DOI: 10.5066/p9oni8ps
title: Shore Proximal Marsh Sediment Deposition and Ancillary Data From Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Mississippi, From July 2018 to January 2020 (Version 2.0)

description: To better understand sediment deposition in marsh environments, scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center (USGS-SPCMSC) selected four study sites (Sites 5, 6, 7, and 8) along the Point Aux Chenes Bay shoreline of the Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (GNDNERR), Mississippi. These datasets were collected to serve as baseline data prior to the installation of a living shoreline (a subtidal sill). Each site consisted of five plots located along a transect perpendicular to the marsh-estuary shoreline at 5-meter (m) increments (5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 m from the shoreline). Each plot contained four net sedimentation tiles (NST) that were secured flush to the marsh surface using polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipe. NST are an inexpensive and simple tool to assess short- and long-term deposition that can be deployed in highly dynamic environments without the compaction associated with traditional coring methods. The NST were deployed for three month sampling periods, measuring sediment deposition from July 2018 to January 2020, with one set of NST being deployed for six months. Sediment deposited on the NST were processed to determine physical characteristics, such as deposition thickness, volume, wet weight/dry weight, grain size, and organic content (loss-on-ignition [LOI]). For select sampling periods, ancillary data (water level, elevation, vegetation, and wave data) are also provided in this data release. Data were collected during Field Activities Numbers (FAN) 2018-332-FA (18CCT01), 2018-358-FA (18CCT10), 2019-303-FA (19CCT01, 19CCT02, 19CCT03, and 19CCT04, respectively), and 2020-301-FA (20CCT01). Data from a related NST study in the GNDNERR (Middle Bay and North Rigolets) are published in Smith and others (2020). Data collected after the living shoreline (subtidal sill) installation can be found in Terrano and others (2025). For additional information on data processing and analysis, refer to the accompanying journal publication Smith and others (2025). Please read the full metadata for details on data collection, dataset variables, and data quality.

Smith, K.E.L., Pitchford, J., Sparks, E.L., Archer, M.J., Virden M.F., Terrano, J.F., and Smith C.G., 2025, Evaluating the influence of constructed subtidal reefs on marsh shoreline erosion, sediment deposition, and wave energy: Estuaries and Coasts, v. 48, no. 128, https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-025-01564-7.

Smith, K.E.L., Terrano, J.F., Khan, N.S., and Stalk, C.A., 2020, Shore proximal sediment deposition, elevation, turbidity, and water level data for four sites in the coastal marsh at Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Mississippi, from October 2016 through October 2017: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/P9BFR2US.

Terrano, J.F., Ellis, A.M., Smith, K.E.L., Pitchford, J., Archer, M., Vargas, J.M., Griffiths, J.P., Randall, S.M., Virden, M., Everhart, C.S., and Sparks, E., 2025, Shore proximal marsh sediment deposition and ancillary data from Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Mississippi, from October 2020 to January 2023: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/P13VT3ET.

Note: This data release was versioned on September 24, 2025. Please see the Suggested Citation section for details.