AUTHORS

Daniel J. Bowling (North Carolina State University), 
Olivia N. Caretti (North Carolina State University; present address: Oyster Recovery Partnership), 
David B. Eggleston (North Carolina State University)

CONTACT: Daniel J. Bowling Email: djbowlin@ncsu.edu

ABSTRACT

This dataset supports the manuscript “Hurricane impacts on oyster reef habitat in a large, wind-driven estuary” and includes biological, environmental, hydrologic, and meteorological data collected from subtidal oyster reefs in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina, USA.

Data span 2016–2020 and include observations before and after Hurricane Florence (2018), Tropical Storm Michael (2018), and Hurricane Dorian (2019). The dataset integrates multiple sources, including field sampling, long-term monitoring programs, river discharge datasets, and atmospheric/oceanographic observations.

DATASET COMPONENTS

Primary Database
Bowling_et_al_Hurricane_Impacts_Database.xlsx

Supporting Datasets

River Discharge (USGS NWIS):
CR_discharge_082016_092020.txt
NR_discharge_082016_092020.txt
RR_discharge_082016_092020.txt
TPR_discharge_082016_092020.txt

Meteorological/Oceanographic Data (NOAA Buoys):
orin7h2019.txt
hcgn7h2019.txt

Data Dictionary File:
Data_Dictionary.xlsx

Data Dictionary File Structure: The file Data_Dictionary contains detailed descriptions, metadata, and definitions for all datasets, variables, and associated fields included in this repository. Sheet 1 (Data_Dictionary_Overview) provides a concise overview of datasets, variables, and file contents intended for quick reference and navigation. Sheet 2 (Data_Dictionary_FULL_Exhaustive) provides a complete exhaustive description of all variables, field names, units, definitions, source information, formatting conventions, and associated metadata included in this repository. Users are encouraged to consult the exhaustive data dictionary sheet for detailed interpretation of variables and dataset structure.

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DATA SOURCES

Water Quality:
Neuse River Estuary Modeling and Monitoring Project (ModMon)

River Discharge:
U.S. Geological Survey National Water Information System (NWIS)

Storm Data:
National Hurricane Center HURDAT2 database

Meteorological Data:
National Data Buoy Center stations (e.g., ORIN7, HCGN7)

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TEMPORAL COVERAGE
2016–2020

SPATIAL COVERAGE
Pamlico Sound, North Carolina, USA

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METHODS SUMMARY

Biological Sampling:
Diver quadrats (0.25 m²)
Settlement trays
Size-frequency measurements

Water Quality:
Measurements collected using YSI sondes at surface and bottom depths

Sediment:
Measurements obtained using PVC rods and interpolated using inverse distance weighting (IDW)

Dredge Sampling:
60-second tows conducted at approximately 2.5 knots, standardized by average tow distance

River Discharge:
USGS parameter 00060 (discharge, ft³/s)

Meteorological Data:
Wind speed and direction, atmospheric pressure, and temperature recorded from NOAA buoys

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DATA QUALITY

USGS qualifier codes:
A = Approved
P = Provisional
e = Estimated

Meteorological datasets use standard NDBC flags (e.g., 99, 999) to indicate missing values

ModMon water quality qualifier codes:
-9999 (Below the detection limit), -8888 (Station was not sampled/visited), -7777 (Station was sampled/visited but parameter was not analyzed/measured), -6666 (Laboratory analysis failure (Broken vials, sample leaked or bad run)), -5555 (Field equipment problems), -4444 (One or more values used in the calculation were below the detection limit), -3333 (Sample is missing), -2222 (One or more of the values used in the calculation were not analyzed), -1111 (Values in this cell are not applicable), Bold values are questionable and accompanied by comments if necessary (this was the format from its original source and preserved for transparency).

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DATA STANDARDIZATION NOTES

All variables are reported in the Data_Dictionary.xlsx in their native units from the source datasets; no unit conversions were applied.

Missing values are represented as NA, 99, 999, or 9999, depending on the source dataset.

Water sampling depths:
Surface = approximately 0.5 m below the surface
Bottom = approximately 0.5 m above the substrate

Storm track data are based on 6-hour best-track intervals.

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DATA CAVEATS

This dataset represents an observational synthesis rather than a controlled experimental design.

Storm events should not be treated as independent disturbances.

River discharge reflects watershed-scale processes.

Buoy data represent regional environmental conditions.

Sediment interpolation introduces uncertainty.

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USAGE NOTES

This dataset is appropriate for:

• Pre- and post-storm comparisons
• Habitat-dependent impact analyses
• Hydrologic and environmental interpretation

This dataset is not appropriate for:

• Controlled experimental inference
• Absolute population estimates

Compiled datasets are provided to support reproducibility and future synthesis efforts. Users should cite both this dataset, associated data sources, and the associated manuscript when using these data.

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SUPPORTING DATA SOURCES AND PROVENANCE

Some environmental datasets included in this repository were obtained from publicly accessible monitoring programs and federal data portals and were compiled, reformatted, and integrated for analyses associated with the accompanying manuscript.

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) River Discharge Data:
River discharge data were obtained from the U.S. Geological Survey National Water Information System (NWIS). Data were accessed through publicly available USGS data services and retain original timestamps, station identifiers, parameter codes, and data-quality flags.

NOAA National Data Buoy Center (NDBC) Wind Data:
Meteorological and wind data were obtained from NOAA National Data Buoy Center (NDBC) stations. Data retain original variable naming conventions and missing-value flags (e.g., 99, 999, 9999) used by NOAA/NDBC datasets.

ModMon Water Quality Data:
Water quality data were obtained from the Neuse River Estuary Modeling and Monitoring Program (ModMon), a collaborative monitoring program led by the Paerl Lab at the University of North Carolina Institute of Marine Sciences (UNC-IMS) in partnership with the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (NC-DEQ).

ModMon datasets were accessed through the Southeast Coastal Ocean Observing Regional Association (SECOORA) data portal and compiled for use in this study. Original station identifiers, timestamps, quality-control conventions, and native units were retained where applicable.

Users are encouraged to reference the original ModMon Program, the Paerl Lab, and associated metadata resources when using these respective data.

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VERSION

This dataset represents the final curated version associated with the published manuscript.

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RELATED PUBLICATION

Bowling et al. (2026)
Frontiers in Marine Science