Data Management Plan

In fall 2001, researchers from the Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve, Virginia Institute of Marine Science, and the NOAA Office for Coastal Management conducted a project to map benthic habitats in the York and Webhannet rivers in southern Maine. The team completed two weeks of fieldwork in September 2001, collecting sediment profile images at 382 stations and sediment grab samples at 93 stations. This data set represents the benthic community information gathered from grab sampling.

Original contact information:

Contact Name: Dr. Michele Dionne

Contact Org: Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve

Phone: (207) 646-1555

Process Steps:

• 2001-09-01 00:00:00 - Field Methods: Grabs for sediments and benthos were collected from 11 to 18 September at a total of 93 stations. A Young grab, 0.044 m2 surface area, was deployed twice to collect a sample for substrate and a sample for benthic community data. The Young grab is the same sampler used by EPA in its Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program (EMAP) and Mid-Atlantic Integrated Assessment (MAIA) programs. The Young grab is similar to a van Veen grab that has been placed in a frame to hold it level with the sediment surface while a sample is collected. Grabs without frames tend to twist and collect uneven samples. Because of its frame, the Young grab functions well in both soft and hard sediment. Laboratory Methods: A grab for benthic fauna was washed in the field over a 0.5-mm mesh screen and preserved in 10% Formalin. To facilitate the sorting process, Rose Bengal was added to the Formalin. In the laboratory each sample was washed over a 0.5-mm mesh screen with water and sorted to major taxonomic categories such as polychaetes, amphipods, and bivalves. After sorting, the organisms were identified and enumerated. Identifications were made at the lowest practical taxonomic level, usually species by Tim Morris (Cove Corporation, Lusby, MD; polychaetes, crustaceans, miscellaneous taxa) and Nancy Mountford (Cove Corporation; mollusks). After identification samples were placed in 2% Formalin and biomass determined by Lisa Scott (Versar Corporation, Columbia, MD).
• 2004-05-01 00:00:00 - Data from field samples was entered into an Access database for the Wells, Maine benthic survey. A query was developed to review benthic community data from all grab sampling stations. See Entity and Attribute section for more information on data collected. A shapefile was created using the field data in the Access database to show spatial trends in benthic community distribution in the two rivers.

Alternately, the data can be obtained by contacting the Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve. Address: 342 Laudholm Farm Road, Wells, Maine 04090 Phone: (207) 646-1555;