It’s SET Season!

Last week, the Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve (ANERR) research team kickstarted our biannual Surface Elevation Table (SET) monitoring efforts in the Lower River Marsh. Our small but mighty team collected data at 6 SET sites to investigate marsh elevation trends as part of the Wetlands and Water Level (WWL) program. The research team, comprised of Sam, Michael, and Meredith, measured SET pin lengths to record vertical changes in the marsh to see how marsh elevation responds to acute and chronic disturbances over time.  On top of measuring vertical trends, team members took sediment cores to determine the rate of accretion at each site. Our research team, accompanied by some fantastic members of the Breithaupt Lab at FSU, ended the day with lots of good data and plenty of sawgrass battle scars! We will continue our monitoring efforts through mid-April and look forward to collaborating with other researchers in the upcoming weeks.