Coastal Macronutrient Measurements from Columbia River Region Cruises

NOAA_NCEI provides macronutrient and chlorophyll data from discrete water samples collected during four research cruises off the Oregon and Washington coast. The dataset supports the NSF Coastal Ocean Processes and River Influences on Shelf Ecosystems projects. Data collection occurred from July 2004 to June 2006 aboard the R/V Wecoma.

Use Cases

• Analyze macronutrient concentration gradients relative to the Columbia River plume using spatial sampling data.
• Correlate chlorophyll measurements with macronutrient levels to study phytoplankton productivity in coastal waters.
• Investigate temporal changes in water chemistry across four distinct cruise periods from 2004 to 2006.
• Combine this discrete sample data with separately submitted CTD profile data for a complete physical-biogeochemical analysis.

Strengths

• Data collected during four dedicated research cruises over a nearly two-year period from 2004-2006.
• Focus on a critical coastal region centered on the Columbia River, a major freshwater influence.

Limitations

• Specific sample count, column details, and file size are unknown.
• Data is over 15 years old, limiting analysis of current oceanographic conditions.
• Data format is plain ASCII text, which may require parsing and structuring for analysis.

Provenance

Source

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) under accession 0049434.

Collection Method

Discrete water samples collected by CTD Niskin bottle casts from the R/V Wecoma.

Time Range

08 July 2004 to 13 June 2006.

Freshness

Data collection ended in June 2006; no updates are expected.

Geography

Coastal ocean off Washington and Oregon, USA, centered on the Columbia River.