Collection, analysis, and age-dating of sediment cores from a salt marsh platform and ponds, Rowley, Massachusetts, 2014-15

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Frequently anticipated questions:

What does this data set describe?

Title:
Collection, analysis, and age-dating of sediment cores from a salt marsh platform and ponds, Rowley, Massachusetts, 2014-15
Abstract:
Sediment cores were collected from three sites within the Plum Island Ecosystems Long-Term Ecological Research (PIE-LTER) domain in Massachusetts to obtain estimates of long-term marsh decomposition and evaluate shifts in the composition and reactivity of sediment organic carbon in disturbed marsh environments. Paired sediment cores were collected from three sites on the marsh platform and from three ponds; these cores were about 100 and 50 centimeters in length, respectively. The marsh sites had similar elevations, at about 1.41 to 1.51 meters relative to the North American Vertical Datum of 1988, and similar salt marsh grass communities, dominated by Spartina patens, S. alterniflora, and Distichlis spicata. Permanently inundated ponds within each site had comparable depths (0.24–0.30 meters) but varied in size (between 643 and 7,149 square meters; Spivak et al., 2017, 2018). The U.S. Geological Survey analyzed radioisotope concentrations for lead-210, radium-226, cesium-127, and beryllium-7 from six marsh cores and three pond cores to develop an age model for each core. This data release includes calculated percent dry bulk density and raw radioisotope data for these cores.
Spivak, A.C., Gosselin, K., Howard, E., Mariotti, G., Forbrich, I., Stanley, R., and Sylva, S.P., 2017, Shallow ponds are heterogeneous habitats within a temperate salt marsh ecosystem: Journal of Geophysical Research-Biogeosciences, 122(6), 1371-1384.
Spivak, A. C., Gosselin, K. M., and Sylva, S.P., 2018, Shallow ponds are biogeochemically distinct habitats in salt marsh ecosystems: Limnology and Oceanography, 63(4), 1622-1642.
Supplemental_Information:
Field collection of the data was by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, with lab analyses taking place at the USGS Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center.
  1. How might this data set be cited?
    Luk, Sheron Y., Spivak, Amanda C., Eagle, Meagan J., and O'Keefe Suttles, Jennifer A., 20201222, Collection, analysis, and age-dating of sediment cores from a salt marsh platform and ponds, Rowley, Massachusetts, 2014-15: data release DOI:10.5066/P9HIOWKT, U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA.

    Online Links:

