Long-term Hydrographic Mooring Data from the Georgia Coastal Ecosystems LTER Salinity Monitoring Program - Daily Summarized Data

Conductivity, temperature and sub-surface water pressure were measured continuously at fixed hydrographic moorings distributed across the Georgia Coastal Ecosystems LTER study area to document spatial and temporal variability of salinity and its relationship to water level and river discharge. Mooring locations were chosen to span the salinity gradient as well as to take advantage of existing physical infrastructure (e.g. docks or pilings) for mounting instruments and proximity to marsh study sites. Eight moorings were established between 2001 and 2003 to characterize salinity patterns in the three primary sounds in the GCE domain (Sapelo, Doboy and Altamaha), and a ninth mooring was added near a freshwater tidal forest along the Altamaha River in 2014. Observations were logged at 30 minute intervals by Sea-Bird Electronics MicroCAT 37-SM data loggers and downloaded approximately quarterly. Salinity, depth and sigma-t (density anomaly) were calculated from the measured parameters using standard UNESCO algorithms, and short-duration gaps (<6 hours) due to instrument swaps, quality control analysis or brief data interruptions were filled by interpolation. Long-duration gaps due to instrument or mooring loss were filled with null values to produce a monotonic time series. Values flagged as invalid were then removed and interpolated up to 6 hours, and daily-summarized values were calculated by statistical aggregation. This data set includes the daily-summarized data at all 9 moorings through 31-Dec-2022, and will be updated annually to include observations from the prior year.