Microfossil (benthic foraminifera) and coordinate/elevation data were obtained from sediments collected in the coastal zones of Mississippi and Alabama, including marsh and estuarine environments of eastern Mississippi Sound and Mobile Bay, in order to develop a census for coastal environments and to aid in paleoenvironmental reconstruction. These data provide a baseline dataset for use in future wetland and estuarine change studies and assessments, both descriptive and predictive types. The data presented here were collected as part of the U.S. Geological Survey’s Sea-level and Storm Impacts on Estuarine Environments and Shorelines (SSIEES) project (https://coastal.er.usgs.gov/ssiees), Barrier Island Evolution Research (BIER) project (https://coastal.er.usgs.gov/bier), and National Fish and Wildlife Foundation-funded Alabama Barrier Island Restoration Feasibility Study (a collaborative study between the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers, Mobile District; the State of Alabama; and the USGS [https://www.usgs.gov/centers/spcmsc/science/alabama-barrier-island-restoration-study]). These projects aim to assess ecological and societal vulnerability that results from long- and short-term physical changes to barrier islands and coastal wetlands. Four sampling surveys were conducted between 2013 and 2016: 13BIM01 (14–18 April 2013; no FA numbering), 14CCT01 (15–19 September 2014; 2014-323-FA), 15BIM09 (18–20 August 2015; 2015-322-FA), and 16CCT03 (16–17 May 2016; 2016-331-FA). During the four trips, 168 replicate sedimentary samples were collected from 86 marsh and estuarine locations. The sediment samples were collected from various coastal environments, stained in the field with rose Bengal (rB) to indicate life, processed in the laboratory to four size fractions (63–125 μm, 125–250 μm, 250–850 μm, and >850 μm), of which the 125–250 μm and 250–850 μm fractions were picked at equal proportions of total sample and reported combined (125–850 μm). Foraminifera were identified to species level under a binocular microscope and counted to establish a census. For further information regarding foraminiferal collection and/or processing methods, refer to Ellis and others (2017). For related datasets from the Mississippi Sound area, please refer to Ellis and others (2017) and DeWitt and others (2017).

Microfossil (benthic foraminifera) and coordinate/elevation data were obtained from sediments collected in the coastal zones of Mississippi and Alabama, including marsh and estuarine environments of eastern Mississippi Sound and Mobile Bay, in order to develop a census for coastal environments and to aid in paleoenvironmental reconstruction. These data provide a baseline dataset for use in future wetland and estuarine change studies and assessments, both descriptive and predictive types. The data presented here were collected as part of the U.S. Geological Survey’s Sea-level and Storm Impacts on Estuarine Environments and Shorelines (SSIEES) project (https://coastal.er.usgs.gov/ssiees), Barrier Island Evolution Research (BIER) project (https://coastal.er.usgs.gov/bier), and National Fish and Wildlife Foundation-funded Alabama Barrier Island Restoration Feasibility Study (a collaborative study between the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers, Mobile District; the State of Alabama; and the USGS [https://www.usgs.gov/centers/spcmsc/science/alabama-barrier-island-restoration-study]). These projects aim to assess ecological and societal vulnerability that results from long- and short-term physical changes to barrier islands and coastal wetlands. Four sampling surveys were conducted between 2013 and 2016: 13BIM01 (14–18 April 2013; no FA numbering), 14CCT01 (15–19 September 2014; 2014-323-FA), 15BIM09 (18–20 August 2015; 2015-322-FA), and 16CCT03 (16–17 May 2016; 2016-331-FA). During the four trips, 168 replicate sedimentary samples were collected from 86 marsh and estuarine locations. The sediment samples were collected from various coastal environments, stained in the field with rose Bengal (rB) to indicate life, processed in the laboratory to four size fractions (63–125 μm, 125–250 μm, 250–850 μm, and >850 μm), of which the 125–250 μm and 250–850 μm fractions were picked at equal proportions of total sample and reported combined (125–850 μm). Foraminifera were identified to species level under a binocular microscope and counted to establish a census. For further information regarding foraminiferal collection and/or processing methods, refer to Ellis and others (2017). For related datasets from the Mississippi Sound area, please refer to Ellis and others (2017) and DeWitt and others (2017).

