Abstract:

These data are compiled from 21 different publications dated between 1963 and 2011. They contain stable carbon isotope (d13C) values measured in core-top sediments, surface grab sediments, and other sediment samples from the sediment-water interface. All samples in this compilation were taken before the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill even if the publication date is after that event. The compilation also includes some stable isotope measurements from carbonate in the same samples and radiocarbon (14C) data. This data set and figures derived from it are featured in a manuscript submitted and in review in Deep Sea Research II. These data are useful for comparison to after-spill measurements of the same basic parameters. This dataset was created by the Consortium for Advanced Research on Transport of Hydrocarbon in the Environment (CARTHE). This research was made possible by a grant from BP/The Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative. It is currently part of a manuscript, “Employing extant stable carbon isotope data in Gulf of Mexico sedimentary organic matter for oil spill studies,” by Brad E. Rosenheim, Matthew Pendergraft, George C. Flowers, Robert Carney, José Sericano, Reda M. Amer, Jeff Chanton, Zeynep Dincer, and Terry Wade, currently under revision with the peer-reviewed journal Deep Sea Research II.

Suggested Citation:

Rosenheim, Brad E.. 2013. CARTHE: Historical stable carbon isotope (d13C) data from bottom sediments in the Gulf of Mexico (1963 to 2010).. Distributed by: GRIIDC, Harte Research Institute, Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi. doi:10.7266/N77P8W99

Publications:

Rosenheim, B. E., Pendergraft, M. A., Flowers, G. C., Carney, R., Sericano, J. L., Amer, R. M., … Wade, T. L. (2014). Employing extant stable carbon isotope data in Gulf of Mexico sedimentary organic matter for oil spill studies. Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography. doi:10.1016/j.dsr2.2014.03.020

Purpose:

The purpose of this dataset is to provide users with a compilation of pre-Deepwater Horizon sedimentary data measured throughout the Gulf of Mexico for comparison to the post-spill bottom sediment. The data come from 20 peer-reviewed research articles and 1 government report.

Data Parameters and Units:

The historical data are aligned into the following columns: 1. Reference number (bibliographic – these numbers are referenced to the different rows in the bibliographic data set). 2. Identification of the sites in the published work 3. Latitude (decimal degrees) 4. Longitude (decimal degrees) 5. International isotope scale. 0 means no scale noted, 1 is PDB, 2 is NBS-20, and 3 is NBS-1 6. Stable carbon isotope value reported for sedimentary organic material. Nan means no data reported. 7. 1-sigma deviation to reported stable carbon isotope values in column 6. Nan means no data reported. 8. Stable carbon isotope value reported sedimentary carbonate minerals. Nan means no data reported. 9. 1-sigma deviation to reported stable carbon isotope values in column 8. Nan means no data reported. 10. Radiocarbon (14-C) content of sedimentary organic material, reported as in publication or converted to D14C using the formulae D14C=(fractionmodern-1)*1000 and D14C=(exp(age/-8033)-1)*1000 11. 1-sigma deviation to reported stable carbon isotope values in column 10. Nan means no data reported. 12. Radiocarbon (14-C) content of carbonate minerals in sediments, reported as in column 10. 13. 1-sigma deviation to reported stable carbon isotope values in column 12. Nan means no data reported. 14. Reported depth of sample, in meters. Nan means no data reported. 15. Depth of sample within core or sediment sample, in centimeters. Nan means no data reported. 16. Stable carbon isotope of bulk sediment if no effort to separate mineral fraction from organic fractions was reported. 17. Sample type – 1 – terrigenous input likely, 2 – hydrocarbon seep input likely, 3 – ambient sediment 18. GIS depth. These depths are from Gulf of Mexico geo-referenced bathymetry, available from the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Association’s National Geophysical Data Center, coupled with GIS techniques using the coordinates of the sample to ascertain the accuracy of the reported depth and georeference.

Methods:

Various methods, described in the original works describing the data. Bibliographic information included.

Instruments:

Various instruments, described in the original works describing the data. Bibliographic information included.

Provenance and Historical References:

The bibliographic data are aligned into the following columns: 1. Reference Number 2. Publication Year 3. Family name of first author 4. Journal 5. Article Title

Individual Files: