Plum Island Ecosystems LTER Database

Acceptance and utilization of LTER data requires that:

(1) The Principal Investigator be sent a notice stating reasons for acquiring any data and a description of the publication intentions.
(2) The Principal Investigator of the data set be sent a copy of the report or manuscript prior to submission and be adequately cited in any resultant publications.
(3) A copy of any resultant publications should be sent to:

Principal Investigator
Ecosystems Center
Marine Biological Laboratory
7 MBL St.
Woods Hole, MA 02543

Dataset URLs:METADATA: HTML, Rich Text, XML(EML compliant)
DATA: Comma Delimited, Excel file with Metadata and data
Dataset ID:LTE-MP-NIN-productivity.08
Dataset Title:Annual productivity at Spartina alterniflora-dominated salt marsh plots in North Inlet, Georgetown, SC.
Investigator 1: 
First Name:Jim
Last Name:Morris
Address line 1:Dept of Biological Sciences
Address line 2:
Address line 3:University of SC
City:Columbia
State:SC
Zip Code:29208
Country:USA
Investigator 2: 
First Name:Karen
Last Name:Sundberg
Address line 1:Baruch Marine Field Laboratory
Address line 3:PO Box 1630
City:Georgetown
State:SC
Zip Code:29442
Country:USA
Associate Investigators:Warren Hankinson
Keywords:PIE LTER, Plum Island Ecosystems, South Carolina, North Inlet, primary production, nutrients, estuary, salt marsh, Spartina alterniflora, aboveground biomass, annual productivity, Southeast United States
Abstract:Annual productivity is determined from aboveground biomass data in a Spartina alterniflora-dominated salt marsh plots in North Inlet, Georgetown, SC. Aboveground biomass is determined non-destructively. There are five sites. Two sites are low marsh; three sites are high marsh. One site in the high marsh is fertilized with nitrogen and phosphorus.
Contact: Plum Island Ecosystems LTER Information Manager
The Ecosystems Center
Marine Biological Lab
7 MBL St
Woods Hole, MA 02543
Phone (508) 289 7485
Email: pie_im@mbl.edu
Online URL: http://ecosystems.mbl.edu/PIE/
DATA FILE INFORMATION:
Data File URL http://ecosystems.mbl.edu/PIE/data/LTE/data/LTE-MP-NIN-productivity.csv
Data File Name LTE-MP-NIN-productivity
Beginning Date 1/1/1985
End Date 12/31/2012
Number of Data Records 137
Other Files to Reference LTE-MP-NIN-biomass, LTE-MP-LPA-biomass, LTE-MP-LPP-biomass
Availability Status type 1
Quality Control Information
Maintenance Description Collections occur approximately every month. Database is updated once annually, usually in the winter. Study and data collection are ongoing as of Jan 2013.
Log of Changes: Version 01: July 11, 2006 Level 3+ EML using Jim Laundre's Excel program
Version 02: January 10, 2007 data and metadata update
Version 03: March 13, 2008 Data and metadata update
Version 04: February 20, 2009 Data and metadata update
Version 05: January 13, 2010 Data and metadata update
Version 06: October 25, 2011 Data and metadata update
Version 07: January 12, 2012, 2011 data and metadata update, using MarcrosExportEML_HTML (working)pie_excel2007.xlsm 1/12/12 11:51AM for QA/QC to EML 2.1.0
Version 08: March 15, 2013, 2012 data and metadata updated to comply with importation to Drupal and LTER PASTA. Research location name and description updated.Used MarcrosExportEML_HTML (working)pie_excel2007.xlsm 3/14/13 12:02 PM for QA/QC to EML 2.1.0
 
