Brooks McCall Oil Spill Oceanographic and Chemical Data

Oceanographic and chemical data were collected aboard the research vessel Brooks McCall in the Gulf of Mexico from June 16-20, 2010, as a direct response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The dataset includes measurements of volatile organic compounds, total petroleum hydrocarbons, conductivity, temperature, salinity, and suspended solids, gathered by a multi-agency Subsurface Monitoring Unit using CTDs, transmissometers, and laboratory analysis of water and sediment samples. It contains both raw instrument data and processed products like charts and maps created for real-time decision support during the environmental crisis.

Use Cases

• Tracking the concentration and spread of specific volatile organic compounds (e.g., 1,2-dichloroethane, 1,2-dichloroethylene) in the water column post-spill.
• Correlating physical oceanographic parameters like conductivity, temperature, and salinity with chemical contaminant levels from laboratory analysis.
• Modeling the attenuation and transmission of light in water using LISST and transmissometer data to estimate suspended solids and oil particulates.
• Assessing provisional levels of Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons (TPH) and semivolatile organic compounds from onshore lab tests of water and sediment samples.

Strengths

• Data collection was focused on a critical 5-day period immediately following a major environmental disaster, providing a high-resolution snapshot of early spill impact.
• CTD data underwent preliminary quality assurance and control procedures at the National Coastal Data Development Center (NCDDC).
• The dataset integrates multiple measurement types, including in-situ sensor data (CTD, fluorometer) and onshore laboratory analysis for chemistry.

Limitations

• The analytical chemistry data are explicitly noted as provisional, indicating they are not final validated results.
• Critical metadata such as row count, file size, and specific column names are unavailable across all platform descriptions.
• There is a conflict in the 'last updated' date: one source lists 2026-04-01 (likely a placeholder), while another lists the collection end date of 2010-06-20.

Provenance

Source

Subsurface Monitoring Unit (SMU), consisting of multiple government and corporate agencies, collected for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Collection Method

Data gathered via shipboard instruments (CTD, LISST, transmissometer, fluorometer, oxygen meter) and physical sampling (bottle) for subsequent onshore laboratory analysis.

Time Range

2010-06 16 to 2010-06-20

Freshness

2026-04-01 14:57:48.871876

Geography

Gulf of Mexico