Oyster shell heights in 2015-2016 among previously documented oiled and non-oiled reefs in Louisiana, Alabama, and the Florida panhandle

Abstract

Shell heights of up to 20 live oysters per size class (spat, seed, market) found in oyster reefs sampled in the early fall (September/October) and spring (April/May) in 2015-2016. Four embayments were sampled from Louisiana to the Florida panhandle, with sites that were previously oiled or non-oiled after the Deep Water Horizon Oil Spill. Within oiled and non-oiled sites, oyster quadrat samples were taken from intertidal, nearshore (along the marsh edge) and subtidal areas, and also from mesohaline and high salinity sites. The top 10 cm of material was collected from the quadrats and returned to the lab for measurement of shell height by calipers.

Purpose

The purpose of this dataset is to describe the distribution of oyster sizes in areas with documented exposure to oil from the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill in 2010, as well as control sites (no documented oil exposure). These oyster shell height measurements will help determine the recovery trajectories of oysters in the northern Gulf of Mexico in regards to oiling and the associated response activities.

DOI: doi:10.7266/N7WS8R84

Suggested Citation

Meagan Shrandt, Sean Powers. 2017. Oyster shell heights in 2015-2016 among previously documented oiled and non-oiled reefs in Louisiana, Alabama, and the Florida panhandle. Distributed by: Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative Information and Data Cooperative (GRIIDC), Harte Research Institute, Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi. doi:10.7266/N7WS8R84

Funded by: Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI)

Funding cycle: RFP-IV

Research group: Alabama Center for Ecological Resilience (ACER)