Coral Tissue Pollutant Analysis in Tinian from 2013 Field Study
Updated 3mo ago
10filesTEXT
Available on 2 platforms
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Description
Field sampling from August 27-30, 2013, collected coral tissues (Pocillopora damicornis) in Tinian, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, for laboratory analysis of pollutants. The dataset includes concentrations of trace elements, PAHs, PCBs, pesticides, and organotins. It was produced by NOAA's National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) as part of the National Status and Trends Special Study.
Use Cases
Analyzing correlations between specific pollutant concentrations (e.g., Cu, Pb, Hg) in coral tissue and potential land-based sources.
Assessing the spatial distribution of legacy pesticides like DDT and chlordanes in a Pacific Island reef system.
Benchmarking baseline levels of trace metals (Al, Cd, Cr, Zn) and organic contaminants (PAHs, PCBs) in Pocillopora damicornis corals.
Investigating the co-occurrence patterns of different pollutant classes (metals, organotins, pesticides) within individual coral samples.
Strengths
Dataset covers a wide spectrum of pollutant classes, including 14 trace elements, PAHs, PCBs, multiple pesticide groups, and organotins.
Field and laboratory methodologies are documented in a peer-reviewed publication (Whitall et al. 2016), providing methodological transparency.
Temporal and spatial scope is precisely defined: sampling occurred over four days in August 2013 around the island of Tinian.
Limitations
The exact row count, column names, and file size are not provided by any source platform, limiting preliminary assessment of data structure.
A conflict exists in the 'last updated' metadata: NASA Earthdata lists 2013-08-30, while Data.gov lists a future date of 2026-03-13, casting doubt on metadata accuracy.
The dataset's license and specific author details are not declared on the available platforms.
Provenance
Source
NOAA National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) / NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI).
Collection Method
Field sampling of coral tissues followed by standardized laboratory chemical analysis.
Time Range
2013-08-27 to 2013-08-30
Freshness
2013-08-30
Geography
Tinian, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
Primary data files are in TEXT and PDF formats; the lack of published column names requires users to infer structure from the methodology description. The conflicting 'last updated' dates suggest potential metadata errors on one platform.