Gulf of Mexico Marine Ecosystem Measurements from Brine Disposal Project

The Gulf of Mexico hosts a collection of oceanographic and biological data from moored instruments and sampling during the Brine Disposal project from February 1981 to November 1982. Texas A&M University submitted the data, which includes current meter readings, phytoplankton and zooplankton counts, and wind wave spectra. The National Oceanographic Data Center processed the records into standard formats.

Use Cases

• Analyze current direction and speed time-series data to model water circulation patterns in the Gulf of Mexico.
• Correlate phytoplankton and zooplankton species counts with concurrent measurements of water temperature and salinity.
• Model wind wave spectra (dominant wave direction, height, period) against meteorological conditions like wind direction and speed.
• Assess fish and shellfish population density from catch statistics (weight, volume, number per unit volume) alongside environmental data.
• Study predator/prey relationships by analyzing stomach contents data from sampled fish specimens.

Strengths

• Data spans a 21-month continuous time range from February 1981 to November 1982.
• Integrates multiple measurement types: physical oceanography (currents, waves), biological sampling (phytoplankton, zooplankton, fish), and meteorological data.
• Data processed into standardized NODC formats (F005, F028, F123, F124, F191) ensuring consistent structure.

Limitations

• Data is temporally stale, collected over 40 years ago, limiting relevance for contemporary climate or ecosystem studies.
• Specific sample sizes, row counts, and geographic coverage within the Gulf of Mexico are unknown, hindering statistical assessment.
• Data from a specific project (Brine Disposal) may introduce geographic or operational bias not representative of the entire Gulf.

Provenance

Source

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) Accession 8300055.

Collection Method

Data collected via moored current meter casts and other sampling instruments, submitted by Texas A&M University.

Time Range

1981-02-07 to 1982-11-01.

Freshness

null

Geography

Gulf of Mexico.