Abstract:

Field manipulative restoration experiment was conducted in April 2014 in northern Barataria Bay, Louisiana along a heavily oiled saltmarsh shoreline that vegetation had not recovered. Restoration strategies included two planting and two fertilization treatments: planting Spartina alterniflora and no planting in combination with or without applying slow-release fertilizer (15% N, 8% P2O5 and 11% K2O), resulting in four experimental treatments. Plant and soil samples were collected between 2014 and 2016 to determine the effectiveness of restoration strategies.

Suggested Citation:

Qianxin Lin. 2019. Plant and soil data of field restoration experiment, Barataria Bay, 2014-06-20 to 2016-11-15. Distributed by: Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative Information and Data Cooperative (GRIIDC), Harte Research Institute, Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi. doi:10.7266/n7-q0rj-2170

Publications:

Cagle, G., Lin, Q., Graham, S. A., Mendelssohn, I., Fleeger, J. W., Deis, D., … Hou, A. (2020). Planting Spartina alterniflora in a salt marsh denuded of vegetation by an oil spill induces a rapid response in the soil microbial community. Ecological Engineering, 151, 105815. doi:10.1016/j.ecoleng.2020.105815

Purpose:

To determine the effectiveness of restoration strategies for oil impacted marshes.

Data Parameters and Units:

The dataset consists of 1 Excel file titled “Plant data in planting sites for GRIIDC.xlsx” and includes four worksheets: Aboveground Biomass, Plant Stem Density, Plant Live Belowground Biomass, and Soil Shear Strength. The worksheet “Aboveground Biomass”: Plot ID, Date of Sampling (MM/DD/YYYY), Latitude (decimal degrees), Longitude (decimal degrees), Live aboveground biomass for Spartina alterniflora and Distichlis spicata (g/m2)), and Total plant live aboveground biomass (g/m2). The worksheet “Plant Stem Density”: Plot ID, Date of Sampling (MM/DD/YYYY), Latitude (decimal degrees), Longitude (decimal degrees), and Live stem density for Spartina alterniflora and Distichlis spicata (stems/m2). The worksheet “Plant Live Belowground Biomass”: Plot ID, Date of Sampling (MM/DD/YYYY), Latitude (decimal degrees), Longitude (decimal degrees), and Total live belowground biomass in 0-6 cm soil depth (g/m2). The worksheet “Soil Shear Strength”: Plot ID, Date of Sampling,(MM/DD/YYYY), Latitude (decimal degrees), Longitude (decimal degrees), and Soil Shear Strength in 0-6 cm depth (kPa). Correction note: Please note that column "C" is latitude and column "D" is the longitude in all four worksheets.

Methods:

Dates of planting and fertilization were April 22, 2014, and April 23, 2014. Soil shear strength was determined using a 3.3-cm diameter by 5-cm long shear vane attached to a direct reading torque gauge. The procedure consisted of inserting the shear vane into the soil and twisting the vane until soil failure to get the reading.

Instruments:

3-cm diameter by 5-cm long shear vane.

Individual Files: