Gulf of Mexico Current Meter and Benthic Survey Data from Brine Disposal Project

Moored current meter casts and benthic organism surveys were conducted in the Gulf of Mexico from July 15, 1980 to March 20, 1981. The dataset was submitted by Texas A&M University as part of the Brine Disposal project and processed by the National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC) into standard formats F005 and F132.

Use Cases

• Analyze time-series correlations between current direction, speed, and concurrent water temperature or salinity measurements from the F005 format.
• Model benthic species abundance and biomass from the F132 format against environmental variables like sediment characteristics and bottom water dissolved oxygen.
• Study the Eulerian current flow patterns at fixed mooring points, using sensor depth and position data to understand vertical current profiles.
• Investigate relationships between surface conditions (wind speed, wave period) and near-bottom current dynamics recorded in the F005 format.

Strengths

• Data processed to established NODC standard formats (F005 and F132) ensuring consistent structure.
• Combines high-frequency physical oceanography measurements (reported at 10-15 minute intervals) with biological survey data.

Limitations

• Specific row counts, column details, and sample sizes for biological surveys are unknown.
• Temporal coverage for the core dataset is limited to approximately 8 months within the 1978-1982 project period.
• Potential for geographic bias as data is confined to specific study sites in the Gulf of Mexico.

Provenance

Source

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), originally from Texas A&M University.

Collection Method

Data collected via moored current meter casts and field sampling/surveys of bottom-dwelling organisms.

Time Range

1980-07-15 to 1981-03-20 (core collection), with project context from 1978-09-01 to 1982-05-19.

Freshness

null

Geography

Gulf of Mexico.