NPS Photo
The Southeast Coast Network conducts monitoring for the following protocols at Fort Pulaski National Monument.
- Fixed-station water-quality monitoring is conducted continuously, with a site located on Lazaretto Creek. The continuous-monitoring station collects pH, dissolved oxygen, water temperature, salinity, turbidity and water-level data at 30-minute intervals. Additional water-quality measurements include monthly measurements of water-clarity conditions, nutrients, and chlorophyll a levels.Water quality reports are published annually. Fixed-station water-quality data are available at the Aquarius web portal. Coastal or park-wide assessments are conducted every five years, with sediment samples being collected every ten years. A park-wide asessment was conducted at Fort Pulaski National Monument in the summer of 2018. The next assessment is scheduled for 2023.
- Salt marsh elevation monitoring is conducted every other year. The network began collecting salt marsh data at Fort Pulaski in the summer of 2015. A new coastal wetland monitoring protocol was drafted last summer and is currently under review. An IA agreement with the USGS was funded to install the new SET sites, which were installed this summer.
- Amphibian community monitoring and Landbird community monitoring is done on a rotating schedule. Monitoring was last conducted in 2015. Both monitoring programs were redeveloped in 2019 with a focus on upgrading field equipment, analysis software, and reporting workflows and schedules. Automated recording devices (ARDs) were deployed in Fort Pulaski National Monument in 2020. Processing the collected data continues and summary reports will follow. The ARDs are scheduled to be deployed again in the park in 2023. Work continues on a new database to house vocal anuran and landbird data.
- Vegetation community monitoring is done on a rotating schedule. Long-term vegetation plots were established and baseline monitoring efforts were completed at Fort Pulaski National Monument in August 2019. A total of 12 plots were sampled across the park; targeted habitats included maritime upland forests and shrublands, and tidal wetland vegetation. Summary reports will be available later this year (2021). Monitoring will take place again in summer of 2023. A new vegetation database came online in 2020. New versions of data reports will include information about new occurrences and rare plants, species richness and abundance, tree health and disturbance data, and soil, landform/geomorphology and fuel.
Source: Data Store Collection 3985 (results presented are a subset). To search for additional information, visit the Data Store.
Source: Data Store Collection 3986 (results presented are a subset). To search for additional information, visit the Data Store.
Source: Data Store Collection 3989 (results presented are a subset). To search for additional information, visit the Data Store.
Source: Data Store Collection 3990 (results presented are a subset). To search for additional information, visit the Data Store.
Source: Data Store Collection 3991 (results presented are a subset). To search for additional information, visit the Data Store.
Source: Data Store Collection 3992 (results presented are a subset). To search for additional information, visit the Data Store.
Last updated: August 25, 2021