Description
We combined taxonomically detailed surveys of macroinvertebrates and birds with targeted sampling of regionally important focal taxa including surf zone fishes, kelp and sand crabs; physical and biological metrics of the habitat; and activities of people on the beaches to develop an integrated understanding of the important ecosystem processes structuring northern California beaches. Our baseline study program consisted of the following components:
Nine monthly surveys (from September 2014 through May 2015) of birds, macrophyte wrack (detached marine vegetation such as seaweeds, surfgrasses and seagrasses that are deposited on the beach), human use and physical characteristics of 12 sandy beaches and their adjacent surf zones (6 MPA and 6 reference sites);
A one-time, comprehensive survey of intertidal invertebrate biodiversity during summer 2014 of the 12 focal sandy beaches;
A comprehensive baseline survey of redtail surfperch (Amphistichus rhodoterus), including diet analysis, at nine sandy beaches (4 MPA, 5 reference sites) over two years;
Targeted monthly surveys of sand crabs (Emerita analoga) done concurrently with redtail surfperch surveys on three long beaches for three months; and
Sampling of night smelt (Spirinchus starksi) spawning aggregations from nine beaches (5 MPA, 4 reference) during spring and summer over two years.
Resources
| Name | Format | Description | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Surf Perch - Data | CSV | Data table containing information from surfperch surveys on North coast sandy beaches. Data includes site, species, date, angler hours, sex, whether the fish was sacrificed, tag number, and total length of each fish. | Open resource |
| Smelt Abundance - Methods and Sampling Metadata | Metadata for smelt abundance sampling methods | Open resource | |
| MPA Baseline Program Information - North Coast - Metadata | CSV | Data dictionary for MPA Baseline Program Information - North Coast | Open resource |
| Smelt Weights - Data | CSV | Data table containing information from smelt surveys on North coast sandy beaches. Data includes site, sex, and weight of each fish | Open resource |
| Survey Sites Lookup Table - Metadata | CSV | Data dictionary for Survey Sites Lookup Table | Open resource |
| Surf Perch Diet - Metadata | XML | EML metadata for surf perch diet component of the Characterization of Sandy Beaches and Adjacent Surf Zones, California North Coast MPA Baseline Study, 2014 to 2015 dataset. | Open resource |
| Smelt Abundance - Data - Metadata | CSV | Data dictionary for Smelt Abundance - Data | Open resource |
| Smelt Length - Data - Metadata | CSV | Data dictionary for Smelt Length - Data | Open resource |
| Sand Crab Species Lookup Table | CSV | Data table containing taxanomic information about sand crabs surveyed on North coast sandy beaches | Open resource |
| Sand Crab Weight and Length - Data | CSV | Sand crab (Emerita analoga) length and weights from samples targeting sand crabs on North Coast sandy beaches used to create a model to predict sand crab weight from carapace length | Open resource |
| Sand Crab Size - Methods and Sampling Metadata | Metadata on sand crab sizing methods | Open resource | |
| MPA Baseline Program Information - North Coast | CSV | Lookup table containing a list of North Coast (NC) Marine Protected Area (MPA) baseline program projects and associated information. | Open resource |
| Surf Perch - Data - Metadata | CSV | Data dictionary for Surf Perch - Data | Open resource |
| Final Report Baseline Characterization of Sandy Beach Ecosystems along the North Coast of California | North coast baseline (phase I) marine protected area (MPA) final report forBaseline Characterization of Sandy Beach Ecosystems, California North Coast MPA Baseline Study, 2014 to 2015. This project and report were completed in fulfillment of CA Sea Grant R/MPA-38. | Open resource | |
| Sand Crab Weight and Length - Data - Metadata | CSV | Data dictionary for Sand Crab Weight and Length - Data | Open resource |
| MPA Boundary Details - North Coast - Metadata | CSV | Data dictionary for MPA Boundary Details - North Coast | Open resource |
| Surf Perch Diet - Data | CSV | Data table containing information about diet analyses conducted on redtail surfperch collected on north coast sandy beaches. | Open resource |
| Surf Perch - Methods and Sampling Metadata | Metadata for surf perch sampling methods | Open resource | |
| Smelt Weights - Data - Metadata | CSV | Data dictionary for Smelt Weights - Data | Open resource |
| Smelt Weights - Methods and Sampling Metadata | Metadata for smelt weight survey methods | Open resource | |
| Smelt Length - Metadata | XML | EML metadata for smelt length survey component of the Characterization of Sandy Beaches and Adjacent Surf Zones, California North Coast MPA Baseline Study, 2014 to 2015 dataset | Open resource |
| Sand Crab Size - Data | CSV | Sand crab (Emerita analoga) sizes from samples targeting sand crabs on a North Coast Marine Protected Area sandy beach | Open resource |
| Smelt Length - Data | CSV | Data table containing information from smelt surveys on North coast sandy beaches. Data includes site, year of collection, sex, and length of each fish | Open resource |
| Sand Profile - Methods and Sampling Metadata | Metadata on the sand profile sample methods | Open resource | |
| Sand Crab Species Lookup Table - Metadata | CSV | Data dictionary for Sand Crab Species Lookup Table | Open resource |
| Survey Sites Lookup Table | CSV | Data table containing information about site locations for sand crab surveys conducted on north coast sandy beaches. | Open resource |
| Smelt Weights - Metadata | XML | EML metadata for the smelt weight survey component of the Characterization of Sandy Beaches and Adjacent Surf Zones, California North Coast MPA Baseline Study, 2014 to 2015 dataset | Open resource |
| Surf Perch Diet - Data - Metadata | CSV | Data dictionary for Surf Perch Diet - Data | Open resource |
| Full Data Package for Characterization of Sandy Beaches and Adjacent Surf Zones, California North Coast MPA Baseline Study, 2014 to 2015 | ZIP | A Zip file of all resources for the Characterization of Sandy Beaches and Adjacent Surf Zones, California North Coast MPA Baseline Study, 2014 to 2015 dataset | Open resource |
| Sand Crab Weight and Length - Methods and Sampling Metadata | Metadata for sand crab weight and length survey methods | Open resource | |
| Sand Crab Size - Data - Metadata | CSV | Data dictionary for Sand Crab Size - Data | Open resource |
| Smelt Abundance - Data | CSV | Data table containing information from smelt surveys on North coast sandy beaches. Data includes Date of collection, site, and walker scale value to indicate relative | Open resource |
| Smelt Length - Methods and Sampling Metadata | Metadata for smelt length survey sampling methods | Open resource | |
| MPA Boundary Details - North Coast | CSV | Lookup table containing a list of North Coast (NC) Marine Protected Area (MPA) boundary coordinates. | Open resource |
| Surf Perch Diet - Methods and Sampling Metadata | Metadata for surf perch diet sampling methods | Open resource | |
| Smelt Abundance - Metadata | XML | EML metadata for the smelt abundance component of the Characterization of Sandy Beaches and Adjacent Surf Zones, California North Coast MPA Baseline Study, 2014 to 2015 dataset | Open resource |
| Sand Profile - Data table | CSV | Sand grain size samples from the water table outcrop during surveys targeting sand crabs on North Coast Sandy Beaches | Open resource |
| Sand Profile - Data table - Metadata | CSV | Data dictionary for Sand Profile - Data table | Open resource |