NOAA_NCEI's Scribe Database Collection contains 14 harmonized databases compiled during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill response from April 2010 to November 2011. The data includes locations, descriptions, and analysis of environmental samples like water, sediment, oil, and air, contributed by federal and state agencies and BP contractors. This collection represents a cleaned and standardized second phase of data intended for reliable evaluation and reporting to the Unified Area Command.
Use Cases
- Correlate water_sample analysis results with geographic locations to map contamination plumes.
- Analyze temporal trends in sediment_sample oil concentration across the 19-month response period.
- Compare dispersant application records with subsequent air_sample or water_sample chemistry.
- Assess data harmonization effectiveness by comparing tar_sample descriptions across the 14 integrated databases.
Strengths
- Contains 14 distinct, integrated databases from multiple authoritative sources.
- Data underwent a dedicated clean-up phase to resolve inconsistencies and improve comparability.
- Covers a specific 19-month event response period from 04/23/2010 to 11/08/2011.
Limitations
- Specific row counts, column schemas, and sample sizes for each database are unknown.
- Data is temporally limited to the immediate response phase and may not cover long-term monitoring.
- Potential for geographic bias focused on areas of immediate spill response and sampling efforts.
Provenance
- Source
- NOAA_NCEI (National Centers for Environmental Information), compiling work from federal agencies, state environmental agencies, and BP contractors.
- Collection Method
- Compiled and harmonized from multiple source databases during the event response phase to meet Unified Area Command requirements.
- Time Range
- 04/23/2010 to 11/08/2011
- Freshness
- Final collection updated as of 2011-11-08; historical dataset with no ongoing updates.
- Geography
- Gulf of Mexico, specifically areas impacted by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.