Gulf of Mexico oceanographic data was collected aboard the OCEAN VERITAS vessel from June 29 to July 5, 2010, in direct response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The Subsurface Monitoring Unit, a consortium of government and corporate agencies, gathered measurements including attenuation/transmission, CDOM fluorescence, volatile organic compounds, conductivity, and temperature using CTDs, transmissometers, fluorometers, and other instruments. The dataset includes provisional laboratory analysis results and products created for real-time decision support.
Use Cases
- Analyze Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons (TPH) and Volatile Organic Compounds concentrations to map pollutant dispersion post-spill.
- Correlate CDOM fluorescence and attenuation/transmission measurements with suspended solids data to assess water clarity and particulate matter.
- Model water density and sound velocity changes using concurrent measurements of salinity, temperature, and hydrostatic pressure from CTD profiles.
- Use conductivity and dissolved oxygen readings alongside temperature to evaluate impacts on marine ecosystem health.
- Integrate Semivolatile Organic Compounds data with other chemical measurements for a complete hydrocarbon contamination profile.
Strengths
- Data collected over a 7-day cruise specifically for spill response provides a focused temporal snapshot.
- Includes over 12 distinct measured parameters, from chemical (TPH, VOCs) to physical (temperature, salinity).
- 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 uncertified laboratory results.
- Temporal coverage is limited to a single week in July 2010, missing pre-spill baseline and long-term recovery data.
- Sample size and row count are unknown, limiting statistical confidence.
Provenance
- Source
- Subsurface Monitoring Unit (SMU), a multi-agency group, via NOAA NCEI (Accession 0069098).
- Collection Method
- Data gathered via ship-based instruments (CTD, LISST, transmissometer, fluorometer, oxygen meter) and physical sampling devices, with onshore laboratory analysis of samples.
- Time Range
- 2010-06-29 to 2010-07-05.
- Freshness
- null
- Geography
- Gulf of Mexico, specifically the area surveyed by the OCEAN VERITAS vessel.