Coastal Ocean Acidification Measurements from the Gulf of Mexico, August 2020

NOAA's Ocean Acidification Program collected discrete profile measurements of dissolved inorganic carbon, total alkalinity, pH, ammonia, temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, and nutrients during the R/V F. G. Walton Smith cruise WS20231. The data were gathered from 34 stations in the Southeast U.S. Shelf and Gulf of Mexico between August 18 and 22, 2020, to monitor the outflow of the Shark River Slough and red tide effects. Scientists at the Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory analyzed the water samples.

Use Cases

• Modeling coastal ocean acidification dynamics based on dissolved inorganic carbon and pH measurements
• Analyzing the influence of river outflow (Shark River Slough) on seawater chemistry based on nutrient and alkalinity data
• Monitoring temporal changes in hydrographic conditions based on temperature, salinity, and dissolved oxygen profiles
• Studying the relationship between nutrient concentrations and carbon system parameters in a coastal shelf environment

Strengths

• Data collected from 34 discrete stations on a bi-monthly monitoring basis
• Includes multiple key ocean acidification variables: dissolved inorganic carbon, total alkalinity, and pH on total scale
• Samples analyzed by scientists at the authoritative Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML)

Limitations

• Row count and column-level documentation are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment
• Dataset metadata was last updated on 2026-03-05; freshness should be verified

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce

Collection Method

Discrete profile water samples collected during a research vessel cruise and analyzed in a laboratory

Time Range

2020-08 18 to 2020-08-22

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-05 22:41:10.074460

Geography

Southeast U.S. Shelf, Gulf of Mexico