| Summary: | These data are part of the Gulf Watch Alaska (GWA), Nearshore component of the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council, project numbers 12120114-L, 13120114-L, 14120114-L, 15120114-L, and 16120114-L. Gulf Watch Alaska is the long-term ecosystem monitoring program of the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council for the marine ecosystem affected by the 1989 oil spill. This dataset contains information about ecological communities in Kachemak Bay, Gulf of Alaska as collected by intertidal surveys conducted during spring 2012 to 2016. Following protocols established for Prince William Sound, surveys were conducted to document a range of communities and variables in Kachemak Bay, including the following: (1) infaunal clam populations at four gravel beach sites (2013 and 2015); (2) limpet (Lottia spp) size-frequency distribution at rocky intertidal sites (2012-2015 only); (3) mussel (Mytilus trossulus) size-frequency distribution at three rocky intertidal sites (Port Graham, Outside Beach, and Cohen Island), expanded to six sites in 2015); (4) the percent cover of taxa in the kelp overstory, the percent cover of understory, and counts of individual taxa > 2 cm; (5) the percent cover of substrate categories according to the Wentworth classification scheme; (6) the density of sea stars and large anemones found along transects in the low intertidal, along a 30X1 m swath (= 30 m2); (7) shoot density of seagrass (Zostera marina) at four sites; and (8) temperatures measured in the low intertidal zone of rocky shores. For comparison, density data for sea stars and large anemones found along transects in the low intertidal from 2005 to 2008 are included. The dataset exists as individual comma-separated values (csv) files exported from Microsoft Excel for each survey year and type. Additionally the sampling protocols followed to conduct the intertidal surveys are included as a .pdf file.
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