USGS ecologist Jaimie Gillespie measuring a Sediment Elevation Table

USGS ecologist Jaimie Gillespie measuring a Sediment Elevation Table (SET) on the Pamunkey River, VA. This SET is part of a larger project which consists of two SETs at each of five research sites, on both the Mattaponi and Pamunkey Rivers spanning Oligahaline to non-tidal conditions. USGS scientists monitor these SETs, river sediment loads, and deposition rates, to better understand the response of coastal wetlands to sea level rise and the impacts on water quality.