SBC LTER: Reef: Long-term experiment: Kelp removal: Cover of bottom substrate and sand depth

These data describe the percent cover of eight bottom substrate
types within permanent plots of a long-term experiment designed to
examine trajectories of change in the structure and productivity
of kelp forest communities in response to changes in the frequency
and severity of disturbance to giant kelp. The type of bottom
substrate was recorded at 80 uniformly spaced points along
permanent 40m x 2m transects. Percent cover of each substrate type
on transect was estimated as the proportion of the 80 points
contacted by the substrate type x 100. In cases where the
substrate type was sand the depth of the sand was measured. The
experiment was initiated in 2008 at five reef sites along the
mainland coast of the Santa Barbara Channel and included an annual
kelp removal treatment designed to simulate increases in the
frequency and severity of winter wave disturbance and a continual
kelp removal treatment that allowed the effects of giant kelp on
the community to be evaluated. The last experimental removals of
giant kelp occurred in winter 2016 or winter 2017, depending on
the site. Data collection continued in all plots until spring 2023
to document the recovery trajectory of the reef fish community
following the cessation of experimental kelp removal. The two tables in this data package include: 1) The percent cover
of eight bottom substrate types; and 2) the sand depth of each
sampling point (sand depth = 0 if substrate type is not sand)