Benthic and Pollutant Survey Data from the NW Atlantic Ocean

Benthic organisms and marine toxic substance concentrations were collected from the NW Atlantic Ocean between November 1983 and July 1986. Data were submitted by the Battelle Marine Research Laboratory under the New England Shelf and Slope Program. The National Oceanographic Data Center processed the information into standard F132 and F144 formats.

Use Cases

• Analyze species abundance and biomass from the F132 format's organism count and weight fields per taxonomic code.
• Model correlations between sediment characteristics or sea surface conditions from environmental data and pollutant concentrations in the F144 format.
• Assess spatial distribution of toxic substances using CAS registry numbers for chemicals and station position data.
• Study temporal trends in benthic communities using cruise start/end dates and station times across the survey period.

Strengths

• Data spans a multi-year time range from 1983-11 11 to 1986-07-30.
• Includes two standardized formats (F132 and F144) with documented structures for organisms and pollutants.
• Contains multiple data types: species counts, biomass weights, chemical concentrations, and environmental conditions.

Limitations

• Sample size and row count are unknown, limiting statistical power assessments.
• Data is temporally stale, with collection ending in July 1986.
• Geographic coverage is limited to the NW Atlantic Ocean, reducing generalizability.

Provenance

Source

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), originating from Battelle Marine Research Laboratory.

Collection Method

Collected using net casts, sediment samplers, and other instruments from the R/V Gyre and other platforms.

Time Range

1983-11-11 to 1986-07-30

Freshness

Data collection ended on 1986-07-30; no update frequency is provided.

Geography

NW Atlantic Ocean