Data presented here were collected between January 2021 to November 2021 within the research unit DynaCom (Spatial community ecology in highly dynamic landscapes: From island biogeography to metaecosystems, https://uol.de/dynacom/) of the Universities of Oldenburg, Göttingen, and Münster, the iDiv Leipzig and the Nationalpark Niedersächsisches Wattenmeer. Experimental islands and saltmarsh enclosed plots were created in the back barrier tidal flat and in the saltmarsh zone of the island of Spiekeroog. Sediment samples for the determination of pore-water salinity in soil were taken bi-/monthly in surface sediments (0-3 cm depth). Samples were measured in the laboratory within two months after sampling according to DIN ISO 11265:1997-06.