Gulf of Mexico Brine Disposal Oceanographic and Benthic Survey Data

Oceanographic time series and benthic survey data were collected in the Gulf of Mexico from March 1980 to July 1981. The dataset includes current direction and speed, water chemistry parameters like salinity and oxygen, and counts of bottom-dwelling organisms. Data were submitted by Texas A&M University for the Brine Disposal project and processed by the National Oceanographic Data Center.

Use Cases

• Analyze correlations between current velocity components (east-west, north-south) and water chemistry parameters like salinity or temperature.
• Model benthic organism biomass and species abundance against environmental variables such as sediment characteristics and bottom dissolved oxygen.
• Study time-series patterns in ocean currents and associated parameters like water temperature at 10-15 minute intervals from moored instruments.
• Investigate the relationship between surface meteorological conditions, sea surface parameters, and benthic community data collected during surveys.

Strengths

• Data spans over 16 months from March 1980 to July 1981, providing seasonal coverage.
• Includes measurements from three distinct NODC standard formats covering physics, chemistry, and biology.

Limitations

• Data is from a single project from 1980-1981 and may not reflect current ocean conditions.
• Specific row counts, sample sizes, and measurement intervals for each parameter are unknown.

Provenance

Source

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

Collection Method

Collected via moored current meter casts and other instruments for time-series data, and field sampling (e.g., grabs, trawls) for benthic organisms.

Time Range

1980-03-10 to 1981-07-29

Freshness

null

Geography

Gulf of Mexico