Processed CTD Data from Gulf of Mexico Deepwater Horizon Response

2011-03-23 to 2011-04-10 marks the time range for this dataset of Conductivity, Temperature, and Depth (CTD) casts collected aboard NOAA Ship Pisces. It contains processed and quality-checked physical oceanographic parameters including temperature, salinity, depth, dissolved oxygen, and fluorometry, gathered to support the Deepwater Horizon oil spill Natural Resource Damage Assessment. The data is provided by NOAA NCEI as a series of NetCDF files.

Use Cases

• Analyzing vertical profiles of seawater temperature and salinity (conductivity) in the Gulf of Mexico.
• Correlating fluorometry data with other water quality indicators to assess phytoplankton response post-spill.
• Mapping the spatial distribution of dissolved oxygen levels using latitude and longitude coordinates from CTD casts.
• Studying sea water density variations derived from CTD measurements in the Mississippi Canyon region.
• Using depth-calibrated data to guide and validate sample collection for oil spill impact studies.

Strengths

• Data has been processed and undergone quality checking, as stated in the platform descriptions.
• The dataset provides multi-parameter measurements (temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, fluorometry) for a holistic water column analysis.
• Its association with a major environmental event (Deepwater Horizon) and collection for NRDA purposes indicates high relevance and applied focus.

Limitations

• Specific row counts, file sizes, and a complete list of data columns are unavailable from all sources.
• There is a conflict in the 'last updated' metadata between platforms, with one listing 2011-04-10 and another listing 2026-03-05.

Provenance

Source

NOAA_NCEI

Collection Method

Measurements collected via shipboard CTD casts aboard NOAA Ship Pisces.

Time Range

2011-03-23 to 2011-04-10

Freshness

2026-03-05

Geography

Gulf of Mexico, specifically the Mississippi Canyon region.