Deepwater Horizon Oceanographic Data and Experimental Climatologies

May 2010 data products and in situ oceanographic measurements collected during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill event in the Gulf of Mexico. The dataset includes climatological fields and CTD (Conductivity, Temperature, Depth) data from the R/V Brooks McCall, compiled by NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI). It was released as an experimental version in June 2010 to aid in tracking and understanding the spill's effects.

Use Cases

• Analyze temporal changes in ocean temperature and salinity (CTD data) from the R/V Brooks McCall to model oil plume behavior.
• Compare experimental climatological fields against standard baselines to identify anomalies caused by the spill event.
• Use in situ oceanographic measurements to validate or calibrate remote sensing data for the Gulf of Mexico during May 2010.

Strengths

• Data captures a specific, critical environmental event (Deepwater Horizon spill) during May 2010.
• Includes multiple data types: in situ measurements and derived climatological fields.

Limitations

• Climatological fields are experimental and have not been fully quality controlled, potentially containing erroneous values.
• CTD data from the R/V Brooks McCall has not undergone rigorous quality control.
• Temporal coverage is limited to the immediate event period (May 2010).

Provenance

Source

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI Accession 0064867).

Collection Method

Collected as part of the Deepwater Horizon event response, including ship-based CTD measurements (R/V Brooks McCall) and derived climatological products.

Time Range

May 2010.

Freshness

Last updated 2010-06-30; static historical dataset.

Geography

Gulf of Mexico.