Gulf of Mexico oceanographic data were collected aboard the OCEAN VERITAS vessel from June 13 to 17, 2010. The Subsurface Monitoring Unit gathered measurements including attenuation/transmission, CDOM fluorescence, volatile organic compounds, conductivity, and temperature. This dataset was compiled in response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill event.
Use Cases
- Analyze Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons (TPH) and Volatile Organic Compounds concentrations to map pollutant dispersion.
- Correlate salinity, temperature, and dissolved oxygen readings with CDOM fluorescence to assess water column stratification and organic matter.
- Use hydrostatic pressure and sound velocity data from CTD profiles to calculate water density and current dynamics.
- Model attenuation/transmission and suspended solids measurements from LISST instruments to estimate particulate loads.
- Validate provisional laboratory analysis results for Semivolatile Organic Compounds against in-situ fluorometer and oxygen meter readings.
Strengths
- Data collection focused on a specific 5-day cruise following a major environmental event.
- Includes multiple instrument types: CTD, LISST, transmissometer, bottle samples, fluorometer, and oxygen meter.
- CTD data underwent preliminary quality assurance and control procedures at NCDDC.
- Contains ancillary products like charts, graphs, maps, and GIS files for decision support.
Limitations
- Analytical chemistry data are labeled as provisional.
- Sample size and row count are unknown.
- Temporal coverage is limited to a brief 5-day period post-spill.
Provenance
- Source
- Subsurface Monitoring Unit (SMU), consisting of multiple government and corporate agencies.
- Collection Method
- Data collected aboard the OCEAN VERITAS using CTD, LISST, transmissometer, bottle, fluorometer, oxygen meter, and other physical sampling devices.
- Time Range
- 2010-06-13 to 2010-06-17
- Freshness
- null
- Geography
- Gulf of Mexico