Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Oceanographic Measurements from the RYAN CHOUEST

Chemical and physical oceanographic data were collected aboard the R/V RYAN CHOUEST in the Gulf of Mexico over a 7-day period from September 9-15, 2010, specifically in response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The Subsurface Monitoring Unit, a consortium of government and corporate agencies, gathered measurements including CDOM fluorescence, Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons, conductivity, dissolved oxygen, salinity, and temperature. Instruments used included CTD, fluorometer, gas chromatograph, and oxygen meter.

Use Cases

• Correlate Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons (TPH) measurements with salinity and temperature to model hydrocarbon dispersion.
• Analyze dissolved oxygen levels against CDOM fluorescence and temperature to assess potential biological oxygen demand from the spill.
• Use conductivity, temperature, and depth (CTD) profile data to understand the vertical structure of the water column during the spill event.
• Map spatial distributions of sound velocity and water density anomalies to trace subsurface oil plumes.

Strengths

• Data collected over a focused 7-day period during a major environmental event.
• Includes multiple sensor types (CTD, fluorometer, gas chromatograph, oxygen meter) for cross-validation.
• CTD data underwent preliminary quality assurance and control procedures at the National Coastal Data Development Center.

Limitations

• Temporal coverage is limited to one week, providing only a snapshot of conditions.
• Hydrocarbon Sensor Array data are described as raw and provisional, indicating potential unverified values.
• Sample size and spatial resolution are unknown from the description.

Provenance

Source

Subsurface Monitoring Unit (SMU) for the Deepwater Horizon response, archived by NOAA NCEI.

Collection Method

Collected via shipboard instruments including CTD, fluorometer, gas chromatograph, and oxygen meter.

Time Range

2010-09-09 to 2010-09-15

Freshness

null

Geography

Gulf of Mexico