Gulf of Mexico Ocean Currents and Marine Biology Measurements from 1980-1981

Moored current meter casts collected oceanographic and biological data in the Gulf of Mexico from July 1980 to March 1981. The dataset includes measurements of current direction, speed, temperature, salinity, and counts of phytoplankton and zooplankton. Data were submitted by Texas A&M University and processed by the National Oceanographic Data Center.

Use Cases

• Analyze current direction and speed time-series data to model water flow patterns in the Gulf.
• Correlate phytoplankton species counts with concurrent water temperature and salinity measurements.
• Study zooplankton distribution using reported sampling depths and volume of water filtered.
• Investigate marine chemistry by analyzing dissolved oxygen, nitrate, and phosphate levels.
• Assess fish and shellfish resource density from midwater or bottom tow catch data.

Strengths

• Data spans a continuous 8-month period from July 1980 to March 1981.
• Includes multiple data types: physical currents, chemistry, and biological counts.
• Data processed to standardized NODC formats (F005, F028, F069, F123, F124, F132).

Limitations

• Data is from a single, short-term project in 1980-1981, limiting temporal relevance.
• Specific row counts, column names, and sample sizes are unknown.
• Geographic coverage is restricted to the Gulf of Mexico Brine Disposal project area.

Provenance

Source

NOAA_NCEI (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Centers for Environmental Information)

Collection Method

Data collected using moored current meter casts and field sampling, processed to NODC standard formats.

Time Range

1980-07-15 to 1981-03-20

Freshness

null

Geography

Gulf of Mexico