Brooks McCall: Oceanographic Data from Deepwater Horizon Spill Response

Collected aboard the Brooks McCall from June 4-8, 2010, this dataset captures chemical and physical oceanographic measurements taken directly in response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. It includes provisional laboratory analysis for hydrocarbons and organic compounds alongside in-situ sensor data for water column properties. The data also contains real-time analysis products like charts and maps created for decision support during the event.

Use Cases

• Tracking hydrocarbon dispersion based on Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons (TPH) and Volatile Organic Compound measurements.
• Assessing water column structure and mixing using conductivity, temperature, depth (CTD) profile data.
• Analyzing suspended particulate matter and light attenuation with Laser In-Situ Scattering and Transmissometer (LISST) data.
• Evaluating dissolved oxygen levels to gauge potential hypoxic conditions following the spill.
• Correlating specific organic contaminants (e.g., Semivolatile Organic Compounds) with sampling location and depth.

Strengths

• Contains data from a specific, critical 5-day monitoring cruise immediately following a major environmental disaster.
• Integrates multiple data types, including provisional laboratory chemistry and preliminary QA/QC-controlled CTD data.
• Includes derived products (charts, graphs, GIS files) created for real-time operational use.

Limitations

• Key metadata such as row count, specific columns, and license information is unavailable across all sources.
• Analytical chemistry data is explicitly noted as provisional, indicating it may not be final or fully validated.
• Sources conflict on last updated date (2010-06-08 vs. 2026-03-06), creating uncertainty about metadata maintenance.

Provenance

Source

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

Collection Method

Data collected via CTD, LISST, transmissometer, bottle samples, fluorometer, oxygen meter, and other physical sampling devices aboard the Brooks McCall.

Time Range

2010-06-04 to 2010-06-08

Freshness

Last updated dates conflict: one source lists 2010-06-08, another lists 2026-03-06.

Geography

Gulf of Mexico