand auger and trench site locations collected in March/April and October 2014 from Assateague Island, Maryland (U.S. Geological Survey Field Activity Numbers [FAN] 2014-301-FA and 2014-322-FA):.

    Online Links:

    This is part of the following larger work.

    Bernier, Julie C., Zaremba, Nicholas J., Wheaton, Cathryn J., Ellis, Alisha M., Marot, Marci E., and Smith, Christopher G., 2016, Sedimentologic characteristics of recent washover deposits from Assateague Island, Maryland: U.S. Geological Survey Data Series 999, U.S. Geological Survey, St. Petersburg, FL.

    Online Links:

  2. What geographic area does the data set cover?
    West_Bounding_Coordinate: -75.19903
    East_Bounding_Coordinate: -75.13172
    North_Bounding_Coordinate: 38.10989
    South_Bounding_Coordinate: 38.25004
  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: 30-Oct-2014
    Currentness_Reference:
    Ground condition
  5. What is the general form of this data set?
    Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: Tabular digital data, vector digital data
  6. How does the data set represent geographic features?
    1. How are geographic features stored in the data set?
      This is a Vector data set. It contains the following vector data types (SDTS terminology):
      • Point (108)
    2. What coordinate system is used to represent geographic features?
      Grid_Coordinate_System_Name: Universal Transverse Mercator
      Universal_Transverse_Mercator:
      UTM_Zone_Number: 18
      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 0.001
      Ordinates (y-coordinates) are specified to the nearest 0.001
      Planar coordinates are specified in Meters
      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.
      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?
    2014-301-FA_SandAugers_FINAL.xlsx
    Microsoft Excel workbook defining the site locations and selected metrics for sand augers collected in March/April 2014 from Assateague Island, Maryland (USGS FAN 2014-301-FA). (Source: USGS)
    2014-322-FA_SandAugers_FINAL.xlsx
    Microsoft Excel workbook defining the site locations and selected metrics for sand augers and trenches collected in October 2014 from Assateague Island, Maryland (USGS FAN 2014-322-FA.) (Source: USGS)
    14CTB_SandAugers_sites.gdb
    Esri file geodatabase containing 3 vector point datasets defining the site locations and selected metrics for March/April 2014 sand augers and October 2014 sand augers and trenches (USGS FAN 2014-301-FA and 2014-322-FA). (Source: USGS)
    2014-301-FA_SandAugers_FINAL.kml
    Keyhole Markup Language (KML) file defining the site locations and selected metrics for March/April 2014 sand augers (U.S. Geological Survey Field Activity Number [FAN] 2014-301-FA). (Source: USGS)
    2014-322-FA_SandAugers_FINAL.kml
    Keyhole Markup Language (KML) file defining the site locations and selected metrics for October 2014 sand augers (USGS FAN 2014-322-FA). (Source: USGS)
    SITE_ID
    Site identification number (Source: USGS) Character string
    NAD83_Lat
    Latitude of site location, in decimal degrees (NAD 83) (Source: USGS)
    Range of values
    Minimum:38.10989
    Maximum:38.25004
    Units:Decimal degrees
    Resolution:0.00001
    NAD83_Lon
    Longitude of site location, in decimal degrees (NAD 83) (Source: USGS)
    Range of values
    Minimum:-75.19900
    Maximum:-75.13172
    Units:Decimal degrees
    Resolution:0.00001
    NAD83_X
    X-coordinate (easting) of site location, in meters (NAD 83, UTM zone 18N) (Source: USGS)
    Range of values
    Minimum:482552.304
    Maximum:488474.577
    Units:Meters
    Resolution:0.001
    NAD83_Y
    Y-coordinate (northing) of site location, in meters (NAD 83, UTM zone 18N) (Source: USGS)
    Range of values
    Minimum:4218024.470
    Maximum:4233566.382
    Units:Meters
    Resolution:0.001
    NAD83_Ell
    Ellipsoid height of site location, in meters (NAD 83) (Source: USGS)
    Range of values
    Minimum:-36.317
    Maximum:-33.740
    Units:Meters
    Resolution:0.001
    NAVD88_G12A_m
    Elevation (orthometric height) of site location, in meters (NAD 83, GEOID 12A) (Source: USGS)
    Range of values
    Minimum:-0.003
    Maximum:2.409
    Units:Meters
    Resolution:0.001
    SITE_2014-301-FA
    March site identification number (Source: USGS) Character string
    CORE_ID_1
    Core identification number (surface core, if 2 cores were collected at that site) (Source: USGS) Character string
    LENGTH_1_cm
    Core length, in centimeters (length surface core, if 2 cores were collected at that site) (Source: USGS)
    Range of values
    Minimum:9
    Maximum:58
    Units:Centimeters
    Resolution:0.5
    CORE_ID_2
    Core identification number (second core) (Source: USGS) Character string
    LENGTH_2_cm
    Core length, in centimeters (second core) (Source: USGS)
    Range of values
    Minimum:31.5
    Maximum:58.5
    Units:Centimeters
    Resolution:0.5
    D_MARSH_cm
    Depth to marsh surface, in centimeters; depth = 0 indicates core collected from extant marsh (Source: USGS)
    Range of values
    Minimum:0
    Maximum:97
    Units:Centimeters
    Resolution:0.01
    Character string
    ELEV_MARSH_m
    Elevation of marsh surface, in meters (NAD83, GEOID 12A) (Source: USGS)
    Range of values
    Minimum:-0.081
    Maximum:0.832
    Units:Meters
    Resolution:0.001
    D_TRENCH_m
    Depth of trench, in centimeters (Source: USGS)
    Range of values
    Minimum:45
    Maximum:70
    Units:Centimeters
    Resolution:1
    Character string
    D_WATER_cm
    Depth to water table in trench, in centimeters (Source: USGS)
    Range of values
    Minimum:17
    Maximum:84
    Units:Centimeters
    Resolution:1
    Character string
    LOCATION
    Site location (transect number) (Source: USGS) Character string
    COMMENT
    Additional site or core information (Source: USGS) Character string
    INITIAL_OVERWASH
    Storm name or year of first observed overwash at site (Source: USGS) Character string

