Maryland Coastal Bays Program 2024 Salt Marsh Surface Soils Study

Surface soil samples were collected on 1 occasion during August-September 2024 at 2 tidal marshes in Maryland Coastal Bays, Rum Pointe and EA Vaughn. The study focused on low marsh habitat, primarily dominated by Spartina alterniflora. Within each marsh, samples were collected from different elevations, measured by RTK. Concurrent samples were collected for porewater analysis, via deployment of peepers, and vegetation was systematically surveyed. The objective of the study was to assess the utility of 16SrRNA markers as bioindicators of salt marsh health. Elevation is given in meters, as measured by RTK during sampling. Depth of the sample is given in centimeters. Associated datasets are deposited on Zenodo.