Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill CTD Data from NOAA Ship Henry B. Bigelow
Updated 2mo ago
24files
Available on 2 platforms
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Description
Oceanographic data from the Gulf of Mexico were collected by a multi-agency Subsurface Monitoring Unit aboard NOAA Ship Henry B. Bigelow from August 13 to 22, 2010, in direct response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The dataset includes measurements of CDOM fluorescence, conductivity, dissolved oxygen, salinity, temperature, and water density, gathered using CTD, fluorometer, and oxygen meter instruments. Data underwent preliminary quality assurance by the National Coastal Data Development Center and includes supporting products like charts and maps for real-time analysis.
Use Cases
Analyzing vertical profiles of salinity and temperature to model subsurface oil plume dispersion.
Correlating CDOM fluorescence and dissolved oxygen measurements to assess hydrocarbon contamination and its biological effects.
Mapping hydrostatic pressure and water density data to understand the physical oceanography of the spill area.
Using conductivity and sound velocity data for calibrating acoustic monitoring equipment deployed during the spill response.
Strengths
Data collection targeted a specific, major environmental event over a defined 10-day cruise (2010-08-13 to 2010-08-22).
Instruments used are standard for oceanography (CTD, fluorometer, oxygen meter), and data underwent preliminary QA/QC by NCDDC.
Dataset includes derived products (charts, graphs, GIS files) created for real-time analysis, adding context.
Limitations
Core metadata like row count, column names, and exact file size are unavailable across all platforms.
Conflicting 'last updated' dates exist (2026-04-01 on some platforms vs. 2010-08-22), casting doubt on maintenance history.
Provenance
Source
Subsurface Monitoring Unit (SMU) consisting of multiple government and corporate agencies, archived by NOAA NCEI (NODC Accession 0068954).
Collection Method
Collected via shipboard CTD casts and physical sampling devices during a dedicated NOAA cruise.
Time Range
2010-08-13 to 2010-08-22
Freshness
2026-04-01 15:33:45.838405
Geography
Gulf of Mexico
License information is not provided. The dataset is listed on multiple platforms (NASA Earthdata, Data.gov) with identical core descriptions but minor metadata conflicts.