    Other_Citation_Details:
    Suggested citation: Luk, S.Y., Spivak, A.C., Eagle, M.J., and O'Keefe-Suttles, J.A., 2020, Collection, analysis, and age-dating of sediment cores from a salt marsh platform and ponds, Rowley, Massachusetts, 2014-15: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/P9HIOWKT.
  2. What geographic area does the data set cover?
    West_Bounding_Coordinate: -70.876922607422
    East_Bounding_Coordinate: -70.765342712402
    North_Bounding_Coordinate: 42.797164102086
    South_Bounding_Coordinate: 42.691520567613
  3. What does it look like?
    https://www.sciencebase.gov/catalog/file/get/5fb41153d34eb413d5e0af37/?name=PlumIsland_pond_creek.jpeg (JPEG)
    Photograph of a salt marsh pond (left) and tidal creek (right) within the Plum Island Long-Term Ecological Research domain, Rowley, MA. Photo credit: Sheron Y. Luk
  4. Does the data set describe conditions during a particular time period?
    Calendar_Date: 08-Dec-2015
    Currentness_Reference:
    Ground Condition. These are the dates when the cores were collected.
  5. What is the general form of this data set?
    Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: comma separated file
  6. How does the data set represent geographic features?
    1. How are geographic features stored in the data set?
      Indirect_Spatial_Reference:
      Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) placenames are included as keywords to give the general location of core collections. The entity contains attributes with specific latitude and longitude of each core collection; other attributes are also included to describe the core collection location. Refer to the entity and attribute definitions for "Site_ID", "Status", and "Core_ID" for details.
      This is a Point 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 1.0E-5. Longitudes are given to the nearest 1.0E-5. Latitude and longitude values are specified in Decimal degrees. The horizontal datum used is North American Datum of 1983.
      The ellipsoid used is Geodetic Reference System 80.
      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 (NAVD88)
      Altitude_Resolution: 0.001
      Altitude_Distance_Units: meters
      Altitude_Encoding_Method: Attribute values
  7. How does the data set describe geographic features?
    data_PIE_marsh_radioisotope.csv
    Comma separated file with sediment core data collected from vegetated and pond salt marsh sites within the Plum Island Ecosystems – Long Term Ecological Research (PIE-LTER) domain, Rowley, MA. The file includes latitude and longitude of core collection, calculated values of soil dry bulk density, and radioisotope data. The dataset includes 293 records. (Source: Producer Defined)
    Status
    A text identifier indicating whether the core was collected in a marsh or pond location. (Source: Producer Defined)
    ValueDefinition
    MARSHA data point from a core collected from the high marsh.
    PONDA data point from a core collected from a salt marsh pond
    Site_ID
    An enumerated identifier indicating from which of the three study sites the core was collected. (Source: Producer Defined)
    ValueDefinition
    1A core collected from Site 1; also reference the attributes "Lat" and "Lon" for specific locations.
    2A core collected from Site 2; also reference the attributes "Lat" and "Lon" for specific locations.
    3A core collected from Site 3; also reference the attributes "Lat" and "Lon" for specific locations.
    Core_ID
    An enumerated identifier indicating the number assigned to replicate core collected from a given site. (Source: Producer Defined)
    ValueDefinition
    NaNPond core was not designated a CoreID.
    1First core collected at a given marsh site.
    2Second core collected at a given marsh site.
    Date
    A numeric identifier of the date the core was collected in the format of month/day/year (Source: Producer Defined)
    ValueDefinition
    12/8/2015Sampling day of December 8, 2015.
    7/16/2014Sampling day of July 16, 2014.
    Lat
    Latitude decimal degrees north, NAD83 (Source: Producer Defined)
    Range of values
    Minimum:42.73739991
    Maximum:42.741354
    Units:decimal degrees
    Lon
    Longitude decimal degrees west, NAD83. The negative value indicates a location in the western hemisphere. (Source: Producer Defined)
    Range of values
    Minimum:-70.84720027
    Maximum:-70.83000142
    Units:decimal degrees
    Depth_min
    A numeric identifier of the interval minimum depth below the sediment interface in centimeters. (Source: Producer Defined)
    Range of values
    Minimum:0
    Maximum:46
    Units:centimeters
    Depth_max
