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Oceanographic time series data from experiments in Chincoteague Bay, Maryland/Virginia; Barnegat Bay, New Jersey; and two coastal estuaries in southern California were released in the USGS Oceanographic Time-Series Data Collection in early 2016.

The experiments in Barnegat and Chincoteague Bays were conducted in 2014 and 2015 as part of the Estuarine Physical Response to Storms project. The experiments in southern California were part of a related study conducted between August 2013 and July 2015 in collaboration with the USGS Western Ecological Research Center. More details about these studies and are provided at https://www.usgs.gov/centers/whcmsc/science/estuarine-processes-hazards-and-ecosystems-study-sites

Oceanographic and water-quality measurements in Barnegat Bay, New Jersey, 2014–2015 

Water flow, water quality, and turbidity observations were collected at two sites in tidal wetland channels of Barnegat Bay, New Jersey, between August 2014 and July 2015 to characterize sediment fluxes to salt marshes. Two platforms were deployed at each of two sites for sequential time periods (August–October and October–January). The platforms were removed in January to prevent damage from freezing and a single platform was re-deployed at each site from April to July. The photo below shows one of the bottom platforms being prepared for deployment. 

Image shows two scientists in a boat, preparing to deploy a bottom-mounted current meter.
Neil Ganju and Patrick Dickhudt prepare a bottom-mounted current meter for deployment in Barnegat Bay, New Jersey.

The citation with links to the data for this experiment is: 

Suttles, S.E., Ganju, N.K., Dickhudt, P.J., Montgomery, E.T., Borden, Jonathan, Martini, M.A., and Brosnahan, S.M., 2015, Oceanographic and water-quality measurements in Barnegat Bay, NJ, 2014: U.S. Geological Survey data release, http://dx.doi.org/10.5066/F7CN71Z6

Oceanographic and water quality measurements in Chincoteague Bay, Maryland/Virginia, 2014–2015 

Wave, water speed, water quality, and turbidity observations were collected at multiple sites in Chincoteague Bay, Maryland/Virginia, between August 2014 and July 2015. The platforms were removed, refurbished, and replaced several times during the deployment to achieve high sample rates from the available on-board power. The complete time-series at a site is comprised of ‘A’, ’B’, ’C’, and in some cases ‘D’ temporal sections. Given the more southerly location of this experiment, the platforms were deployed throughout the winter, but there was some data loss due to ice formation. Complementary meteorological observations were acquired to provide accurate atmospheric forcing data. The photo below shows Neil Ganju preparing to refurbish one of the Chincoteague Bay platforms in January 2014. 

Image shows USGS scientist on a boat holding the anchor, preparing to drop it in the water.
Neil Ganju prepares to anchor the work boat at a site in Chincoteague Bay, Maryland.

The citation with links to the data for this experiment is: 

Suttles, S.E., Ganju, N.K., Dickhudt, P.J., Brosnahan, S.M., Montgomery, E.T., Borden, Jonathan, and Martini, M.A., 2016, Oceanographic and water-quality measurements in Chincoteague Bay, Maryland, 2014-2015: U.S. Geological Survey data release, http://dx.doi.org/10.5066/F7DF6PBV

Oceanographic and water quality measurements in two southern California coastal wetlands, 2013–2014 

A related study in southern California compared an urbanized wetland with limited sediment supply at Seal Beach National Wildlife Refuge to a less modified marsh at Point Mugu. Instrumented platforms were initially deployed at Point Mugu between April and November 2013. In November the platforms were recovered, refurbished, and moved to Seal Beach to collect more data between November 2013 and May 2014. Water flow and turbidity measurements were made to constrain sediment fluxes within these marsh systems. The photo below shows a bottom platform with an upward-looking current sensor being deployed. 

Images show USGS scientists in drysuits deploying an upward-looking current sensor in a stream.
Kat Powelson and Patrick Dickhudt deploy an upward-looking current sensor in the marsh at Seal Beach, California.

The citation and link to this data is: 

Ganju, N.K., Dickhudt, P.J., Montgomery, E.T., and Brosnahan, S.M., 2016, Oceanographic and water-quality measurements in two Southern California Coastal Wetlands, 2013-2014: U.S. Geological Survey data release, http://dx.doi.org/10.5066/F78050PZ

Maps of the station locations for these and other experiments conducted by the Coastal and Marine Geology program may be viewed at the USGS Oceanographic Time-Series Data Collection website. The data files are provided in EPIC (Equatorial Pacific Information Collection) compliant netCDF (network Common Data Format) and CF (Climate and Forecast) compliant forms. More detail about how we use netCDF in our data files is provided in the netCDF sections of Montgomery and others (2016, “Documentation of the U.S. Geological Survey Oceanographic Time-Series Measurement Database”). 

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