To better understand the local impacts of climate change, the National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERRS) expanded their long term monitoring efforts to include the use of highly specialized equipment—called Surface Elevation Tables, or SETs—to precisely measure and track changes to the marsh surface height over time. However, handling, analyzing, and interpreting Surface Elevation Table data is challenging and requires a unique set of skills and protocols.

About this resource

This project overview describes how a 2018 Catalyst project developed standardized tools to quality-check Surface Elevation Table data, perform trend analyses, and generate informative visualizations for a variety of technical and non-technical audiences. The project expanded both technical expertise and broader understanding of how the data can be used to assess how sea level rise is impacting marshes. The project overview details the project approach, products, and benefits.