    A numeric identifier of the interval maximum depth below the sediment interface in centimeters. (Source: Producer Defined)
    Range of values
    Minimum:1
    Maximum:48
    Units:centimeters
    Elevation
    A numeric identifier of interval elevation relative to NAVD88 datum in centimeters. Calculated by subtracting the minimum depth of soil horizon from the NAVD88 elevation of the core location (given at min_depth = 0). (Source: Producer Defined)
    Range of values
    Minimum:0.850
    Maximum:1.509
    Units:meters
    DBD
    Dry Bulk Density: A numeric identifier of the sediment dry bulk density in grams per cubic centimeter (g/cm3). (Source: Producer Defined)
    Range of values
    Minimum:0.07
    Maximum:0.94
    Units:grams per cubic centimeter
    210Pb
    A numeric identifier of the sediment total lead-210 activity in decays per minute per gram (dpm/g). Measured at 46.6 kiloelectronvolt (KeV) on a well gamma counter. The value 0.00 is given to analyzed samples found to be below detection; see gamma analysis process step for detection limits of radioisotopes. (Source: Producer Defined)
    Range of values
    Minimum:1.08
    Maximum:26.19
    Units:decays per minute per gram
    210Pb_e
    A numeric identifier of the measurement error in sediment total lead-210 activity in decays per minute per gram (dpm/g). If the measured radioisotope was below detection limit, the measurement error will also be assigned the value 0.00. (Source: Producer Defined)
    Range of values
    Minimum:0.10
    Maximum:0.74
    Units:decays per minute per gram
    226Ra
    A numeric identifier of the sediment total radium-226 activity in decays per minute per gram (dpm/g). The value 0.00 is given to analyzed samples found to be below detection; see gamma analysis process step for detection limits of radioisotopes. (Source: Producer Defined)
    Range of values
    Minimum:0.25
    Maximum:2.35
    Units:decays per minute per gram
    226Ra_e
    A numeric identifier of the measurement error in sediment total radium-226 activity in decays per minute per gram (dpm/g). If the measured radioisotope was below detection limit, the measurement error will also be assigned the value 0.00. (Source: Producer Defined)
    Range of values
    Minimum:0.04
    Maximum:0.36
    Units:decays per minute per gram
    210Pbex
    A numeric identifier of the sediment excess lead-210 activity in decays per minute per gram (dpm/g). Calculated as the difference between total lead-210 and total radium-226 activities. If lead-210 and radium-226 were below detection, this calculated value is also reported as below detection. (Source: Producer Defined)
    Range of values
    Minimum:-0.35
    Maximum:25.1
    Units:decays per minute per gram
    210Pbex_e
    A numeric identifier of the propagated measurement error in sediment excess lead-210 activity in decays per minute per gram (dpm/g). If lead-210 and radium-226 were below detection, this calculated value is also reported as below detection. (Source: Producer Defined)
    Range of values
    Minimum:0.10
    Maximum:0.76
    Units:decays per minute per gram
    137Cs
    A numeric identifier of the sediment total cesium-137 activity in decays per minute per gram (dpm/g). Measured at 662 kiloelectronvolt (KeV) on a well gamma counter. The value 0.00 is given to analyzed samples found to be below detection; see gamma analysis process step for detection limits of radioisotopes. (Source: Producer Defined)
    Range of values
    Minimum:0.11
    Maximum:3.24
    Units:decays per minute per gram
    137Cs_e
    A numeric identifier of the measurement error in sediment total cesium-137 activity in decays per minute per gram (dpm/g). If the measured radioisotope was below detection limit, the measurement error will also be assigned the value 0.00. (Source: Producer Defined)
    Range of values
    Minimum:0.02
    Maximum:0.16
    Units:decays per minute per gram
    7Be
    A numeric identifier of the total sediment beryllium-7 activity in decays per minute per gram (dpm/g). Measured at 447 kiloelectronvolt (KeV) on a well gamma counter. The value 0.00 is given to analyzed samples found to be below detection; see gamma analysis process step for detection limits of radioisotopes. (Source: Producer Defined)
    Range of values
    Minimum:1.29
    Maximum:13.35
    Units:decays per minute per gram
    7Be_e
    A numeric identifier of the measurement error in sediment total beryllium-7 activity in decays per minute per gram (dpm/g). If the measured radioisotope was below detection limit, the measurement error will also be assigned the value 0.00. (Source: Producer Defined)
    Range of values
    Minimum:0.39
    Maximum:2.35
    Units:decays per minute per gram

