Superstorm Sandy Coastal Dune Erosion Data by Plant Species, Island Beach State Park

Island Beach State Park, New Jersey, Barnegat Bay data from a 2016 study comparing dune erosion during Hurricane Sandy between native Ammophila breviligulata and invasive Carex kobomugi. The dataset includes 6 Excel sheets with measurements of uprooting force, stand sizes, and 2D and volumetric erosion metrics. It was collected by author Charbonneau Bianca for the Journal of Applied Ecology.

Use Cases

• Compare erosion resistance between native and invasive dune plant species based on the SpeciesFrontingDune column.
• Analyze spatial patterns of dune crest transgression (DCT) using the FID_Dune_Loss_Lines spatial identifier.
• Model volumetric dune loss (VolumetricLoss) in relation to plant species and stand characteristics.
• Study changes in invasive Carex kobomugi stand sizes over time using pre-, during, and post-Sandy data.

Strengths

• Includes data from 14 paired sites (MatchID_PairedSites) for controlled comparison.
• Provides multiple erosion metrics: 2D surface area change (2DSA) and volumetric loss.
• Contains raw field measurements, such as uprooting force from a 50 kg Pesola tensiometer.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent for the main data sheets; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Last update date is unknown; freshness unverified.

Provenance

Source

Charbonneau Bianca, associated with the 2016 Journal of Applied Ecology paper.

Collection Method

Field data collected from Island Beach State Park, NJ, Barnegat Bay, including physical measurements and spatial analysis.

Time Range

Covers periods pre-, during, and post-Hurricane Sandy (2012).

Geography

Island Beach State Park, New Jersey, Barnegat Bay, USA.