Abstract:

The dataset contains raw and processed data obtained from public sources used to parameterize a semi-analytical model applied to Barataria Bay, Louisiana, to study the mud exchange between the basin and the nearshore region. Marsh and bay area maps from 1932 and 2016 were analyzed to calculate land loss using Matlab. Mineral content and dry bulk density of marsh soil were calculated using data from 40 sites in middle to lower Barataria Bay between 2006 and 2009. Raw suspended sediment concentration data was extracted for 1971 to 1990 at Point a la Hache, Louisiana (29.57105N, -89.797301). Daily discharge data at Naomi, Louisiana (29.69911N, -89.98886) for 2006 to 2019 were obtained, and annual mean and median discharge was calculated. In addition to the raw images and point measurements, the dataset also includes the Matlab script used for analysis and the land mask and processed images it produces.

Suggested Citation:

He, Songjie, Mariotti, Giulio. 2020. Source data for mud budget calculations for Barataria Bay, Louisiana: Land loss (1932-2016), soil properties (2006-2009), suspended sediment concentration (1971-1990), and daily discharge data (2006-2019). Distributed by: GRIIDC, Harte Research Institute, Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi. doi:10.7266/AZCYF1F7

Purpose:

To calculate the mud budget for Barataria Bay.

Data Parameters and Units:

The dataset contains a directory with the land images and three Excel files of point measurements. Folder LandLoss_1932_2016: contains all the information used for calculation of land loss for the study area. 1) File landloss_SH3.m: Matlab file that calculates and displays the actual values for marsh and bay area in 1932 and 2016; 2) File 1932-2016_Land_Loss: The .tiff file generated by Matlab program; 3) File binaryImage.mat: created by the Matlab program landloss_SH3.m that shows the uniquely shaped study area; 4) File 2016.mat: Created by the Matlab program landloss_SH3.m showing the 2016 marsh and bay area; 5) File 1932.mat: created by the Matlab program landloss_SH3.m showing the 1932 marsh and bay area; 6) Folder 1932: contains image data used to generate the file 1932.mat; 7) Folder 2016: contains image data used to generate the file 2016.mat. File Naomi_discharge_USGS_07380238.xlsx: n/a indicates data was not available. Worksheet Raw_Discharge: Date (Date of data collection [MM/DD/YYYY]); Mean Discharge (cfs) (average daily discharge [ft^3/s]); Worksheet Calculated_Discharge: Annual mean and median values calculated by the program R from the daily averages. Year (Year of data collection [YYYY]); Q_mean (Mean annual daily discharge [m^3/s]); Q_median (Median annual daily discharge [m^3/s]). File Pointe_a_la_Hache_LEDQ0049.xlsx: Collection Date (Date sample was collected [YYYY/MM/DD]); Parameter (Total Suspended Solids); Result (Data value of the parameter in Column B [parts per million]). File Soil_Properties_CRMS.xlsx: ID: ID assigned by the Coastwide Reference Monitoring System (CRMS), LA; Latitude (Latitude of the sampling site [decimal degrees]); Longitude (Longitude of the sampling site [decimal degrees]); Date (Date of sample collection [mm/dd/yyyy]); Depth ( Depth of core slices collected at each site [cm]); Bulk Density (weight of soil in a given volume [g/cm^3]); Organic Matter (organic component of soil [wt %]).

Methods:

Marsh loss (i.e., conversion to mudflat) was calculated with maps from Couvillion (2018). Raw data were downloaded from https://www.sciencebase.gov/catalog/item/5be09ce7e4b0b3fc5cf33e55. Since map data are available from 1932 to 2016, the mud budget was calculated for a time interval of 84 years. The 2016 satellite image has a native 15 m by 15 m resolution and was first resampled to a 30 m by 30 m resolution and aligned with the 1932 image using Matlab R2017a. Once the study area was drawn, land and water cells were counted to obtain land and water areas in 1932 and 2016. Marsh soil mineral content and dry bulk density for 2006 to 2009 were acquired from 40 sites in middle and lower Barataria Bay collected by the Louisiana Coastwide Reference Monitoring System (https://cims.coastal.louisiana.gov/FullTableExports.aspx). Since our study area has a unique shape, sites were manually chosen and data extracted only for those sites within the target study area. Twenty-four centimeter long cores were collected and then sliced into four centimeter sections. Daily discharge data at Pointe à la Hache (a siphon on the Mississippi River that delivers sediment to middle Barataria Bay) for the period 1971 to 1990 was obtained from USGS at https://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/inventory/?site_no=07380238&agency_cd=USGS. Total suspended solids data were extracted to estimate the suspended sediment concentration. Daily discharge data for Naomi Diversion Canal near Naomi, LA (a siphon on the Mississippi River that delivers sediment to middle Barataria Bay) for the period 2006 to 2019 was obtained from USGS at https://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/inventory/?site_no=07380238&agency_cd=USGS. Using the program R, mean and median annual values were calculated from the available raw daily averages. No data were calculated for the years 2012-2016 because not enough raw data was available for those years.

Provenance and Historical References:

Couvillion, B.R., 2018, Land area in coastal Louisiana (1932 to 2016) - land area spatial data - multi-date composites for specific years: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/P99LJJZZ.

Individual Files: