Abstract:
Data were collected to evaluate ambient air quality in coastal communities along the Gulf of Mexico shoreline, and around the perimeter of waste sites and decontamination sites and in other areas where petroleum odors were noted and/or reported by federal, state, and local agencies or the public. The data in this publication includes the results of ambient air samples and “real-time” air measurements collected by BP and its contractors to evaluate public exposure to airborne chemicals during the Response to the DWH accident. During the Response, two separate sampling and monitoring programs were implemented to evaluate ambient air quality along the Gulf of Mexico shoreline: the Community Air Sampling and Monitoring program and the Branch Area Perimeter Sampling and Monitoring program. The Community Air Sampling and Monitoring program included the collection of ambient air samples on a daily basis at fixed locations (i.e., stations) along the shoreline. Air samples were also collected near sites in Florida, Alabama, and Mississippi that were used to store wastes generated during the Response and near sites that were used to decontaminate vessels, equipment, and materials used to recover oil or where odors were noted or reported. Real-time air monitoring was conducted by teams in roaming vehicles that traversed the shoreline and communities along the Gulf Coast on a 24 hour per day, 7 days per week basis. Air monitoring was conducted every 5 miles between Apalachee Bay, Florida and Port Arthur, Texas, and at other locations in response to potential concerns identified by the Unified Area Command or the public. The community air data sets include: (1) the chemistry results of approximately 6,100 ambient air samples collected at approximately 40 unique sampling stations and (2) the results of over 470,000 real-time measurements of ambient chemical concentrations collected at over 141,000 discrete stations. In the Branch Area Perimeter Sampling and Monitoring Program sampling teams in Louisiana collected ambient air samples and conducted air monitoring at the perimeter of properties (known as branches) that were used for waste storage and/or vessel or boom decontamination activities. The perimeter air data sets include the chemistry results of approximately 3,900 ambient air samples collected at approximately 38 unique sampling stations and the results of over 277,000 real-time measurements collected at over 69,000 discrete stations. Community and work area perimeter air samples were collected and analyzed for the following chemical parameters: • VOCs and tentatively identified compounds (TICs). • SVOCs. • Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S). In addition to the air samples collected for laboratory analysis; the sampling vehicles conducted air monitoring along designated community, or perimeter routes using calibrated air monitoring equipment. Measurements included: • Total VOCs • Benzene • H2S • sulfur dioxide (SO2) • Particulate matter less than 2.5 micrometer diameter (PM2.5) • Carbon Monoxide (CO)
Suggested Citation:
BP Gulf Science Data. 2016. Community Air Sampling and Monitoring Data. Distributed by: GRIIDC, Harte Research Institute, Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi. doi:10.7266/N7BR8QMW
Purpose:
To evaluate public exposure to airborne chemicals during the response to the Deepwater Horizon accident. These data were collected by BP to help guide cleanup operations under the direction of the U.S. Coast Guard and to support the Natural Resource Damage Assessment efforts by federal and state agencies and BP to evaluate potential injury to natural resources in the Gulf. The data and supplemental information are being made available to the public in a format that will facilitate the use of the data for research and other studies. GRIIDC is making these data available following the shutdown of the Gulf Science Data Portal. This will ensure that the data are available and searchable through GRIIDC data discovery.
Data Parameters and Units:
Analytical Chemistry for Ambient Air Samples: Data Source Retrieval Date = Date associated with when the data was retrieved from the database(MM/DD/YYYY HH:MM). Data Release Version Date = Date associated with the current data posting date (MM/DD/YYYY). Data Release Description and Version Number = A general description of data provided in the data posting (i.e., Submerged Sediment Chemistry) and a version control number. Study Reference Number = Study reference number (SRN) assigned by BP to provide a link between the data provided in the data file and the associated work plans and study descriptions ARF Number = Analytical Request Form or Analytical Service Request number associated with dataset. Not all samples have an ASR or related number. COC = The Chain of Custody Tracking Number. SDG = The Sample Delivery Group: an identifier for a batch of samples (typically 20 samples) that are simultaneously prepared, analyzed, and reported by the laboratory. Study Name = The study name used by the original investigator or by NOAA. Related studies are also grouped together under a single harmonized group study name. This study name may be referenced by some documentation and other data systems. Latitude = The north latitude, in decimal degrees, where the sample was collected. This coordinate (with the corresponding longitude) may be either the specific location of the sample or the location assigned to the station where sampling was conducted (decimal degrees). Longitude = The west longitude, in decimal degrees, where the sample was collected. See the description of the latitude column (decimal degrees). Location = A name given to the location where samples were collected. Many samples were collected opportunistically in the field, targeting observed or suspected oil presence, and the locations were not assigned a name. Therefore, not all samples have a location ID. Location Sub = The state where the sample was collected. Location Zone = The state