Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Water Column Measurements from the Brooks McCall

Chemical, physical, and laboratory analysis oceanographic data were collected aboard the R/V Brooks McCall in the Gulf of Mexico from May 14 to 18, 2010, in direct response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The dataset includes measurements of Attenuation/Transmission, Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons (TPH), Volatile Organic Compounds, and suspended solids, collected using CTD, LISST, and transmissometer instruments. It was compiled by the multi-agency Subsurface Monitoring Unit (SMU) and includes provisional laboratory analysis and real-time decision support products.

Use Cases

• Analyze Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons (TPH) and Volatile Organic Compounds concentrations to map the subsurface plume dispersion from the Deepwater Horizon wellhead.
• Correlate CTD profile data (temperature, salinity, pressure) with Attenuation/Transmission measurements to understand how water column structure influenced oil particle distribution.
• Use Laser In-Situ Scattering and Transmissometer (LISST) and suspended solids data to model the size and concentration of oil droplets and particulate matter.
• Integrate provisional laboratory analysis of water samples with in-situ instrument data for quality assurance and control of spill impact assessments.

Strengths

• Data collected during a critical 5-day period immediately following a major environmental disaster, providing a focused temporal snapshot.
• Includes multiple complementary data types: in-situ CTD profiles, optical measurements (LISST, transmissometer), and provisional laboratory chemistry.

Limitations

• Dataset is temporally limited to a single 5-day cruise in May 2010, lacking long-term time-series context.
• Analytical chemistry data are explicitly noted as provisional, indicating they may not represent final, peer-reviewed values.
• Sample size and spatial extent of the cruise track are unknown from the description.

Provenance

Source

Subsurface Monitoring Unit (SMU), a consortium of government and corporate agencies, via NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI).

Collection Method

Collected via shipboard CTD, LISST, transmissometer, and bottle sampling devices; includes onshore laboratory analysis and real-time decision support products.

Time Range

2010-05-14 to 2010-05-18

Freshness

null

Geography

Gulf of Mexico