Gulf of Mexico Brine Disposal Project Oceanographic Data from 1978-1979

The Gulf of Mexico dataset contains oceanographic measurements from moored instruments and sampling between September 22, 1978 and January 22, 1979. It includes current direction and speed, chemical parameters like salinity and oxygen, and zooplankton abundance data. Texas A&M University submitted the data as part of the Brine Disposal project, processed by NODC into standard formats.

Use Cases

• Analyze relationships between current velocity components (east-west, north-south) and chemical parameters like salinity or temperature.
• Model zooplankton abundance and distribution by species using data on life history codes, adult/juvenile counts, and associated water column conditions.
• Study temporal patterns in physical oceanography using 10-15 minute interval current meter data alongside wind speed and wave parameters.
• Investigate brine disposal effects by correlating chemical measurements (ammonia, nitrate, phosphate) with zooplankton concentration and catch data.

Strengths

• Data spans a focused 4-month time series from a specific research project.
• Includes multi-domain measurements: physical currents, water chemistry, and biological zooplankton data.
• Processed to established NOAA NODC standard formats (F005, F004, F124) ensuring structural consistency.

Limitations

• Dataset is historical, with the last update in January 1979, limiting modern applicability.
• Specific row counts, sample sizes, and data completeness for each format are unknown.
• Geographic coverage is limited to the specific Gulf of Mexico study sites of the Brine Disposal project.

Provenance

Source

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

Collection Method

Collected via moored current meter casts and other oceanographic instruments, with zooplankton sampling.

Time Range

1978-09-22 to 1979-01-22

Freshness

null

Geography

Gulf of Mexico