Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Water Column Measurements from Multiple Vessels
Updated 16y ago
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Description
NOAA NCEI Accession 0086284 contains 3,197 unique water samples from 404 stations, collected by Fisheries and Oceans Canada scientists from May to August 2010. The data was gathered aboard the R/V Brooks McCall and R/V Ocean Veritas in the Gulf of Mexico to monitor the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. It is organized into nine database tables covering LISST, CTD, UV fluorescence, and hydrocarbon chemistry measurements.
Use Cases
Analyze oil droplet size distribution from LISST data to evaluate dispersant effectiveness.
Correlate UV fluorescence measurements with hydrocarbon chemistry data to track oil plume concentration.
Model water column structure using CTD trace data matched to sampling station depth and location.
Assess spatial dispersion of contaminants using station data including distance from the wellhead.
Investigate temporal trends in environmental parameters using daily wellhead oil flow and recovery data.
Strengths
3,197 unique water samples provide a substantial observational record.
Data covers 404 distinct sampling stations, offering broad spatial coverage.
Measurements include multiple instrument types (LISST, CTD, UV fluorescence) for cross-validation.
Sampling depths extended to 2,000 meters, capturing deepwater plume effects.
Limitations
Data is from a single event in 2010, limiting temporal generalizability.
Sample collection was focused on the spill vicinity, introducing geographic bias.
Unknown row count and specific column details for the nine database tables.
Provenance
Source
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI).
Collection Method
In-situ measurements collected from vessels R/V Brooks McCall and R/V Ocean Veritas using LISST, CTD, and water sampling equipment.
Time Range
2010-04-21 to 2010-08-24, with intensive sampling from May 8 to August 24.
Freshness
Data collection ended on 2010-08-24; it is a historical snapshot with no planned updates.
Geography
Gulf of Mexico, specifically around the Deepwater Horizon wellhead site.
Data is organized into nine separate database tables; understanding their relationships is necessary for analysis. License terms are not specified in the provided input.