NOAA NODC 1974 Benthic and Pollutant Survey: Baltimore Canyon Trough

From 22 May 1974 to 27 May 1974, a National Marine Fisheries Service survey collected data on benthic organisms and marine toxic substances off the East coast of the US, specifically in the Baltimore Canyon Trough. The dataset, processed to NODC standard formats F132 and F144, likely contains species abundance, biomass, and pollutant concentrations from sediment and net samples. It includes environmental context such as station positions, water conditions, and sediment characteristics.

Use Cases

• Analyzing historical species distribution and biomass of bottom-dwelling organisms based on taxonomic counts and weights.
• Assessing ambient concentrations of toxic substances in sediments for pollution baseline studies.
• Correlating benthic community structure with environmental parameters like salinity, temperature, and sediment type.
• Studying the spatial relationship between discharge sites and pollutant levels using station position data.

Strengths

• Data is structured to established NOAA NODC standard formats (F132, F144), ensuring a defined schema.
• Provides a precise, short-duration temporal snapshot from a known six-day cruise in May 1974.
• Contains linked biological and chemical data from the same sampling events, supporting integrated analysis.

Limitations

• Critical metadata is missing, including row count, specific column names, file size, and license information.
• The last updated date conflicts between sources (2026-03-05 on Data.gov vs. 1974-05-27 on NASA EarthData), creating provenance uncertainty.
• The dataset's age (1974) may limit its utility for contemporary modeling without complementary modern data.

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce; submitted by Dr. J.C. Ayres/Robert N. Reid of the Marine Fisheries Service.

Collection Method

Field sampling using sediment samplers and net casts from NOAA Ship MT. MITCHELL and other platforms, with subsequent laboratory analysis.

Time Range

1974-05-22 to 1974-05-27

Freshness

2026-03-05 23:46:52.587156

Geography

Coastal waters of the East coast of the US, specifically the Baltimore Canyon Trough off New Jersey.