Who produced the data set?

  1. Who are the originators of the data set? (may include formal authors, digital compilers, and editors)
    • Luk, Sheron Y.
    • Spivak, Amanda C.
    • Eagle, Meagan J.
    • O'Keefe Suttles, Jennifer A.
  2. Who also contributed to the data set?
    Sam Kelsey, a colleague at the Marine Biological Laboratory, provided RTK GPS latitude, longitude, and land surface elevations for this dataset. Funding for this research was provide by: National Science Foundation, National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, USGS Coastal and Marine Geology Program
  3. To whom should users address questions about the data?
    Sheron Y. Luk
    Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute
    266 Woods Hole Road
    Woods Hole, MA
    USA

    +1 508 289 3532 (voice)
    syluk@whoi.edu

Why was the data set created?

Sediment cores were collected, age-dated, and bulk soil properties measured to determine vertical sediment accretion and year of sediment deposition for soil organic carbon model calibration.

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: 2015 (process 1 of 4)
    Sediment cores were collected in coastal salt marshes in 2014 and 2015. A piston coring system was used, where the PVC core liner (diameter 11 cm, 1-2 m in length) was fitted with a gasketed piston that was placed on the sediment surface. The clear, sharpened core liner was pushed down into the marsh subsurface, while the piston was maintained at the marsh surface via tension on the piston. We visually observed the sediment surface to ensure that the soil column did not compact during collection. Once the core reached the desired depth, the core liner and piston were removed from the marsh with a pulley system. Cores were collected from three general locations on the marsh platform (attribute "Status" = MARSH) and from three separate ponds (attribute "Status" = POND). These locations are given an enumerated "Site_ID". Each core was assigned an enumerated "Core_ID". Note that replicate cores were collected from each marsh site but only one core was collected from each of the three ponds. The process date reflects the last occurrence of the work.
    Date: 2017 (process 2 of 4)
    After each collection, the sediment cores were immediately returned to the USGS Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center. They were placed in a refrigerator for 1 to 3 days, then split vertically, sectioned at 1 or 2 cm intervals, frozen, and then freeze dried for 7 days, until sediment weights did not change further. Dry bulk density was determined as the dry weight of a known volume of sample.
    Approximately 5 g of dried sediment sample was blended and homogenized prior to sealing in a jar for a minimum of three weeks and then placed on a planar-type gamma counter for 24 to 48 hours to measure 7Be, 137Cs, 210Pb, and 226Ra at 477, 661.6, 46.5 and 352 kiloelectronvolts (KeV) energies respectively (Canberra Inc., USA). The detection limit is specific to an individual sample and is a function of: 1) the detector efficiency at the energy of the peak being measured; 2) the branching ratio (number of decay events observed in each peak), 3) the background activity within the sample. Detector efficiency was determined from EPA standard pitchblende ore in the same geometry as the samples. Activities of 7Be, 137Cs, and 210Pb were decay corrected to time of collection. Suppression of low energy peaks by self-absorption was corrected for according to Cutshall and others, 1983. Peak detection, with respect to background activity, is calculated for each radioisotope in the APTEC software during sample analysis. Generally, measured radioisotope activity greater than or equal to 0.2 (210Pb), 0.1 (226Ra), 0.4 (7Be), and 0.1(137Cs) dpm/g were accepted as above detection limit for this dataset. Values reported are above these limits, while values below are reported as 0. All gamma analyses were ongoing from 2015 and completed in 2017.
    Cutshall, N.H., Larsen, I.L., and Olsen, C.R., 1983, Direct analysis of 210 Pb in sediment samples—Self-absorption corrections: Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research, v. 206, issues 1–2 , p. 309–312, https://doi.org/10.1016/0167-5087(83)91273-5.
    Date: 2020 (process 3 of 4)
    Data from gamma analysis was entered into an EXCEL spreadsheet. The Excel spreadsheet was exported as a CSV (UTF-8) file from Excel for Mac version 15.33. The file was further proofed and saved as a .CSV from EXCEL for WINDOWS 10.
    Date: 25-Jan-2021 (process 4 of 4)
    Repaired some issues that the ScienceBase turn live process introduced - removed empty elements (geospatial presentation form), in the distribution section added the additional links and access instructions that had been deleted, and changed the digital transfer format name from digital data to something more specific. Added additional cross-references to related datasets. 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?
    Luk, Sheron Y., Todd-Brown, Katherine, Gonneea, Meagan E., McNichol, Ann P., Sanderman, Jonathan, Gosselin, Kelsey, and Spivak, Amanda C., 2020, Soil organic carbon development and turnover in natural and disturbed salt marsh environments: Geophysical Research Letters doi: 10.1029/2020GL090287, American Geophysical Union, Washington, DC.

    Online Links:

    Other_Citation_Details: The journal article this data release supports.
    Spivak, Amanda C., 2020, Bulk soil and elemental properties of marsh and pond soils collected in 2014-2015 within Plum Island Ecosystems-LTER: Biological and Chemical Oceanography Data Management Office, Woods Hole, MA.

    Online Links:

    Other_Citation_Details: Additional analyses of sediment samples.
    Spivak, Amanda C., 2020, Ramped pyrolysis oxidation (RPO) C isotope values of soils collected in 2014-2015 within Plum Island Ecosystems LTER: Biological and Chemical Oceanography Data Management Office, Woods Hole, MA.

    Online Links:

    Other_Citation_Details: Additional analyses of sediment samples.
    Spivak, Amanda C., 2020, Ramped pyrolysis oxidation (RPO) temperature and carbon dioxide evolved values of soils collected in 2014-2015 within Plum Island Ecosystems LTER: Biological and Chemical Oceanography Data Management Office, Woods Hole, MA.

    Online Links:

    Other_Citation_Details: Additional analyses of sediment samples.
    Spivak, Amanda C., 2020, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy raw spectra of soils collected in 2014-2015 within Plum Island Ecosystems LTER: Biological and Chemical Oceanography Data Management Office, Woods Hole, MA.

    Online Links:

    Other_Citation_Details: Additional analyses of sediment samples.