abbreviation. Location Description = The detailed description of the Location. Interpretive Sample ID = The identifier given to represent a unique combination of location, date (and time) and depth. This identifier is part of the primary key of this table. Analytical Sample ID = The client sample identifier given to a portion of the interpretive sample, or to the whole interpretive sample, when submitted to a laboratory for analysis. There may be one or several analytical sample IDs for each interpretive sample ID. Laboratory Sample ID = The internal laboratory sample identifier for the sample. Sample Date = The date on which the sample was collected (MM/DD/YYYY). Sample Time = The time that the sample was collected (HH:MM:SS). Duration = Total sample time Sample Media = The type of material or gear used to collect the sample. Volume = The total air volume sampled. Volume Units = The units of the associated volume value (L) CTEH Sample = Type Sample type identified by CTEH (a sampling contractor); field blank, field duplicate or field sample. Sample Type = Indicates whether the sample is a natural environmental sample, a field QC sample (i.e., a blank), or a lab QC sample. Field Matrix = General description of the substance collected and submitted for analysis. Field Sample = Material Specific description of the substance collected and submitted for analysis. Parameter Type = The basic group to which the chemical belongs: VOCs, SVOCs, or hydrogen sulfide. Chemical Name = The name of the chemical analyzed. An effort has been made to harmonize the chemical naming conventions, where possible. During the ongoing QA process, this harmonization will be further refined and provided in subsequent versions of this database. Chemical Code = A standardized system-specific code to uniquely identify each chemical. Chemical codes are one-to-one homologous with chemical names. Chemical Type = Indicates whether the chemical is a target analyte or an added standard (e.g., surrogate). Concentration - NDs set MDL = The reported concentration of the chemical in the sample, or the level of quantitation for non-detect results. Unit = The units of the associated concentration value (ppm, mg/m^3, ug, ppbv, ug/m^3, ppb). Final Qualifier = The data qualifier applied after validation is complete. Validation Qualifiers = Qualifiers applied by the data validation firm. Lab Qualifiers = The data qualifiers originally applied by the analytical laboratory. Nondetect Flag = Indicates whether or not the analyte was detected in a sample. ‘Yes’ is equivalent to a qualifier that includes “U”. Validation Level = The type and amount of data validation performed. A level of “Final” indicates Level 2 validation is complete. Reporting Limit = The laboratory determined reporting limit associated with each chemical result. Method Detection = Limit The laboratory determined method detection limit associated with each chemical result. Analytical Method = Method used to produce the measured concentration as reported by the laboratory. Base Analytical Method = A generalization of the analytical method, standardized across laboratoryspecific variations in the specific analytical method to aid the data user with categorizing samples by analysis type. Dilution Factor = The factor by which the sample was diluted for analysis. Date Analyzed = The date that the sample was analyzed to produce the reported concentration. Lab = The laboratory generating analytical chemistry data for the sample. Sample Comment = Information pertaining to the sample. Results of Ambient Air Measurements: Data Source = The database source of the analytical data. Data Source Retrieval Date = Date associated with when the data was retrieved from the database (MM/DD/YYYY HH:MM). Data Release Version Date = Date associated with the current data posting date (MM/DD/YYYY). Data Release Description and Version Number = A general description of data provided in the data posting (i.e., Submerged Sediment Chemistry) and a version control number. Study Reference Number = Study reference number (SRN) assigned by BP to provide a link between the data provided in the data file and the associated work plans and study descriptions Event = A code applied to the type of monitoring program. Location Zone = The state where the sample was collected. Latitude = The north latitude, in decimal degrees, where the sample was collected. This coordinate (with the corresponding longitude) may be either the specific location of the sample or the location assigned to the station where sampling was conducted. Longitude = The west longitude, in decimal degrees, where the sample was collected. See the description of the latitude column. Instrument ID = The code used to identify the specific instrument that was used to collect the sample. Measure Date = The date that the measurement was taken (MM/DD/YYYY). Measure Time = The time that the measurement was taken (HH:MM). Field Matrix = General description of the substance collected and submitted for analysis. Chemical Code = A standardized system-specific code to uniquely identify each chemical. Chemical codes are one-to-one homologous with chemical names. Chemical Name = The name of the chemical analyzed. An effort has been made to harmonize the chemical naming conventions, where possible. During the ongoing QA process, this harmonization will be further refined and provided in subsequent versions of this database. Reported Measure = The concentration of the chemical measured by the instrument. Unit = The units of the associated measurement value (ppm, mg/m^3). Data Qualifiers = The data qualifiers originally applied. Instrument Detection Limit = The lowest concentration of an analyte that can be measured with the instrument. Nondetect Flag = Indicates whether or not the analyte was detected in a sample. ‘Yes’ is equivalent to a qualifier that includes “U”. Odor/Field Comments = Reporting of detected odor or other observations by the sampler.
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