Suspended-sediment concentration and loss-on-ignition from water samples at Thompsons Beach and Stone Harbor, New Jersey, collected between September 2018 and December 2022
Description
In 2012, Hurricane Sandy struck the Northeastern US causing devastation among coastal ecosystems. Post-hurricane marsh restoration efforts have included sediment deposition, planting of vegetation, and restoring tidal hydrology. The work presented here is part of a larger project funded by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) to monitor the post-restoration ecological resilience of coastal ecosystems in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. The U.S. Geological Survey Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center made in-situ observations during 2018-2019 and 2022-2023 at two sites: Thompsons Beach, NJ and Stone Harbor, NJ. Marsh creek hydrodynamics and water quality including currents, waves, water levels, water temperature, salinity, pH, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, organic matter, chlorophyll-a, and suspended-sediment concentration and organic content were measured at both sites. Additionally, marsh accretion and erosion were evaluated and used to interpret sediment budgets. These ecological data will be coupled with topographic lidar and imagery to explain the processes responsible for coastline evolution, and to evaluate restoration techniques and assess whether storm vulnerability has decreased relative to unaltered environments.