Microfossil (benthic foraminifera) data from coastal areas were collected from state and federally managed lands within the Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve and Grand Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Grand Bay, Mississippi/Alabama; federally managed lands of Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge on Cedar Island and Little Dauphin Island, Alabama; and municipally managed land around Dauphin Island, Alabama. Samples were analyzed and quantified for foraminiferal census in order to document changes to the coastal wetlands, estuarine environments, and to aid in paleoenvironmental reconstruction. These data provide a baseline dataset for use in future wetland change descriptive and predictive studies and assessments. The data presented here were collected as part of the U.S. Geological Survey’s Sea-level and Storm Impacts on Estuarine Environments and Shorelines (SSIEES) project (https://coastal.er.usgs.gov/ssiees), Barrier Island Evolution Research (BIER) project (https://coastal.er.usgs.gov/bier), and National Fish and Wildlife Foundation-funded Alabama Barrier Island Restoration Feasibility Study (a collaborative study between the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers, Mobile District; the State of Alabama; and the USGS [https://www.usgs.gov/centers/spcmsc/science/alabama-barrier-island-restoration-study]). These projects aim to assess ecological and societal vulnerability that results from long- and short-term physical changes to barrier islands and coastal wetlands. Two sampling surveys were conducted between 2014 and 2015: 14CCT01 (15–19 September 2014; 2014-323-FA), and 15BIM09 (18–20 August 2015; 2015-322-FA). During those two trips, seven Russian peat auger cores were taken from marsh locations. Three cores from Dauphin Island were subsampled and stained with rose Bengal (rB) in the field to indicate life. Four further cores from Dauphin Island and Grand Bay were not stained. At the St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center all cores were subsampled resulting in a total of 74 subsamples. Samples were processed in the laboratory to four size fractions (63–125 μm, 125–250 μm, 250–850 μm, and >850 μm), of which the 125–250 μm and 250–850 μm fractions were picked at equal proportions of total sample and reported combined (125–850 μm). For additional information regarding foraminiferal collection and/or processing methods, refer to Ellis and others (2017). Further data collected on and surrounding Dauphin Island is presented in Ellis and others (2017) and Ellis and others (2018).

Microfossil (benthic foraminifera) data from coastal areas were collected from state and federally managed lands within the Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve and Grand Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Grand Bay, Mississippi/Alabama; federally managed lands of Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge on Cedar Island and Little Dauphin Island, Alabama; and municipally managed land around Dauphin Island, Alabama. Samples were analyzed and quantified for foraminiferal census in order to document changes to the coastal wetlands, estuarine environments, and to aid in paleoenvironmental reconstruction. These data provide a baseline dataset for use in future wetland change descriptive and predictive studies and assessments. The data presented here were collected as part of the U.S. Geological Survey’s Sea-level and Storm Impacts on Estuarine Environments and Shorelines (SSIEES) project (https://coastal.er.usgs.gov/ssiees), Barrier Island Evolution Research (BIER) project (https://coastal.er.usgs.gov/bier), and National Fish and Wildlife Foundation-funded Alabama Barrier Island Restoration Feasibility Study (a collaborative study between the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers, Mobile District; the State of Alabama; and the USGS [https://www.usgs.gov/centers/spcmsc/science/alabama-barrier-island-restoration-study]). These projects aim to assess ecological and societal vulnerability that results from long- and short-term physical changes to barrier islands and coastal wetlands. Two sampling surveys were conducted between 2014 and 2015: 14CCT01 (15–19 September 2014; 2014-323-FA), and 15BIM09 (18–20 August 2015; 2015-322-FA). During those two trips, seven Russian peat auger cores were taken from marsh locations. Three cores from Dauphin Island were subsampled and stained with rose Bengal (rB) in the field to indicate life. Four further cores from Dauphin Island and Grand Bay were not stained. At the St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center all cores were subsampled resulting in a total of 74 subsamples. Samples were processed in the laboratory to four size fractions (63–125 μm, 125–250 μm, 250–850 μm, and >850 μm), of which the 125–250 μm and 250–850 μm fractions were picked at equal proportions of total sample and reported combined (125–850 μm). For additional information regarding foraminiferal collection and/or processing methods, refer to Ellis and others (2017). Further data collected on and surrounding Dauphin Island is presented in Ellis and others (2017) and Ellis and others (2018).

