Benthic organisms were collected from the Gulf of Mexico during a 1979 survey aboard the vessel EXCELLENCE. The data provide species abundance, distribution, and biomass information. Data were submitted by Texas A&M University with support from the Brine Disposal project.
Use Cases
- Analyze species_abundance and total_weight_of_organisms across different sampling stations to model benthic community composition.
- Correlate species_distribution data with reported environmental data like bottom_temperature, salinity, and sediment_characteristics.
- Study temporal changes in benthic biomass using cruise_start_and_end_dates and station_times from the 1979 sampling period.
- Map organism distribution using reported station_positions for geospatial analysis of the Gulf of Mexico seabed.
Strengths
- Data includes multiple measured dimensions: species abundance, total weight, and associated environmental conditions.
- Cruise information such as vessel, investigator, institution, and equipment methods is documented for provenance.
Limitations
- Dataset is temporally stale, with collection ending in November 1979.
- Exact sample size (row count) and geographic coverage granularity are unknown.
Provenance
- Source
- NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), submitted by Texas A&M University.
- Collection Method
- Field sampling using sediment sampler casts, following the F132 format for bottom-dwelling organism surveys.
- Time Range
- 1979-04 26 to 1979-11-19.
- Freshness
- null
- Geography
- Gulf of Mexico.