Processed CTD Data from Gulf of Mexico Deepwater Horizon Response

Data from May 10-13, 2010, contains processed Conductivity, Temperature, and Depth (CTD) measurements from the R/V Jack Fitz Cruise 01 in the Gulf of Mexico. The dataset includes parameters like dissolved oxygen, turbidity, and fluorometry, collected as part of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill Natural Resource Damage Assessment. It is provided as a series of quality-checked NetCDF files by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Use Cases

• Analyzing vertical profiles of seawater conductivity and temperature to understand oceanographic conditions during the spill.
• Correlating fluorometry and turbidity measurements with other sampling to assess potential oil dispersion in the water column.
• Mapping the spatial distribution of dissolved oxygen levels using associated latitude and longitude data from CTD casts.
• Studying sea water density and pressure gradients to model physical processes in the Mississippi Canyon region.

Strengths

• Data has been processed and quality checked, as stated across all source descriptions.
• Covers a specific, critical event period from May 10 to May 13, 2010, during the initial Deepwater Horizon response.
• Cross-platform presence on Data.gov and NASA EarthData indicates recognized importance and curation.

Limitations

• Key technical details like row count, file size, and specific column names are unknown across all sources.
• A conflict exists on the 'last updated' date: Data.gov lists 2026-03 05, while NASA EarthData lists 2010-05-13.

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce

Collection Method

Measurements collected aboard the R/V Jack Fitz, Cruise 01, using CTD instrumentation.

Time Range

2010-05-10 to 2010-05-13

Freshness

2026-03-05 22:35:12.323153

Geography

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