Mesocosm Microbial Abundance Data from Oil Spill Experiments

Mesocosm experiments conducted in June and August 2011 measured the effects of oil, dispersant, and dispersed oil on marine microbial communities. Abundances of viruses, prokaryotes, diatoms, dinoflagellates, ciliates, and heterotrophic nanoflagellates were tracked over time and compared against control conditions. The data was collected by the Dauphin Island Sea Lab and is hosted by NOAA NCEI.

Use Cases

• Analyzing the impact of oil and dispersant on viral lysis rates within the microbial loop.
• Comparing phytoplankton (diatoms, dinoflagellates) growth between treated and control mesocosms.
• Studying changes in microzooplankton (ciliates, heterotrophic nanoflagellates) grazing pressure under different oil exposure scenarios.
• Assessing the response of prokaryote and protist communities to dispersed oil versus oil alone.

Strengths

• Data captures a controlled mesocosm experiment with specific treatment groups: oil, dispersant, dispersed oil, and two control types.
• Time-series measurements track microbial abundance changes over the course of the experiments.
• Covers two distinct experimental periods in June and August 2011.

Limitations

• Specific column names, row counts, and file sizes are unknown across all sources.
• Sources conflict on the last updated date, with one showing 2011-09-01 and another showing 2026-03-05.
• License information is not provided.

Provenance

Source

Dauphin Island Sea Lab, NOAA NCEI

Collection Method

Mesocosm experiments with controlled treatments and time-series sampling.

Time Range

June 2011 to August 2011

Freshness

2026-03-05 23:28:08.204131