February- March 2010 RTK survey of salt marsh plant ground elevations, plant characteristics and soil properties to support analysis of a LIDAR-derived DEM.

Real time kinematic (RTK) GPS survey of ground elevations for six plant species (Spartina alterniflora, Juncus roemerianus, Batis maritima, Distichlis spicata, Salicornia virginica and Borrichia frutescens) and two non-vegetated cover classes (salt pan and intertidal mud) was carried out from February to March 2010 to assess the accuracy of a LIDAR-derived digital elevation model. In total, 369 ground control points (GCP) were collected for the Duplin River (Sapelo Island) and Blackbeard Creek (Blackbeard Island) salt marshes with associated plant and soil charactistics (soil salinity and water content, soil organic matter, soil redox potential). Data were collected to examine the relationships between marsh soil elevation, plant habitat distribution and soil properties and to support the analysis of a a LIDAR-derived digital elevation model (DEM) and RTK data collect in 2009.