Gulf of Mexico Plankton and Water Column Profiles from Cruise BE-1407

Plankton abundance and water column profile data were collected during a two-day research cruise in the Gulf of Mexico in December 2013. The dataset includes individual counts and percentage abundances for 12 plankton categories, alongside CTD, dissolved oxygen, chlorophyll-a, and turbidity measurements from 18 stations. It was produced by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Use Cases

• Analyzing correlations between plankton group percentages (e.g., Ceratium spp., Dinophysis spp.) and concurrent Chlorophyll-a fluorescence or CDOM measurements.
• Modeling water column structure using CTD profile data (temperature, salinity, pressure) from 18 distinct stations.
• Investigating zooplankton distribution in relation to dissolved oxygen saturation and turbidity readings.
• Studying spatial and short-term temporal variability of phytoplankton groups like chain-forming diatoms across 10 offshore shelf sites.

Strengths

• Data integrates biological (plankton counts) and physical/chemical (CTD, oxygen, fluorescence) measurements from the same stations and time points.
• Plankton taxonomy is detailed, with 12 categorized groups including specific genera and broader functional categories.
• Sampling covers 18 geographic stations over a focused two-day period, providing a spatial snapshot.

Limitations

• Critical metadata conflicts exist: the 'last updated' date differs significantly between NASA Earthdata (2013-12-08) and Data.gov (2026-03 06).
• Core dataset specifications like row count, file size, column names, and license are unreported across all platforms.

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce

Collection Method

Samples collected from 10 offshore shelf sites during R/V Bellows cruise BE-1407; water column profiles from 18 stations.

Time Range

2013-12-07 to 2013-12-08

Freshness

2026-03-06 00:07:08.720935

Geography

Gulf of Mexico, specifically the Florida Shelf and DeSoto Canyon region.