Carbon and Nitrogen Dynamics in Constructed and Natural Salt Marshes

This dataset contains measurements from a year-long study comparing ecosystem functions between two 33-year-old constructed salt marshes and a nearby natural reference marsh. It includes seasonal data on plant productivity, ecosystem respiration, denitrification, and dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium, collected from November 2018 to March 2020. The study was conducted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Use Cases

• Comparing seasonal Net Ecosystem Exchange (NEE) and Gross Ecosystem Productivity (GEP) between constructed and natural marshes.
• Analyzing rates of denitrification and dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium (DNRA) from sediment samples.
• Evaluating carbon stocks via plant biomass and soil organic matter measurements across marsh types.
• Assessing nutrient stocks (phosphate, ammonium, nitrate+nitrite, hydrogen sulfides) from porewater samples.
• Studying the relationship between ecosystem respiration (ER) measurements and carbon dioxide flux.

Strengths

• Provides a direct comparison between two 33-year-old constructed marshes and a natural reference site.
• Includes a full year of seasonal measurements for multiple ecosystem functions.
• Employs standardized instrumentation (LiCOR-820, membrane inlet mass spectrometer) for key metrics.

Limitations

• Specific row counts, column names, and dataset size are not provided by any source.
• Conflicting 'last updated' dates exist between Data.gov (2026-03-05) and NASA Earthdata (2020-03-08).
• License information is not specified for the dataset.

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce

Collection Method

Field measurements using acrylic chambers with CO2 analyzers, sediment sampling with mass spectrometry, and porewater sample collection.

Time Range

2018-11 30 to 2020-03-08

Freshness

2026-03-05

Geography

Salt marsh sites (two constructed: CON-1, CON-2; one natural reference: NAT).