Brooks McCall: Oceanographic Data from Deepwater Horizon Spill Response

NODC Accession 0069051 contains chemical, physical, and laboratory analysis data collected aboard the R/V Brooks McCall in the Gulf of Mexico from July 4-8, 2010, in direct response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The dataset includes measurements of volatile and semivolatile organic compounds, total petroleum hydrocarbons, conductivity, salinity, temperature, and dissolved oxygen, collected using CTDs, transmissometers, fluorometers, and physical sampling devices. It also contains derived products like charts, maps, and GIS files created for real-time analysis and decision support during the incident.

Use Cases

• Tracking hydrocarbon dispersion and composition based on volatile and semivolatile organic compound measurements.
• Assessing water column structure and mixing using conductivity, temperature, and depth (CTD) profile data.
• Modeling oil plume behavior by integrating total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) with hydrostatic pressure and salinity data.
• Evaluating impacts on marine life through analysis of dissolved oxygen and suspended solids measurements.

Strengths

• Data collection is tied to a specific, major environmental event with a precise time range (July 4-8, 2010).
• Includes data from multiple instrument types (CTD, LISST, fluorometer, oxygen meter) and laboratory analyses, suggesting a multi-faceted observational approach.
• CTD data underwent preliminary quality assurance and control procedures at the National Coastal Data Development Center (NCDDC).

Limitations

• Critical metadata is missing or conflicting: row count, file size, specific column names, and license information are not provided.
• Analytical chemistry data are described as 'provisional', indicating they may not be final or fully validated.
• There is a conflict in the 'last updated' date between platforms (2010-07-08 vs. 2026-03-05), creating uncertainty about data currency.

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 ship-based instruments (CTD, LISST, transmissometer, fluorometer, oxygen meter) and onshore laboratory analysis of water and sediment samples.

Time Range

2010-07-04 to 2010-07-08

Freshness

2026-03-05 23:45:02.359118

Geography

Gulf of Mexico