Gulf of Mexico CTD Profiles from Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Response

Gulf of Mexico chemical and physical oceanographic profile data were collected from 19 CTD casts aboard the HOS Davis vessel between September 9 and 27, 2010. The dataset includes measurements of conductivity, temperature, depth, dissolved oxygen, fluorescence, salinity, sound velocity, and water density. Data were gathered by the multi-agency Subsurface Monitoring Unit in response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and underwent quality assurance by the National Coastal Data Development Center.

Use Cases

• Modeling salinity and temperature profiles from conductivity and hydrostatic pressure data to understand water column stratification.
• Analyzing dissolved oxygen and fluorescence levels to assess biological activity and potential hypoxia following the oil spill.
• Correlating water density and sound velocity measurements with temperature and salinity for physical oceanography studies.
• Tracking temporal changes in chemical and physical parameters across the 19-day sampling period in the Gulf of Mexico.

Strengths

• Data collected over a focused 19-day period in September 2010, providing a temporal snapshot post-spill.
• Includes 8 distinct oceanographic parameters (e.g., conductivity, dissolved oxygen, fluorescence) per profile.
• Underwent documented quality assurance and control procedures by the National Coastal Data Development Center.

Limitations

• Limited temporal scope of less than one month, preventing long-term trend analysis.
• Geographic scope is restricted to the specific cruise track of the HOS Davis in the Gulf of Mexico.
• Sample size (number of rows/profiles) is not specified, making it difficult to assess statistical power.

Provenance

Source

Subsurface Monitoring Unit (SMU), archived by NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI Accession 0069071).

Collection Method

Data collected from CTD casts, a fluorometer, and an oxygen meter aboard the HOS Davis vessel.

Time Range

2010-09-09 to 2010-09-27

Freshness

Data is from 2010 and was last updated in the source system on 2010-09-27.

Geography

Gulf of Mexico, specific cruise track of the HOS Davis.