Monthly Spartina alterniflora marsh vegetation data for additional sites along the Georgia coast used in the Belowground Ecosystem Resiliency Model

Study plots (1-m2) were established in three Spartina alterniflora-dominated marshes - 2 on Sapelo Island, Georgia, and 1 on Skidaway Island, Georgia, and sampled once each during May, July, August, September, and October of 2016. Nine replicate plots were placed in vegetated marsh along transects that spanned 3 Landsat-8 pixel footprints, with 3 plots per pixel foot print. In each plot, measurements included plant biomass, plant species, stem density, and height. Aboveground biomass was calculated using allometric relationships between plant height, flowering status and mass from plant clipping studies. During these surveys, destructive core sampling was also performed in the proximity of the plots (n = 1 per plot) to measure above and below ground biomass. Chlorophyll, foliar N, and Leaf Area Index measurements were taken in the proximity of the plots.