Suspended-sediment concentration data from water samples collected in 2016-17 in Grand Bay, Alabama and Mississippi

Suspended-sediment transport is a critical element governing the geomorphology of tidal marshes and estuaries. Marsh elevation, relative to sea level, is maintained by both organic material and the deposition of inorganic sediment. Additionally, horizontal marsh extent is altered by lateral erosion and accretion. In wetlands within and near Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, parts of the salt marsh are eroding relatively rapidly. To understand the connection between sediment fluxes and these processes, the U.S. Geological Survey made oceanographic and water-quality measurements from August 2, 2016, to January 28, 2017, to quantify suspended-sediment concentration and sediment transport in tidal channels and open embayments in and near Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve.