Abstract:

The dataset contains conductivity-temperature-depth casts performed in the Mississippi Bight 2016-02-10 - 2016-02-13. Data were collected about R/V Point Sur cruise PS1617 (cruise DOI https:\\doi.org/10.7284/909382). The dataset includes time, longitude, latitude, salinity, temperature, depth, nitrogen, fluorescence, density, and oxygen.

Suggested Citation:

Jeffrey Book. 2017. CTD casts taken in wintertime Mississippi River flood and after the opening of the Bonnet Carré Spillway (BONCARRS), Louisiana, February 2016. Distributed by: GRIIDC, Harte Research Institute, Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi. doi:10.7266/N73B5XKG

Publications:

Parra, S. M., Sanial, V., Boyette, A. D., Cambazoglu, M. K., Soto, I. M., Greer, A. T., … Dinniman, M. S. (2020). Bonnet Carré Spillway freshwater transport and corresponding biochemical properties in the Mississippi Bight. Continental Shelf Research, 199, 104114. doi:10.1016/j.csr.2020.104114

Purpose:

In 2015, mild wintertime temperatures and heavy rainfall throughout the Mississippi River (MSR) drainage basin led to elevated river stages and significant flooding of its tributaries. Under normal flow conditions, the MSR empties into the northern Gulf of Mexico via the Birdfoot Delta Complex (BDC) and Atchafalaya River. But, historically high discharge prompted the Army Corps of Engineers to open the Bonnet Carré Spillway (BCS) on January 10, 2016 to relieve pressure on levees, thus marking the 11th time the BCS had been opened since 1931 and the earliest opening of the spillway in its 85-year history. To address the physical and ecological impacts of a large freshwater diversion on regional coastal ecosystems, CONCORDE organized a highly collaborative investigation with other GoMRI consortia ECOGIG, ACER, DEEPEND, and CARTHE along the western portion of the Mississippi Bight one month after BCS opening. Here we describe the physical, optical, and biogeochemical data obtained from the conductivity-temperature-depth casts performed during the fieldwork in the Mississippi Bight after the exceptional flooding and subsequent BCS opening.

Data Parameters and Units:

time (julian days of 2016); longitude (decimal degrees); latitude (decimal degrees); depth (m); temperature (Celsius); salinity (PSU); nitrogen saturation (mL/L); fluorescence, WET Labs ECO-AFL/FL (mg/m^3); density (kg/m3); dissolved oxygen (mg/L); difference between oxygen sensors (mg/L); oxygen raw (V)

Individual Files: