Gulf of Mexico Marine Ecosystem Survey from Brine Disposal Project

A 1981-1982 survey collected chemical, phytoplankton, zooplankton, benthic organism, and fish data using moored current meters and other instruments in the Gulf of Mexico. Texas A&M University submitted the data as part of the Brine Disposal project, processed by NODC into standard oceanographic formats. Measurements include water physics, chemistry, and biological population counts.

Use Cases

• Analyze correlations between water chemistry parameters like salinity, phosphate, and chlorophyll concentration with phytoplankton abundance counts.
• Model zooplankton distribution and productivity using sampling depth, water temperature, salinity, and gear type data.
• Assess benthic organism and fish/shellfish resource density in relation to bottom depth, current speed, and environmental conditions recorded at the time of sampling.
• Study temporal changes in marine populations by examining time-series data from moored instruments collected over an 11-month period.

Strengths

• Data spans 11 months from February 1981 to January 1982, providing seasonal coverage.
• Processed into 5 established NODC standard formats (F004, F028, F123, F124, F132) ensuring structured consistency.

Limitations

• Dataset is over 40 years old, limiting relevance for contemporary ecological studies without recent comparison data.
• Specific sample sizes, row counts, and geographic coordinates within the Gulf of Mexico are not provided.

Provenance

Source

Texas A&M University, processed by the National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC).

Collection Method

Collected from moored current meter casts and other oceanographic instruments.

Time Range

1981-02-12 to 1982-01-05

Freshness

null

Geography

Gulf of Mexico