Gulf of Mexico Hydrocarbon Measurements Following Deepwater Horizon Spill

Chemical oceanographic data from the Gulf of Mexico were collected from July 25 to 28, 2010, aboard the RYAN CHOUEST in response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Measurements include Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons (TPH) and fluorescence, gathered by the Subsurface Monitoring Unit using instruments like fluorometers and gas chromatographs. The dataset also contains real-time analysis products and cruise-level documentation.

Use Cases

• Modeling hydrocarbon dispersion by correlating Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons (TPH) measurements with geospatial location and time data.
• Analyzing fluorescence data as a proxy for oil presence to assess the spatial extent of the subsurface plume.
• Validating oil spill simulation models using in-situ TPH and fluorescence measurements from the immediate post-spill period.
• Investigating relationships between chemical measurements and other physical oceanographic data collected during the cruise.

Strengths

• Data collected during a critical 4-day period immediately following a major environmental disaster.
• Includes direct chemical measurements like Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons (TPH) from specialized instruments.
• Contains supplementary products for real-time analysis, including charts, maps, and GIS files.

Limitations

• Temporal coverage is limited to a short 4-day cruise in July 2010.
• Data are described as raw and provisional, indicating potential unverified status.
• Specific sample size, row count, and column details are unknown.

Provenance

Source

Subsurface Monitoring Unit (SMU), consisting of multiple government and corporate agencies, via NOAA NCEI.

Collection Method

Collected aboard the RYAN CHOUEST using fluorometers, gas chromatographs, and other physical sampling devices.

Time Range

2010-07-25 to 2010-07-28

Freshness

null

Geography

Gulf of Mexico