Dataset: Salinity data collected from near-bottom HOBO logger placed in oyster beds in the Delaware Bay Apr 2021 to Nov 2021 (SEGO project)

Field measurements of salinity were collected as part of the Selection along Estuarine Gradients in Oysters (SEGO) project. HOBO Saltwater Conductivity Data Loggers (HOBO U24-002-C) were fixed to a frame and suspended in the water about 5-10 cm off the bottom from May to November 2021 at the Hope Creek, Cohansey, and New Beds stations (Manuel 2022). These data loggers stored measurements of conductivity and temperature every 15 minutes. Sensors were swapped out on a monthly basis during summer and a calibrated YSI sensor was used to take measurements near the sensor in situ to check sensor accuracy upon deployment and retrieval. Data loggers at the Cohansey station were lost halfway through the deployment period. Data were formatted for analysis and screened for instrument malfunctions and fouling problems. This field data was important for model validation because it was collected after the dredging was complete in the Delaware River navigational channel (conducted from 2012 and 2018) that could have affected the salinity regime. Daphne Munroe and Jenn Gius at Rutgers University conducted the field sampling. 

In the SEGO dataset, biofouling and sediment deposition on HOBO sensors influenced the accuracy of the salinity measurements, likely because sensors were deployed only 5-10 cm above the oyster beds. Inspection of time series plots, comparison of data with YSI sensors, and comparison of data with freshwater discharge records were conducted, similar to the quality assurance methods for the ACOE dataset. Sensor fouling was a more significant problem than in the ACOE dataset (see related datasets), with 35%, 8%, and 57% of data being discarded at Hope Creek, Cohansey, and New Beds stations, respectively. Archi Howlader at University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science conducted the data curation (Howlader 2022).