Microfossil (benthic foraminifera) data from coastal areas were collected from state and federally managed lands within the Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve and Grand Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Grand Bay, Mississippi/Alabama; federally managed lands of Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge on Cedar Island and Little Dauphin Island, Alabama; and municipally managed land around Dauphin Island, Alabama. Samples were analyzed and quantified for foraminiferal census in order to document changes to the coastal wetlands, estuarine environments, and to aid in paleoenvironmental reconstruction. These data provide a baseline dataset for use in future wetland change descriptive and predictive studies and assessments. The data presented here were collected as part of the U.S. Geological Survey’s Sea-level and Storm Impacts on Estuarine Environments and Shorelines (SSIEES) project (https://coastal.er.usgs.gov/ssiees), Barrier Island Evolution Research (BIER) project (https://coastal.er.usgs.gov/bier), and National Fish and Wildlife Foundation-funded Alabama Barrier Island Restoration Feasibility Study (a collaborative study between the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers, Mobile District; the State of Alabama; and the USGS [https://www.usgs.gov/centers/spcmsc/science/alabama-barrier-island-restoration-study]). These projects aim to assess ecological and societal vulnerability that results from long- and short-term physical changes to barrier islands and coastal wetlands. Two sampling surveys were conducted between 2014 and 2015: 14CCT01 (15–19 September 2014; 2014-323-FA), and 15BIM09 (18–20 August 2015; 2015-322-FA). During those two trips, seven Russian peat auger cores were taken from marsh locations. Three cores from Dauphin Island were subsampled and stained with rose Bengal (rB) in the field to indicate life. Four further cores from Dauphin Island and Grand Bay were not stained. At the St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center all cores were subsampled resulting in a total of 74 subsamples. Samples were processed in the laboratory to four size fractions (63–125 μm, 125–250 μm, 250–850 μm, and >850 μm), of which the 125–250 μm and 250–850 μm fractions were picked at equal proportions of total sample and reported combined (125–850 μm). For additional information regarding foraminiferal collection and/or processing methods, refer to Ellis and others (2017). Further data collected on and surrounding Dauphin Island is presented in Ellis and others (2017) and Ellis and others (2018).

Microfossil (benthic foraminifera) samples were obtained from surficial grab (denoted with “G”) and push core (denoted with “M”) sediments collected in Grand Bay estuary, Mississippi and Alabama, to aid in the paleoenvironmental understanding of Grand Bay estuary. The data presented here were collected as part of the U.S. Geological Survey’s Sea-level and Storm Impacts on Estuarine Environments and Shorelines (SSIEES) project, and Barrier Island Evolution Research (BIER) project. Sampling was conducted in May 2016 [field activity number (FAN) 2016-331-FA, alternate FAN 16CCT03]. In the field, 15 cores were collected in tidal creek mouths, proximal to tidal creek mouths, in protected coves, and in the open Grand Bay estuary. Surface samples were collected at each core site location. At the St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center (SPCMSC), 13 of the 15 cores were selectively subsampled for foraminifera, resulting in a total of 64 push core subsamples. Estuarine surface grab samples and push core subsamples were processed in the laboratory to three size fractions (63–125 micrometers (μm), 125–850 μm, and >850 μm), of which the 125–850 μm fraction was picked. The raw foraminiferal count data from the picked subsamples are provided below. For further information regarding foraminiferal collection and/or processing methods, refer to Ellis and others (2017a, https://doi.org/10.3133/ds1060). For information regarding 16CCT03 site locations, water quality parameters and sediment properties, refer to Marot and others (2019, https://doi.org/10.5066/P9FO8R3Y). For related datasets from the Mississippi Sound area, please refer to Haller and others (2018a, https://doi.org/10.5066/F7MC8X5F; and 2018b, https://doi.org/10.5066/F7445KSG), Ellis and others (2018, https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr20171165), Ellis and others (2017b, https://doi.org/10.3133/ds1046), and DeWitt and others (2017, https://doi.org/10.3133/ds1070). Downloadable data are available as Excel spreadsheets, comma-separated values text files, and formal Federal Geographic Data Committee metadata.

