Site Number/Name:

GFL No.:

Name: Plum Island Ecosystems (PIE) LTER

State, Country: Massachusetts, USA

Priority: 1

Site designation(s): LTER (WEBB, NMS, MAB etc?)

Other sponsoring/interested agencies, if any: NOAA, NOS, USGS, EPA

[USGS Biological Resources Division]

Location and size:

USGS Quad: Massachusetts; Newburyport, Ipswich, Haverhill, Lawrence, Salem, Reading

Center: [degrees, minutes, seconds] 42o40’N, 70o59’W

NE corner: 42o49’48’’N/ 70o45’W

SE corner: 42o30’N/ 70o45’W

SW corner: 42o30’N/71o13’12"W

NW corner: 42o49’48"N/71o13’12"W

Center elevation: approximately 50 meters

Size (N-S x E-W): [in kilometers-km and nautical miles – nm]

37 km by 37 km = 1369 km2

Resource to be monitored: elevation of water surface and elevation of wetland surface

[Environmental change]

Detailed description, management issues (e.g. ecosystem represented):

Coastal estuarine watershed project interested in land use change and effects of sea level rise on estuarine dynamics and productivity.

Frequency and time(s) of collection: [six-week window]

Seasonally: Mid April, Mid July, Late September/early October, Mid January

Resolution/scale: minimum 10 meter horizontal, sub meter vertical

Special characteristics (spectral values, thermal anomalies, underwater/ground, etc.):

We need good elevation data to calibrate estuarine circulation and flooding models. Centimeter resolution would be great but probably unrealistic.

Existing maps of area (digital?): Digitized Massachusetts GIS and USGS Orthophotos

MEDEA sponsor (active/passive):

Sponsoring agency: National Science Foundation (NSF)

NSF agency point of contact: [Alan M. Gaines, Scott L. Collins]

NSF site point of contact (current security clearance, if any):

[John Vande Castle, Security Clearance YES