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
    • Nicholas J. Zaremba
    • Cathryn J. Wheaton
    • Alisha M. Ellis
    • Marci E. Marot
    • 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: Julie C. 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 geographic locations, site elevations, site descriptions, and core and trench metrics in Microsoft Excel, Esri file geodatabase, and Kehyhole Markup Language (KML) format for sand auger sites collected from Assateague Island, Maryland in March/April and October 2014 (USGS FAN 2014-301-FA and 2014-322-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: 2014 (process 1 of 6)
    USGS scientists collected sediment samples from sand augers (sample type W) from three active overwash zones (transects 1, 3, and 4) and one control transect (transect 2) on Assateague Island during two surveys—one in the spring, March 26 to April 4, 2014, and one in the fall, October 21–30, 2014 (USGS FAN 2014-301-FA and 2014-322-FA, respectively). During the spring survey, at total of 19 cores were collected from 17 sites, including 8 cores from 7 back-barrier marsh sites. During the fall survey, all of the spring sand auger sites were re-cored, and additional cores were collected from overwash deposits at transects 1 and 4; in October, a total of 81 core sections were collected from 69 sites. Cores were collected using an AMS sand/loose sediment soil probe, which can accommodate a 2.54-centimeter(cm) (1-inch) diameter by approximately 60-cm (2-feet) plastic sleeve. In addition to cores collected from the ground surface, during the October survey a second core was collected at some sites from a trench dug to just above the groundwater table. After extraction, each core was capped, sealed, and labeled with transect location, core number, and orientation. The cores were transported to the USGS SPCMSC for processing and analysis. Person who carried out this activity:
    U.S. Geological Survey
    Attn: Julie C. Bernier
    Geologist
    600 4th Street South
    St. Petersburg, FL
    USA

    727-502-8000 (voice)
    jbernier@usgs.gov
    Date: 2014 (process 2 of 6)
    GPS base stations were erected on multiple NPS benchmarks located on the back-barrier side of Assateague Island. An Ashtech Z-Xtreme DGPS receiver recorded the 12-channel full-carrier-phase positioning signals (L1/L2) from satellites via a Thales choke-ring antenna at the base station. A similar instrument combination (Ashtech Z-Xtreme receiver and Ashtech geodetic antenna) was used for the rover GPS. The base receiver and the rover receiver record their positions concurrently at 1- to 5-second (s) recording intervals throughout the survey. A stop-and-go rapid-static survey technique was used, with a static occupation duration of 5 minutes at each sample site. Person who carried out this activity:
    U.S. Geological Survey
    Attn: Julie C. Bernier
    Geologist
    600 4th Street South
    St. Petersburg, FL
    USA

    727-502-8000 (voice)
    jbernier@usgs.gov
    Date: 2014 (process 3 of 6)
    The NPS control coordinates of the GPS base stations were imported into GrafNav, versions 8.4 (spring data) or 8.5 (fall data) (Novatel Waypoint Product Group) and the data from the rover GPS were post-processed to the concurrent GPS session data from the nearest base station; baseline distances for all sand auger sites were less than about 6 km. The GPS data were acquired and processed in the World Geodetic System of 1984 (WGS84) (G1150) geodetic datum. Person who carried out this activity:
    U.S. Geological Survey
    Attn: Julie C. Bernier
    Geologist
    600 4th Street South
    St. Petersburg, FL
    USA

