Processed CTD Oceanographic Data from Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Response

NRDA-processed CTD data from the R/V F.G. Walton Smith provides Conductivity, Temperature, Depth, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, and fluorometry measurements for the Gulf of Mexico water column. Data was collected from May 5 to May 14, 2011, as part of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill sampling effort. NOAA NCEI archives the final quality-checked product as a series of NetCDF files for each CTD cast.

Use Cases

• Model water column stratification by analyzing depth profiles of temperature and salinity (conductivity).
• Assess potential oil spill impacts on marine ecosystems by correlating fluorometry and turbidity data with sampling locations.
• Calibrate remote sensing ocean models using in-situ dissolved oxygen and temperature measurements from specific cruise dates.
• Reconstruct physical oceanographic conditions in the Gulf of Mexico for May 2011 using the time-series of CTD cast data.

Strengths

• Data has been processed and quality checked, as stated in the source description.
• Covers a specific 10-day period (2011-05-05 to 2011-05-14) during a critical environmental event.

Limitations

• Specific row counts, column details, and sample sizes are unknown.
• Data is from a single vessel and cruise leg, limiting spatial coverage to its track.

Provenance

Source

NOAA NCEI (National Centers for Environmental Information), Accession 0130281.

Collection Method

Conductivity, Temperature, and Depth (CTD) measurements collected onboard the R/V F.G. Walton Smith.

Time Range

2011-05-05 to 2011-05-14

Freshness

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Geography

Gulf of Mexico, specific to the cruise track of the R/V F.G. Walton Smith Cruise 04 Leg 2.