Deepwater Horizon Oceanographic Measurements from Brooks McCall Cruise

June 22-26, 2010 data collected aboard the Brooks McCall research vessel in the Gulf of Mexico following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The dataset includes chemical, physical, and profile measurements such as attenuation/transmission, CDOM fluorescence, volatile organic compounds, conductivity, salinity, and temperature. It was gathered by the Subsurface Monitoring Unit, a consortium of government and corporate agencies.

Use Cases

• Analyze Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons (TPH) and Volatile Organic Compounds concentrations to map pollution dispersion from the spill.
• Correlate CDOM fluorescence and attenuation/transmission measurements with suspended solids to assess water clarity and particulate matter.
• Model water density and sound velocity using conductivity, temperature, and salinity profiles from CTD instrument data.
• Track dissolved oxygen levels alongside hydrocarbon data to evaluate potential impacts on marine life respiration.
• Use hydrostatic pressure and temperature profiles to understand the vertical structure of the affected water column.

Strengths

• Data covers a specific 5-day cruise period during the immediate response to a major environmental event.
• Includes multiple data types from over 10 measured parameters, such as Semivolatile Organic Compounds and sound velocity.
• CTD data underwent preliminary quality assurance and control procedures at the National Coastal Data Development Center.

Limitations

• Analytical chemistry data are labeled as provisional, indicating potential unverified laboratory results.
• Temporal coverage is limited to only 5 days, providing a snapshot rather than a long-term trend.
• Geographic scope is confined to the Gulf of Mexico area surveyed by the Brooks McCall vessel.

Provenance

Source

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

Collection Method

Collected using instruments including CTD, LISST, transmissometer, bottle, fluorometer, and oxygen meter aboard the Brooks McCall.

Time Range

2010-06-22 to 2010-06-26

Freshness

null

Geography

Gulf of Mexico