Deepwater Horizon Response: ADCP Ocean Currents from NOAA Ship Gordon Gunter
Updated 3mo ago
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Description
Gulf of Mexico oceanographic data were collected from July 21-24, 2010, aboard the NOAA Ship Gordon Gunter in direct response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The dataset contains raw, unprocessed Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) measurements of east/west (U) and north/south (V) current velocity components, along with the distribution of suspended materials through the water column. It also includes ancillary real-time analysis products like charts, maps, and GIS files, as well as cruise documentation.
Use Cases
Mapping subsurface current vectors to model oil plume transport based on U and V component data.
Analyzing the vertical distribution of suspended materials (potentially including oil) from ADCP backscatter.
Integrating raw ADCP profiles with other physical sampling data for a comprehensive spill impact assessment.
Using real-time GIS products and charts created for decision support during the incident response.
Strengths
Data has a precise temporal scope tied to a major environmental event, collected over four days in July 2010.
Includes ancillary materials like cruise reports, plans, and real-time analysis products (charts, GIS files).
Cross-platform presence on Data.gov and NASA EarthData signals importance and archival stability.
Limitations
Metadata completeness is low: column names, row counts, file size, and license information are unknown across all sources.
Data is described as raw and unprocessed, and some associated datasets are noted as incomplete.
Update dates conflict: Data.gov lists a future date (2026), while NASA EarthData lists the collection end date (2010), indicating potential metadata errors.
Provenance
Source
Subsurface Monitoring Unit (SMU), consisting of multiple government and corporate agencies, aboard NOAA Ship Gordon Gunter.
Collection Method
Profile and underway data collection using an Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) and other physical sampling devices.
Time Range
2010-07-21 to 2010-07-24
Freshness
2026-03-05 22:34:25.415002 (Data.gov), but this appears to be a future/erroneous date; a more plausible date is 2010-07 24 (NASA EarthData).
Geography
Gulf of Mexico
Data is raw and unprocessed. Some datasets associated with the instrument are noted as incomplete. The 2026 update date on Data.gov is likely an administrative error.