United States Pacific Northwest surveys of coastal foredune topography and vegetation abundance, 2012-2014

These datasets document our measurements of dune plant species
abundance and topography from paired vegetation and topographic
cross-shore foredune surveys in the United States Pacific Northwest
(Oregon and southern Washington coastlines) in Summer 2012 and Summer
2014. In 2012, we conducted cross-shore paired topographic and
vegetation surveys at 126 transect locations, and performed three
replicate cross-shore transects per location (for a total of 378
transects). Of these surveys, 58 transect locations were positioned
within Habitat Restoration Areas (as described in Biel et al. 2017).
In 2014, we repeated these topographic and vegetation surveys at 83 of
the 2012 transect locations (performing a single transect survey per
location). Within each transect, we measure elevation (using RTK GPS) and plant
species abundance (using 0.25 m^2 quadrats) at 5 m intervals between
the vegetation line and the foredune heel. Within each quadrat, we
measure the percent cover of all plant species present, and the tiller
abundance of the three dune building grasses, Ammophila arenaria
(invasive), Ammophila breviligulata (invasive), and Elymus mollis
(native). Together, these datasets encompass measurements of elevation
and plant abundance from 7953 quadrats in 2012, and 1616 quadrats in
2014.