Marsh surface sediment marsh plant coverage in Barataria Bay, oiled and reference sites, LA, Oct. 2010 - Jan. 2012

Data set contains area of marsh plant coverage in a number of oil-impacted (showing plant die-off) and non-impacted (no plant die-off) reference sites in Barataria Bay, Louisiana over the first 20 months after the spill. Comparison between average percentage of plants alive at four times at impacted and reference sites from 0 to 15 m from the shoreline (n = 3). There was a significant effect of the presence of oil, the distance from shoreline, and time (P < 0.0001), with much lower plant coverage near shore for impacted sites than for reference sites during October 2010 and April 2011 but with similar levels of coverage near shore during October 2011 and January 2012 at these sites. Plant coverage was similar for all sites and times at greater distances from the shoreline beyond 10 m from the marsh edge.