Processed CTD Oceanographic Data from Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Response

Conductivity, temperature, and depth (CTD) measurements were collected aboard the R/V Brooks McCall during a 2010 cruise to assess water column parameters for the Deepwater Horizon oil spill response. The dataset includes processed and quality-checked profiles for temperature, conductivity/salinity, depth, dissolved oxygen, and fluorometry. It is provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration as a series of NetCDF files.

Use Cases

• Analyzing vertical profiles of seawater temperature and salinity (conductivity) in the Gulf of Mexico.
• Correlating fluorometry readings with other parameters to infer biological activity or hydrocarbon presence.
• Mapping the spatial distribution of dissolved oxygen levels during the oil spill event using latitude and longitude data.
• Studying sea water density derived from CTD measurements to understand water column stratification.

Strengths

• Data has been processed and quality checked, as stated across all platform descriptions.
• Contains multiple key oceanographic parameters: temperature, conductivity/salinity, depth, dissolved oxygen, and fluorometry.
• Cross-platform presence on Data.gov and NASA EarthData indicates recognized importance and curation.

Limitations

• Exact row count, file size, and specific column names are not provided by any source.
• Sources conflict on the last updated date: Data.gov lists 2026-03-05, while NASA EarthData lists 2010-05 17.
• License information is not specified.

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce

Collection Method

Measurements collected via shipboard CTD casts aboard the R/V Brooks McCall, Cruise 02.

Time Range

2010-05-15 to 2010-05-17

Freshness

2026-03-05 22:25:02.160273

Geography

Gulf of Mexico, specifically the Mississippi Canyon area associated with the Deepwater Horizon event.