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

  1. How well have the observations been checked?
    Radioisotope detection limits are specific to an individual sample and are a function of: 1) the detector efficiency at the energy of the peak being measured; 2) the branching ratio (number of decay events observed in each peak), 3) the background activity within the sample. Detector efficiency was determined from EPA standard pitchblende ore in the same geometry as the samples. Activities of 7Be, 137Cs, and 210Pb were decay corrected to time of collection. Suppression of low energy peaks by self-absorption was corrected for according to Cutshall and others, 1983. Peak detection, with respect to background activity, is calculated for each radioisotope in the APTEC software during sample analysis. Generally, measured radioisotope activity greater than or equal to 0.2 (210Pb), 0.1 (226Ra), 0.4 (7Be), and 0.1(137Cs) dpm/g were accepted as above detection limit for this dataset.
    Cutshall, N.H., Larsen, I.L., and Olsen, C.R., 1983, Direct analysis of 210 Pb in sediment samples—Self-absorption corrections: Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research, v. 206, issues 1–2, p. 309–312, https://doi.org/10.1016/0167-5087(83)91273-5.
  2. How accurate are the geographic locations?
    Horizontal positions were measured by colleagues at the Marine Biological Laboratory with a Real-Time Kinematic (RTK) GPS (model Topcon Hiper V GPS). Resolution of this measurement method is 0.001 meters. Reported latitude and longitude of core collection locations are the means of at least three survey points with a standard deviation of less than 0.010 meters. No formal positional accuracy tests were conducted.
  3. How accurate are the heights or depths?
    Land surface elevations were measured by colleagues at the Marine Biological Laboratory with a Real-Time Kinematic (RTK) GPS (model Topcon Hiper V GPS). Resolution of this measurement is 0.001 meters. Land surface elevation at the core collection location is reported in the attribute "Depth_min" at the value 0 cm. For MARSH cores, a mean of at least three survey points is reported as the land surface elevation at the core collection point (standard deviation of less than 0.005 meters). Pond surface elevations were calculated as the difference between elevation of the marsh surface on the edge of the pond and pond depth. Means, of at least three survey points (standard deviation of less than 0.005 meters), for each pond edge were used in this calculation; pond depths were measured using a meter stick: POND 1 was 0.030 m; POND 2 was 0.026 m; POND 3 was 0.026 m. No formal positional accuracy tests were conducted.
  4. Where are the gaps in the data? What is missing?
    Dataset is considered complete for the information presented, as described in the abstract. Users are advised to read the rest of the metadata record carefully for additional details. All sample measurements are reported.
  5. How consistent are the relationships among the observations, including topology?
    Data was plotted to look for possible outliers and queried for minimum and maximum values to ensure that reported data fell within expected ranges. Any measured value below detection is given the numerical value of 0. See gamma analysis process step for radioisotope detection limits. Each sample was treated in the same manner for each analysis.

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: none
  1. Who distributes the data set? (Distributor 1 of 1)
    U.S. Geological Survey - ScienceBase
    Denver Federal Center, Building 810, Mail Stop 302
    Denver, CO
    United States

    1-888-275-8747 (voice)
    sciencebase@usgs.gov
  2. What's the catalog number I need to order this data set? The dataset contains one CSV file containing the data (data_PIE_marsh_radioisotope.csv), the browse graphic, and the FGDC CSDGM metadata in XML format.
  3. What legal disclaimers am I supposed to read?
    Neither the U.S. Government, the Department of the Interior, nor the USGS, nor any of their employees, contractors, or subcontractors, make any warranty, express or implied, nor assume any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, nor represent that its use would not infringe on privately owned rights. The act of distribution shall not constitute any such warranty, and no responsibility is assumed by the USGS in the use of these data or related materials. Any use of trade, product, or firm 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?
  5. What hardware or software do I need in order to use the data set?
    The data release includes 1 comma separated file. The user must have software capable of opening the file and reading the data format.

Who wrote the metadata?

Dates:
Last modified: 25-Jan-2021
Metadata author:
Sheron Y. Luk
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
266 Woods Hole Road
Woods Hole, MA
USA

+1 508 289 3532 (voice)
syluk@whoi.edu
Metadata standard:
Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata (FGDC-STD-001-1998)
This page is <https://cmgds.marine.usgs.gov/catalog/whcmsc/SB_data_release/DR_P9HIOWKT/metadata_PIE_marsh_radioisotopes.faq.html>
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