Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Water and Sediment Chemistry from 2010

Oceanographic data was collected aboard the RV GYRE in the Gulf of Mexico over four days in September 2010 in response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The dataset includes measurements of total organic carbon, metals, volatile and semivolatile organic compounds, total petroleum hydrocarbons, and sediment properties from water and sediment samples. Data collection and provisional laboratory analysis were conducted by the multi-agency Subsurface Monitoring Unit (SMU) and archived by NOAA NCEI.

Use Cases

• Analyze spatial and temporal trends of Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons (TPH) and Volatile Organic Compounds in water samples to map contaminant dispersion.
• Correlate sediment properties with concentrations of Metals and Semivolatile Organic Compounds to understand pollutant binding and persistence.
• Use Carbon - Total Organic measurements as a baseline to assess the impact of the oil spill on natural organic matter cycles in the Gulf.
• Integrate provisional laboratory analysis data with physical sampling metadata to validate models of subsurface oil plume behavior.

Strengths

• Data collection focused on a specific, high-impact environmental event (Deepwater Horizon spill).
• Includes multiple data types: chemical analysis, physical profiles, imagery, and sediment core data.
• Provisional analytical chemistry data provides results from controlled onshore laboratory analysis.

Limitations

• Temporal coverage is very limited to a 4-day cruise in September 2010.
• Sample size and spatial extent from a single research vessel are constrained.
• Analytical chemistry data is labeled as provisional, indicating it may not be the final validated version.

Provenance

Source

Subsurface Monitoring Unit (SMU), a consortium of government and corporate agencies, archived by NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI).

Collection Method

Data gathered via physical sampling (bottles, sediment corers) aboard the RV GYRE, followed by onshore laboratory analysis.

Time Range

2010-09-25 to 2010-09-28, in response to the April 20, 2010 spill.

Freshness

Data is from a single event in 2010; no ongoing updates are expected.

Geography

Gulf of Mexico, specific sampling locations from the RV GYRE cruise track.