XBT Analysis - Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill
During the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico (April-July 2010), several oceanographic cruises were carried out in the region to obtain hydrographic data, including XBT. The products obtained provide information about the large scale circulation in the Gulf of Mexico. They describe the surface temperature as well as the structure of oceanic thermal features at different depths. They also provide information about ocean heat content and can be used in the validation of numerical models utilized in the Gulf of Mexico monitoring.
Location of XBT (circles) and CTD (triangles, most CTD deployments coincide in position with XBT deployments) observations carried out by NOAA/AOML scientists on board the NOAA ship Nancy Foster between July 1-18, 2010. The map also shows the mean sea surface temperature (SST, °C) for the aforementioned dates, superimposed on the regional bathymetry (in meters). The location of the Deepwater Horizon is denoted by a star.
Additional information about this and other products using XBT data from the Gulf of Mexico during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill can be found here.
