Deepwater Horizon Oceanographic Data from OCEAN VERITAS Cruise

NOAA's Subsurface Monitoring Unit collected these oceanographic data aboard the OCEAN VERITAS in the Gulf of Mexico from August 18-22, 2010, in direct response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Measurements include conductivity, temperature, dissolved oxygen, salinity, and laboratory analysis for volatile organic compounds, semivolatile organic compounds, and total petroleum hydrocarbons. The dataset contains raw instrument data, provisional analytical chemistry results, and derived products like charts and maps for real-time decision support.

Use Cases

• Tracking the spatial and temporal distribution of Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons (TPH) and Volatile Organic Compounds in the water column post-spill.
• Correlating physical parameters like conductivity, temperature, and salinity with chemical contaminant levels (e.g., semivolatile organic compounds).
• Assessing baseline and impacted water quality using measurements of dissolved oxygen, CDOM fluorescence, and suspended solids.
• Validating oceanographic models of pollutant dispersion using hydrostatic pressure, sound velocity, and water density profiles.

Strengths

• Data covers a specific, critical 5-day period immediately following a major environmental disaster, providing a focused snapshot.
• CTD data underwent preliminary quality assurance and control procedures at the National Coastal Data Development Center.
• Multiple instrument sources were used, including CTD, LISST, transmissometer, fluorometer, and laboratory analysis, providing multi-faceted observations.

Limitations

• Analytical chemistry data are explicitly noted as provisional, indicating they are not final quality-controlled results.
• Core metadata facts like row count, file size, and specific column names are unavailable across all platforms.
• A conflict exists in 'last updated' dates: datagov lists 2026-03 05 (a future date), while nasa_earthdata lists 2010-08-22.

Provenance

Source

Subsurface Monitoring Unit (SMU), consisting of multiple government and corporate agencies, collected for NOAA/NCEI (Accession 0069105).

Collection Method

Data gathered via shipboard instruments (CTD, LISST, fluorometer) and onshore laboratory analysis of water and sediment samples.

Time Range

2010-08-18 to 2010-08-22

Freshness

2010-08-22 00:00:00

Geography

Gulf of Mexico