Dataset for Cruz-O'Bryne et al (2026): "Divergent biogeochemical responses in upland coastal forest soils to repeated flooding and shifts in water chemistry"

Hydrologic disturbances from accelerated sea-level rise and the increasing frequency and intensity of storms and tidal flooding are altering biogeochemical processes in upland coastal forests, transforming these ecosystems into wetlands. However, the initial effects of flooding on belowground biogeochemistry and the mechanisms driving greenhouse gas dynamics and soil organic matter stability during the early stages of this transition remain poorly understood. This dataset presents the results of a mesocosm experiment conducted in a controlled, highly instrumented laboratory environment, in which freshwater and brackish water pulses were applied to intact soil monoliths from a temperate upland coastal forest to examine how floodwater chemistry influences soil biogeochemistry and organo-mineral interactions.
All data files are plain-text CSV (comma-separated value), and no special software is required to read them. Details about the content of each file are available in the document “Dataset_readme”.
The dataset consists of the following data:
• rcruzobyrne_moisture: Soil volumetric water content (VWC)
• rcruzobyrne_GHG: Headspace greenhouse gas (GHG) concentration and fluxes
• rcruzobyrne_methane_isotopes: Headspace methane isotope signature
• rcruzobyrne_porewater: Porewater chemistry
• rcruzobyrne_CDOM: Porewater colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM)
• rcruzobyrne_FTIR: Soil Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy
Details of the experimental setup, data collection, and data analysis are provided in the manuscript by Cruz-O’Byrne et al (2026) Divergent biogeochemical responses in upland coastal forest soils to repeated flooding and shifts in water chemistry. Under review in Biogeochemistry.