DOMES Project Ocean Current and Toxic Substance Data, 1975-1977

Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory (PMEL) collected these oceanographic and environmental chemistry measurements for the Deep Ocean Mining and Environmental Study (DOMES) project. The dataset includes time-series current meter data (F015 format) with vector components and environmental parameters, alongside marine toxic substance analyses (F144 format) from water, sediment, and organism samples. Observations were made in the North Pacific Ocean from August 1975 to December 1977.

Use Cases

• Analyzing Eulerian current flow patterns using the east-west (u) and north-south (v) vector components recorded at 10-15 minute intervals.
• Assessing historical marine pollution by examining ambient concentrations of toxic substances in water, sediment, and marine organism samples.
• Studying the relationship between physical oceanographic conditions (water temperature, pressure, conductivity/salinity) and pollutant distribution.
• Conducting baseline environmental impact studies for deep-sea mining activities using the combined physical and chemical data from the DOMES project area.

Strengths

• Data is structured according to established NODC standard formats (F015 and F144), ensuring consistent organization.
• Provides a multi-year temporal record from August 29, 1975, to December 1, 1977, capturing seasonal and interannual variability.
• Combines two distinct but related data types: high-frequency physical oceanography and laboratory-based environmental chemistry.

Limitations

• Critical metadata is missing: row count, column names, and dataset size are unknown across all sources.
• A conflict exists for the 'last updated' field: one source lists 2026-03-05 (likely a metadata refresh), while another lists the original collection end date of 1977-12-01.

Provenance

Source

Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory (PMEL), submitted as part of the Deep Ocean Mining and Environmental Study (DOMES) project.

Collection Method

Collected using moored current meter casts and other instruments; laboratory analyses of environmental samples.

Time Range

1975-08-29 to 1977-12-01

Freshness

2026-03-05 23:39:16.565739

Geography

North Pacific Ocean