Processed CTD Data from Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Response

Conductivity Temperature and Depth (CTD) measurements were collected aboard NOAA Ship Pisces, Cruise 12, Leg 1, to determine physical oceanographic parameters of the water column. The dataset includes temperature, conductivity, salinity, depth, dissolved oxygen, and fluorometry data used to guide sampling for the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The final product is a series of NetCDF files containing every processed and quality-checked CTD cast.

Use Cases

• Analyzing vertical profiles of seawater conductivity and temperature to understand water column structure.
• Correlating fluorometry data with other samples to assess oil spill dispersion and biological effects.
• Using geospatial coordinates (latitude, longitude) and depth to map the distribution of oceanographic parameters.
• Studying dissolved oxygen levels in relation to the oil spill event and subsequent biological processes.

Strengths

• Data has been processed and quality checked, as stated across all platform descriptions.
• Measurements are associated with a specific, significant environmental event (Deepwater Horizon oil spill).
• The dataset covers a defined time range from 2011-09-08 to 2011 09-15.

Limitations

• Key quantitative details like row count, file size, and specific column names are unavailable from all sources.
• There is a conflict in the 'last updated' metadata: Data.gov lists 2026-03-05, while NASA Earthdata lists 2011-09-15.

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce

Collection Method

Measurements collected via shipboard CTD casts aboard NOAA Ship Pisces.

Time Range

2011-09-08 to 2011-09-15

Freshness

2026-03-05 22:51:06.694906

Geography

Gulf of Mexico, specifically the Mississippi Canyon and Gulf Coast region.