Abstract

View across Barnegat Bay estuary, New Jersey. Photograph provided by Jennifer Miselis. [Click to enlarge]

In response to the 2010 Governor’s Action Plan to clean up the Barnegat Bay–Little Egg Harbor (BBLEH) estuary in New Jersey, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) partnered with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection in 2011 to begin a multidisciplinary research project to understand the physical controls on water quality in the bay. Between 2011 and 2013, USGS scientists mapped the geological and morphological characteristics of the seafloor of the BBLEH estuary using a suite of geophysical tools. However, this mapping effort included only surficial characterization of bay sediments; to verify the sub-surface geophysical data, sediment cores were required.

This report serves as an archive of sedimentologic data from 18 vibracores collected from Barnegat Bay between May and August of 2014 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) on behalf of the USGS. The vibracores were collected in conjunction with an ongoing NRCS subaqueous soil survey for the BBLEH estuary. The data presented in this report, including descriptive core logs, core photographs, processed grain-size data, and Geographic Information System (GIS) data files with accompanying formal Federal Geographic Data Committee metadata, can be viewed or downloaded from the Data Products and Downloads page.

Acknowledgments

This study was funded by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. Susan Demas, Ruth Anderson, Jennifer Nale, Brian Nester, Kristy Northrup, Alexa Ornstein, and Ryan Sullivan (NRCS) assisted with core collection. Tony Horton (USGS) transported the cores from New Jersey to Florida. Marci Marot (USGS) and Cathryn Wheaton (Cherokee Nation Technology Solutions) provided laboratory guidance for processing the organic-rich samples. Kate McMullen (USGS) performed the inorganic textural analysis. Jolene Gittens (USGS) assisted with the layout and Web design. We thank Noreen Buster and Arnell Forde (USGS) for conducting scientific, editorial, and metadata reviews that improved the content and presentation of this report.

Information Statement

Although these data have been processed successfully on a computer system at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), no warranty expressed or implied is made regarding the display or utility of the data on any other system or for general or scientific purposes, nor shall the act of distribution constitute any such warranty. The USGS or the U.S. Government shall not be held liable for improper or incorrect use of the data described and (or) contained herein. Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.

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