Gulf of Mexico Chemical and Current Measurements from 1978 Brine Disposal Study

Chemical and physical water column data from the Gulf of Mexico were collected from June 18, 1978 to June 24, 1981. Texas A&M University submitted the data as part of the Brine Disposal project, processed by the National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC). Measurements include salinity, pH, oxygen, nutrients, temperature, and current velocity components.

Use Cases

• Analyze correlations between chemical parameters like salinity, pH, and oxygen concentration with physical parameters like temperature and sigma-t density.
• Model current patterns and pollutant transport using east-west and north-south current velocity components from moored meters.
• Study concentrations of toxic substances and pollutants, identified by CAS registry numbers, in relation to discharge site characteristics.
• Investigate environmental conditions like meteorological data, tide stage, and wave height reported for each sample station.
• Examine taxonomic data of sampled marine organisms using the 12-digit NODC Taxonomic Code.

Strengths

• Data spans over three years from June 1978 to June 1981.
• Standardized to NODC formats F004 (Current Meter Data) and F144 (Marine Toxic Substances), ensuring consistent structure.

Limitations

• Data is over 40 years old, limiting relevance for contemporary environmental modeling.
• Specific sample counts, row numbers, and geographic precision within the Gulf of Mexico are unknown.

Provenance

Source

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), originally from Texas A&M University.

Collection Method

Collected using moored current meters, bottle casts, and other instruments; laboratory analyses of water, sediment, or organism samples.

Time Range

1978-06-18 to 1981-06-24

Freshness

null

Geography

Gulf of Mexico