    727-502-8000 (voice)
    jbernier@usgs.gov
    Date: 2014 (process 4 of 6)
    Using the NGS transformation software packages HTDP (http://www.ngs.noaa.gov/TOOLS/Htdp/Htdp.shtml), version 3.2.3 and VDatum, version 3.2 (http://vdatum.noaa.gov/), the sample locations were transformed from the GPS acquisition datum (WGS84) to the North American Datum of 1983 (NAD 83), Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) Zone 18 north (18N) reference frame and the North American Vertical Datum of 1988 (NAVD 88) orthometric elevation using the NGS geoid model of 2012A (GEOID 12A). Person who carried out this activity:
    U.S. Geological Survey
    Attn: Julie C. Bernier
    Geologist
    600 4th Street South
    St. Petersburg, FL
    USA

    727-502-8000 (voice)
    jbernier@usgs.gov
    Date: 2015 (process 5 of 6)
    At the SPCMSC sediment laboratory, the cores were split lengthwise, x-rayed, photographed, described macroscopically using standard sediment-logging methods, and subsampled at 1.5- to 2-cm intervals for grain-size analysis. Sample frequencies varied between cores depending on observed sedimentologic changes. Some cores were sampled at high frequencies to characterize the washover deposits, whereas in other cores the sampling strategy was more targeted. Person who carried out this activity:
    U.S. Geological Survey
    Attn: Julie C. Bernier
    Geologist
    600 4th Street South
    St. Petersburg, FL
    USA

    727-502-8000 (voice)
    jbernier@usgs.gov
    Date: 13-Oct-2020 (process 6 of 6)
    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 positional accuracy of the sample locations is determined by the accuracy of the raw position data recorded by the GPS antenna during data collection. DGPS coordinates were obtained using post-processing software packages (National Geodetic Survey On-Line Positioning User Service, OPUS, and Novatel Waypoint Product Group GrafNav).
  2. How accurate are the geographic locations?
    All static GPS base station sessions were processed through the On-Line Positioning User Service (OPUS) maintained by the National Geodetic Survey (NGS). The OPUS base-station solutions were entered into a spreadsheet to compute a final, time-weighted positional coordinate (latitude, longitude, and ellipsoid height) for each base station. Base-station positional error was calculated as the absolute value of the final position minus the session position value. The maximum horizontal error of the base station coordinates used for post-processing the sample locations was 0.00005 seconds latitude and 0.00015 seconds longitude.
  3. How accurate are the heights or depths?
    All static GPS base station sessions were processed through OPUS. The OPUS base-station solutions were entered into a spreadsheet to compute a final, time-weighted positional coordinate (latitude, longitude, and ellipsoid height) for each base station. Base-station positional error for each GPS session was calculated as the absolute value of the final position minus the session position value. For this survey, the maximum standard deviation of the base station ellipsoid height was 0.009 m and the maximum vertical error for the base station was +/- 0.016 m. The time-weighted average positions were compared with the NPS network control numbers for each base station; the time-weighted elevations for each base station occupation were within 2 standard deviations of the NPS control elevations. The NPS control coordinates were used for subsequent post processing.
  4. Where are the gaps in the data? What is missing?
    This dataset includes the locations of 70 sand auger and 38 trench sites collected from Assateague Island, Maryland in March/April and October 2014 (USGS FAN 2014-301-FA and 2014-322-FA).
  5. How consistent are the relationships among the observations, including topology?
    Position and elevation data at each sample site were recorded with an Ashtech DGPS receiver and geodetic antenna. DGPS data were recorded concurrently throughout the survey at multiple NPS benchmarks using a similar instrument combination. The final sample locations, including elevation, are the post-processed DGPS coordinates based on processing to the nearest base station; baseline distances for all sand auger sites were less than about 6 km.

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, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center
    Attn: Julie C. 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 geographic locations, site elevations, site descriptions, and core and trench metrics in Microsoft Excel, Esri file geodatabase, and Kehyhole Markup Language (KML) format for sand auger sites collected from Assateague Island, Maryland in March/April and October 2014 (USGS FAN 2014-301-FA and 2014-322-FA). in format Compressed (zip) archive Vector digital data, tabular digital data Size: 0.19
      Network links: https://pubs.usgs.gov/ds/0999/downloads/14CTB_SandAugers_sites.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 sample locations table 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/). The sample locations are also provided as GIS data files in Esri file geodatabase (.gdb) and Keyhole Markup Language (KML) format; these files can be opened using the free ArcGIS Explorer or Google Earth GIS viewers.

Who wrote the metadata?

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

727-502-8000 (voice)
jbernier@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/ds999_SandAugers_sites-met.faq.html>
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