Table of Contents

• Coverage
• Dataset Description
  • Methods & Sampling
  • Data Processing Description
• Data Files
• Parameters
• Instruments
• Deployments
• Project Information
• Funding

This dataset contains eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) density and lengths.  Oyster density sampling was conducted at reefs within the Rachel Carson National Estuarine Research Reserve, Back Sound, North Carolina in 2010 and 2014.  Also included in this dataset are reef elevation and exposure data that was generated from laser scans and water level loggers (see related dataset list for more details).

Other Back Sound datasets in this project:
Laser scans
Water level
Reef elevation, exposure, and vertical change
Laser scan, density, and GPS grid sampling information

These data are published in:

Ridge, J. T., Rodriguez, A. B., Fodrie, F. J., Lindquist, N. L., Brodeur, M. C., Coleman, S. E., ... & Theuerkauf, E. J. (2015). Maximizing oyster-reef growth supports green infrastructure with accelerating sea-level rise. Scientific reports, 5. doi: 10.1038/srep14785

Locations (UTM, Latitude, and Longitude) for natural reef sampling are the quadrat locations.  Locations provided for constructed reef sampling are broader site locations.

See Ridge et al. 2017 for more sampling methodology details.

Ridge, J. T., Rodriguez, A. B., Fodrie, F. J., Lindquist, N. L., Brodeur, M. C., Coleman, S. E., ... & Theuerkauf, E. J. (2015). Maximizing oyster-reef growth supports green infrastructure with accelerating sea-level rise. Scientific reports, 5. doi:10.1038/srep14785

BCO-DMO Data Manager Processing Notes:
* added a conventional header with dataset name, PI name, version date
* modified parameter names to conform with BCO-DMO naming conventions
* blank values replaced with no data value 'nd'
* added site locations in decimal degree format (lat,lon) from provided UTM coordinates
* length, exposure, and density rounded to two decimal places

Description from NSF award abstract:
The PIs will use the eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina, as a model system and will attempt to optimize the design of networks of no-take reserves as a strategy for maintaining metapopulations of this commercially harvested species. The project specifically recognizes that network persistence depends on (1) the potential for growth, survival, and reproduction within reserves, and (2) the potential to distribute offspring among reserves. Thus, demographic processes within reserves and settling areas play important roles, along with variability of physical transport. The PIs plan to:
(1) test and refine 3D bio-physical models of connectivity due to oyster larval transport in a shallow, wind-dominated system;
(2) test, refine, and apply technology to detect natal origins of larvae using geochemical tags in larval shell; and
(3) integrate regional connectivity and demographic rates to model metapopulation dynamics.

This study will produce new tools and test and refine others used for studying larval connectivity, a fundamentally important process in the maintenance of natural populations, and thus in biological conservation and resource management. The tools include a hydrodynamic modeling tool coupled with an open-source particle tracking model that will be available on-line with computer code and user guide. The project will use integrated modeling approaches to evaluate the design of reserve networks: results will be directly useful to improving oyster and ecosystem-based management in Pamlico Sound, and the methods will inform approaches to network design in other locations.