Gulf of Mexico Current Meter and Phytoplankton Data from Brine Disposal Project

Gulf of Mexico data from the Brine Disposal project contains time series of ocean currents and phytoplankton measurements. Texas A&M University submitted the data, collected from May 15, 1979 to March 22, 1980, using moored current meter casts from the vessel EXCELLENCE. The NOAA National Oceanographic Data Center processed the data to standard formats F005 and F028.

Use Cases

• Analyzing current direction and speed time series at 10-15 minute intervals to model brine plume dispersion from disposal sites.
• Correlating water temperature and salinity measurements with phytoplankton cell counts and carbon concentration to assess environmental impacts.
• Using sensor depth, bottom depth, and position data to study vertical current profiles and near-bottom flow dynamics.
• Examining optional comment text fields for quality flags or notable events during the mooring deployment.

Strengths

• Data spans a 10-month continuous period from May 1979 to March 1980.
• Includes two distinct, standardized data types: current meter (F005) and phytoplankton (F028) measurements.

Limitations

• Specific row counts, column names, and file sizes are unknown.
• Data is over 40 years old, limiting applicability to present-day environmental conditions without contemporary validation.
• Geographic scope is limited to specific mooring locations in the Gulf of Mexico, not a region-wide survey.

Provenance

Source

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI Accession 8000457).

Collection Method

Moored current meter casts and water sampling from the vessel EXCELLENCE.

Time Range

1979-05-15 to 1980-03-22

Freshness

null

Geography

Gulf of Mexico.