Abstract:

Plants and soil in coastal salt marshes along northern Barataria Bay were sampled and analyzed between 2012 and 2014. Soils were categorized based on the level of oil exposure as a result of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. This dataset reports live aboveground and belowground biomass, Juncus roemerianus and Spartina alterniflora stem density, total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) concentration, and the soil shear strength at each site.

Suggested Citation:

Qianxin Lin. 2015. Field marsh plant and soil data, northern Barataria Bay, 2013-2014. Distributed by: Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative Information and Data Cooperative (GRIIDC), Harte Research Institute, Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi. doi:10.7266/N7B8564F

Publications:

Lin, Q., Mendelssohn, I. A., Graham, S. A., Hou, A., Fleeger, J. W., & Deis, D. R. (2016). Response of salt marshes to oiling from the Deepwater Horizon spill: Implications for plant growth, soil surface-erosion, and shoreline stability. Science of The Total Environment, 557-558, 369–377. doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.03.049

Purpose:

To determine the impacts of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on coastal marshes and subsequent recovery

Data Parameters and Units:

date (mm/dd/yyyy), site ID, latitude (decimal degrees N), longitude (decimal degrees W), oiling category, aboveground plant biomass (g/m2), plant stem density (number of stems/m2), total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH, mg/g dry soil), belowground plant biomass (g/dm^3), soil shear strength (kPa)

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