Gulf of Mexico Oceanographic Data from Brine Disposal Project

NOAA NCEI Accession 8200042 contains oceanographic measurements from the Gulf of Mexico collected between March 24 and December 3, 1981. Texas A&M University submitted the data, which includes current direction, temperature, salinity, phytoplankton, and zooplankton observations. The data has been processed into standard NODC formats for current meters, water physics and chemistry, and plankton.

Use Cases

• Analyze current direction and speed time series from moored meters to model coastal circulation patterns.
• Correlate phytoplankton cell concentration and species counts with concurrent measurements of water temperature and salinity.
• Study zooplankton distribution using counts and depth data alongside nutrient parameters like nitrate and phosphate.
• Model dissolved oxygen levels against physical parameters such as temperature and sigma-t density.
• Investigate relationships between suspended solids or chlorophyll concentration and transmissivity readings.

Strengths

• Data spans a continuous 8-month period from March to December 1981.
• Includes measurements across multiple domains: physics, chemistry, and biology.
• Data is structured into standardized NODC formats with documented specifications.

Limitations

• Data is from a single year (1981) and may not represent current conditions.
• Specific row counts, column names, and sample sizes are unknown.
• Geographic coverage is limited to the Gulf of Mexico during a specific project.

Provenance

Source

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI)

Collection Method

Moored current meter casts and other instruments deployed in the Gulf of Mexico.

Time Range

1981-03-24 to 1981-12-03

Freshness

null

Geography

Gulf of Mexico