Pre-Delta-X: Vegetation Species, Structure, Aboveground Biomass, MRD, LA, USA, 2015

This dataset provides vegetation species, height, stem density and diameter, and species aboveground biomass (AGB) measurements collected at herbaceous and forested wetland sites across the Atchafalaya and Terrebonne basins within the Mississippi River Delta (MRD) floodplain in coastal Louisiana, USA. The measurements were made during the Pre-Delta-X campaign in Spring 2015 and Fall 2015. Vegetation height and density and diameter data are only provided for forested Atchafalaya sites during the spring collections. At the nine herbaceous wetland sites, a transect was established perpendicular to the wetland edge with replicate sample plots (0.25 m2, 5 m apart) located at 50, 100, and 150 m from the wetland edge to capture the range of vegetation structure, zonation, and composition. AGB was harvested inside the duplicate plots at each sampling location. At the six forested wetland sites, duplicate circular plots (10 m radius, 50 m apart) were established inside the forest approximately 30 m from the wetland edge. All trees with a diameter at breast height (DBH at 1.3 m) > 2.5 cm were measured within each plot and identified to species. The height of trees was measured with a laser range finder. AGB was estimated using species-specific allometric equations. Measurements were used to generate marsh and forested wetland coverage and biomass in response to seasonality within both basins. The data will be used to calibrate remote sensing data (e.g., UAVSAR, AVIRIS-NG) and hydrodynamics and sediment transport models.