Brooks McCall Cruise: Deepwater Horizon Subsurface Water Chemistry

NODC Accession 0069055 contains provisional laboratory and sensor data from a 5-day research cruise in August 2010, directly responding to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The dataset includes measurements for over 20 specific volatile and semivolatile organic compounds, such as 1,2-dichloroethane and benzo(a)pyrene, alongside standard oceanographic profiles. Data collection involved instruments like CTDs, LISST transmissometers, and fluorometers to analyze water column chemistry and physical properties.

Use Cases

• Tracking subsurface hydrocarbon plumes based on Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons (TPH) and Volatile Organic Compound measurements.
• Analyzing water column structure and particle distribution using Conductivity-Temperature-Depth (CTD) and Laser In-Situ Scattering and Transmissometer (LISST) data.
• Assessing dissolved oxygen levels and CDOM fluorescence as indicators of microbial activity and organic matter degradation.
• Correlating specific contaminant concentrations, such as semivolatile organic compounds, with sampling depth and location.

Strengths

• Data covers a critical 5-day period (2010-08-03 to 2010-08-07) immediately following a major environmental disaster.
• CTD data underwent preliminary QA/QC procedures at the National Coastal Data Development Center (NCDDC).
• Includes a wide range of chemical analytes, from broad categories like TPH to specific compounds like 1,2-dichloroethane.

Limitations

• Analytical chemistry data are explicitly noted as provisional.
• Column names and precise data structure are not provided in the available metadata.
• Conflicting 'last updated' dates (2010-08-07 vs. 2026-03-05) suggest potential metadata inconsistencies across platforms.

Provenance

Source

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

Collection Method

Data collected aboard the R/V Brooks McCall using CTD, LISST, transmissometer, bottle samples, fluorometer, and oxygen meter.

Time Range

2010-08-03 to 2010-08-07

Freshness

2026-03-05 23:23:57.261794

Geography

Gulf of Mexico