NRDA CTD Data from the Gulf of Mexico Deepwater Horizon Response

NRDA-processed CTD data from the F.G. Walton Smith in the Gulf of Mexico, Cruise 1 Leg 1, contains Conductivity, Temperature, and Depth measurements collected from 2010-09-07 to 2010-09-16. The dataset includes physical oceanographic parameters like dissolved oxygen and fluorometry, used to guide sampling during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill response. Processed and quality-checked casts are provided as a series of NetCDF files.

Use Cases

• Analyzing water column stratification based on conductivity, temperature, and depth profiles.
• Tracking dissolved oxygen anomalies potentially linked to hydrocarbon degradation.
• Mapping fluorometry signals to infer the distribution of chlorophyll or oil-related fluorescence.
• Calibrating hydrodynamic models of the Gulf of Mexico with in-situ CTD data.

Strengths

• Data is processed and quality-checked, as stated in all source descriptions.
• Covers a specific, critical time period (September 2010) during the immediate Deepwater Horizon response.
• Contains multiple measured parameters: temperature, conductivity/salinity, depth, dissolved oxygen, and fluorometry.

Limitations

• Column names and exact row counts are unknown across all platforms, limiting immediate understanding of data structure.
• Conflicting 'last updated' metadata between platforms (2010 vs. 2026) creates uncertainty about data currency.
• Sparse metadata on license and authorship limits reproducibility and reuse clarity.

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce

Collection Method

Measurements collected aboard the R/V F.G. Walton Smith using CTD instrumentation.

Time Range

2010-09-07 to 2010-09-16

Freshness

2026-03-06 00:15:01.279322

Geography

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