Microfossil (benthic foraminifera) samples were obtained from surficial grab (denoted with “G”) and push core (denoted with “M”) sediments collected in Grand Bay estuary, Mississippi and Alabama, to aid in the paleoenvironmental understanding of Grand Bay estuary. The data presented here were collected as part of the U.S. Geological Survey’s Sea-level and Storm Impacts on Estuarine Environments and Shorelines (SSIEES) project, and Barrier Island Evolution Research (BIER) project. Sampling was conducted in May 2016 [field activity number (FAN) 2016-331-FA, alternate FAN 16CCT03]. In the field, 15 cores were collected in tidal creek mouths, proximal to tidal creek mouths, in protected coves, and in the open Grand Bay estuary. Surface samples were collected at each core site location. At the St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center (SPCMSC), 13 of the 15 cores were selectively subsampled for foraminifera, resulting in a total of 64 push core subsamples. Estuarine surface grab samples and push core subsamples were processed in the laboratory to three size fractions (63–125 micrometers (μm), 125–850 μm, and >850 μm), of which the 125–850 μm fraction was picked. The raw foraminiferal count data from the picked subsamples are provided below. For further information regarding foraminiferal collection and/or processing methods, refer to Ellis and others (2017a, https://doi.org/10.3133/ds1060). For information regarding 16CCT03 site locations, water quality parameters and sediment properties, refer to Marot and others (2019, https://doi.org/10.5066/P9FO8R3Y). For related datasets from the Mississippi Sound area, please refer to Haller and others (2018a, https://doi.org/10.5066/F7MC8X5F; and 2018b, https://doi.org/10.5066/F7445KSG), Ellis and others (2018, https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr20171165), Ellis and others (2017b, https://doi.org/10.3133/ds1046), and DeWitt and others (2017, https://doi.org/10.3133/ds1070). Downloadable data are available as Excel spreadsheets, comma-separated values text files, and formal Federal Geographic Data Committee metadata.

To aid in geologic studies of sediment transport and environmental change in coastal marsh, 1-centimeter (cm) foraminiferal subsamples were taken from seven sediment push cores collected in the Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (GNDNERR), Mississippi, in October 2016. The push cores were collected along two, shore-perpendicular transects at 5, 15, 25, and 50 meters (m) from the shoreline, on opposite sides of Middle Bay during U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Field Activities Number (FAN) 2016-358-FA, also known as alternate FAN 16CCT07. Foraminiferal subsamples were processed and analyzed at the USGS St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center (SPCMSC). Sediment characteristics, loss-on-ignition (LOI), and site location information for the core sites can be found in Marot and others (2019; https://doi.org/10.5066/P9FO8R3Y). Downloadable data are available as Excel spreadsheets (.xlsx), comma-separated values text files (.csv), and Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) metadata (.txt and .xml).

From April 13 to 20, 2013, scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center (USGS SPCMSC) collected push cores and vibracores on Dauphin Island, Alabama, along with push and auger cores in salt marshes at several locations in southwestern coastal Alabama. This work, a component of the SPCMSC’s Barrier Island Evolution Research (BIER) project, was conducted as part of USGS field activity number (FAN) 13BIM01. The objectives of the study were to evaluate processes affecting the development and evolution of certain back-barrier environments (marsh, flats, ponds, etc.) and to assist in developing geologic controls on barrier island breaching. In addition to the collection of sediment cores, marsh surface sediments were collected for micropaleontological analysis (included in this report). Ground penetrating radar (GPR) was collected on Dauphin Island and adjacent barrier-island environments. Elevation-corrected subsurface profile images of the processed GPR data, unprocessed digital GPR trace data, post-processed differential Global Positioning System (DGPS) data, and Geographic Information System (GIS) files are reported in Forde and others (2016, https://doi.org/10.3133/ds982). This data report is an archive of field-collected and laboratory analytical data for the sediment cores and surface sediments. Data products include: GPS-derived site locations and elevations; core logs and photographs; lithologic, radiochemical, elemental composition, stable isotopic composition, micropaleontological data; and Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) metadata.

Foraminiferal samples were collected from Chincoteague Bay, Newport Bay, and Tom’s Cove as well as the marshes on the back-barrier side of Assateague Island and the Delmarva (Delaware-Maryland-Virginia) mainland by U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) researchers from the St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center in March, April (14CTB01), and October (14CTB02) 2014. Samples were also collected by the Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center (WHCMSC) in July 2014 and shipped to the St. Petersburg office for processing. The dataset includes raw foraminiferal and normalized counts for the estuarine grab samples (G), terrestrial surface samples (S), and inner shelf grab samples (G). For further information regarding data collection and sample site coordinates, processing methods, or related datasets, please refer to USGS Data Series 1060 (https://doi.org/10.3133/ds1060), USGS Open-File Report 2015–1219 (https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr20151219), and USGS Open-File Report 2015-1169 (https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr20151169). Downloadable data are available as Excel spreadsheets, comma-separated values text files, and formal Federal Geographic Data Committee metadata.