Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Oceanographic Data from RYAN CHOUEST

NOAA's Subsurface Monitoring Unit collected chemical and physical oceanographic data aboard the RYAN CHOUEST from September 23-28, 2010, in direct response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Measurements include volatile organic compounds, total petroleum hydrocarbons, salinity, temperature, dissolved oxygen, and water density from CTD, fluorometer, and laboratory analyses. This dataset provides a focused snapshot of subsurface conditions during the spill's active phase.

Use Cases

• Tracking hydrocarbon concentrations like benzene and benzo(a)pyrene to assess oil plume distribution.
• Correlating physical parameters (salinity, temperature, density) with chemical measurements to understand mixing and transport.
• Using provisional laboratory analysis of semivolatile organic compounds for initial impact assessment.
• Employing CTD profile data for water column structure analysis during the spill event.

Strengths

• Data collection was focused on a critical 6-day period immediately following a major environmental disaster.
• Includes both field sensor data (CTD, fluorometer) and provisional onshore laboratory analysis for hydrocarbons.
• CTD data underwent preliminary quality assurance and control procedures by the National Coastal Data Development Center.
• Cross-platform presence on Data.gov and NASA EarthData indicates established archival and importance.

Limitations

• Key quantitative details like row count, file size, and a complete column list are unavailable from all sources.
• Analytical chemistry data are explicitly noted as provisional, indicating they are not final validated results.
• The last updated date conflicts between sources (2026-03-05 on Data.gov vs. 2010-09-28 on NASA EarthData).

Provenance

Source

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

Collection Method

Data gathered via shipboard instruments (CTD, bottle, fluorometer, oxygen meter) and onshore laboratory analysis.

Time Range

2010-09-23 to 2010-09-28

Freshness

2026-03-05

Geography

Gulf of Mexico