RESEARCH LOCATION: LTE-MP-NIN-GIHM LTE-MP-NIN-GILM LTE-MP-NIN-OLHM LTE-MP-NIN-OLLM  
Geographic Description Goat Island, North Inlet, Georgetown, SC; high marsh Spartina alterniflora plot level fertilization experiment (GIHM). The Goat Island sites are accessible from Clambank Rd. about 1/2mile south of Clambank Landing. A board walk connects the high marsh siteand the low marsh site. The North Inlet Estuary is located onthe southeastern coast of the United States, approximately 10 kilometers east of Georgetown, South Carolina. The North Inlet Estuary lies east of the uplands of Hobcaw Barony (also known as the Belle W. Baruch Property). To the north of the Estuary is the Debordieu Colony Property. North Inlet Estuary is a bar-built Class C type estuary (Pritchard, 1955) and is arelatively small tidal estuary (area = 2630 hectares). It is composed of numerous winding tidal creeks dominated bySpartina alterniflora and is considered a pristine tidal estuary due to minimal anthropogenic impacts. The watershed drains a 24.8 square kilometer area of mostly pine forest and a moderately developed residential watershed to the north. Goat Island, North Inlet, Georgetown, SC; low marsh Spartina alterniflora plot level fertilization experiment (GILM). The Goat Island sites are accessible from Clambank Rd. about 1/2mile south of Clambank Landing. A board walk connects the high marsh siteand the low marsh site. Oyster Landing, North Inlet, Georgetown, SC, accessible from the Baruch Marine Field Laboratory. This high marsh Spartina alterniflora plot level fertilization experiment (OLHM) is located on the north side of the causeway which leads to the landing. Oyster Landing, North Inlet, Georgetown, SC, accessible from the Baruch Marine Field Laboratory. This low marsh Spartina alterniflora plot level fertilization experiment (OLLM) is located just south of the pier.  
Location Bounding Box          
West Bounding Coordinate          
East Bounding Coordinate          
North Bounding Coordinate          
South Bounding Coordinate          
OR if single point location          
Latitude 33.331659 33.331603 33.351389 33.348102  
Longitude -79.198208 -79.197942 -79.191944 -79.189171  
Elevation          
           
           
 
TAXONOMIC COVERAGE:
Taxonomic Protocols
Organisms studied Spartina alterniflora
 
Methods:Sampling Description:
The plant census method is non-destructive. Duplicate sampling quadrats (10cmx10cm, 10cmx15cm or 20cmx20cm) are permanently installed within triplicate m2 plots at each of five sites on the marsh platform in North Inlet, SC. Three plots at one of the sites are fertilized every other month with NH4NO3 and P2O5 for a final annual application rate of 26.7 mol N/m2/y and 12.3 mol P/m2/y. Plants within each sampling quadrat are tagged with bird ID bands, and plant heights are measured approximately monthly. Plant heights are read into a digital recorder. Descriptions of the locations of the plants within the quadrat are also recorded (e.g. northwest corner or northwest of tag #xxxx). Plant measurements are always taken with the observer on the same side of the quadrat for ease in tracking plants.

Numerical Processing:
Plant measurements are entered into an ACCESS database, then transformed to biomass using allometric equations (Morris and Haskin, 1990. Ecology 71(6):2209-2217) and Fortran programs. Annual productivity is determined using the Smalley method and SAS (SAS System for Windows; release 8.02; SAS Institute, Inc; Cary, NC). Data are reported as the mean annual productivity and standard error of the 3 plots (n=6).

Data Table

Variable Name Variable Description Units Measurement Scale Code Information Number Type DateTime Format Missing Value Code Missing Value Code Explanation
year year   datetime     yyyy    
site name of sampling station   nominal GI=Goat Island | OL=Oyster Landing        
location location of sampling station   nominal HM=High Marsh | LM=Low Marsh        
treatment treatment   nominal NP=Fertilized | C=Control        
annual productivity mean annual productivity (dry weight) gramPerMeterSquaredPerYear ratio   real      
stderr standard error of mean annual productivity (dry weight) gramPerMeterSquaredPerYear ratio   real