Geochemical data to characterize physical and chemical properties of the Cenote Bang, a component of the Ox Bel Ha cave network within the subterranean estuary coastal aquifer of the Yucatan Peninsula, from December 2013 to January 2016

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Frequently anticipated questions:

What does this data set describe?

Title:
Geochemical data to characterize physical and chemical properties of the Cenote Bang, a component of the Ox Bel Ha cave network within the subterranean estuary coastal aquifer of the Yucatan Peninsula, from December 2013 to January 2016
Abstract:
Subterranean estuaries extend inland into density-stratified coastal carbonate aquifers that contain a surprising diversity of endemic animals (mostly crustaceans) within a highly oligotrophic environment. How complex ecosystems thrive in this globally-distributed, cryptic habitat (termed anchialine) is poorly understood. The northeastern margin of the Yucatan Peninsula contains over 250 km of mapped, diver-accessible caves passages where previous studies have suggested chemoautotrophic processes are the source of carbon and energy sustaining the anchialine food web. This dataset, collected during four field events during U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Coastal and Marine Geology Program Field Activities 2015-013-FA and 2016-003-FA in conjunction with Texas A&M University reports geochemical properties of the water column from Cenote Bang, a component of the Ox Bel Ha cave network that is located 5 km inland from the coast.
Supplemental_Information:
Additional information regarding the field activities is available from U.S. Geological Survey Coastal and Marine Geoscience Data System (CMGDS).
FAN 2015-013-FA: https://cmgds.marine.usgs.gov/fan_info.php?fan=2015-013-FA.
FAN 2016-003-FA: https://cmgds.marine.usgs.gov/fan_info.php?fan=2016-003-FA.
  1. How might this data set be cited?
    Pohlman, John W, and Brankovits, David, 2017, Geochemical data to characterize physical and chemical properties of the Cenote Bang, a component of the Ox Bel Ha cave network within the subterranean estuary coastal aquifer of the Yucatan Peninsula, from December 2013 to January 2016: data release DOI:10.5066/F7DJ5DJW, U.S. Geological Survey, Coastal and Marine Geology Program, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center, Woods Hole, MA.

    Online Links:

    This is part of the following larger work.

    Pohlman, John W, and Brankovits, David, 2017, Water column physical and chemical properties of Cenote Bang, a component of the Ox Bel Ha cave network within the subterranean estuary coastal aquifer of the Yucatan Peninsula, from December 2013 to January 2016: data release DOI:10.5066/F7DJ5DJW, U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA.

    Online Links:

    Other_Citation_Details:
    Suggested citation: Pohlman, J.W., and Brankovits, David, 2017, Water column physical and chemical properties of Cenote Bang, a component of the Ox Bel Ha cave network within the subterranean estuary coastal aquifer of the Yucatan Peninsula, from December 2013 to January 2016: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/F7DJ5DJW.
  2. What geographic area does the data set cover?
    West_Bounding_Coordinate: -87.5693
    East_Bounding_Coordinate: -87.41655884
    North_Bounding_Coordinate: 20.28293751
    South_Bounding_Coordinate: 20.10841783
  3. What does it look like?
    https://www.sciencebase.gov/catalog/file/get/595540e7e4b04e08be532852?name=CenoteBang_geochemdata_browse.jpg (JPEG)
    Depth-property plots (concentration and carbon isotopic composition) for dissolved organic and inorganic carbon compounds. Symbols of individual data points contain the uncertainty of the measured values.
  4. Does the data set describe conditions during a particular time period?
    Calendar_Date: 05-Dec-2013
    Currentness_Reference:
    Data were collected by AAUS (American Academy of Underwater Sciences) and United States Geological Survey (USGS) sanctioned dives during the days listed in the Time_Period Information. These data were not collected as part of a long-term monitoring program.
  5. What is the general form of this data set?
    Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: comma-separated values file
  6. How does the data set represent geographic features?
    1. How are geographic features stored in the data set?
      This is a Point data set. It contains the following vector data types (SDTS terminology):
      • Point (62)
    2. What coordinate system is used to represent geographic features?
      Horizontal positions are specified in geographic coordinates, that is, latitude and longitude. Latitudes are given to the nearest 0.00001. Longitudes are given to the nearest 0.00001. Latitude and longitude values are specified in decimal degrees. The horizontal datum used is World Geodetic System 1984.
      The ellipsoid used is WGS 84.
      The semi-major axis of the ellipsoid used is 6378137.
      The flattening of the ellipsoid used is 1/298.257.
  7. How does the data set describe geographic features?
    CenoteBangGeochemData_2013-2016
    Aquatic geochemical data from samples collected from Cenote Bang and coastal water in the Yucatan Peninsula near the city of Tulum between December 2013 and January 2016. (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)
    Location
    General description of location where samples were obtained (Source: U.S. Geological Survey) Character set (text).
    Latitude
    Latitude as determined by Garmin Garmin GPSmap 60CSx GPS in decimal degrees north. (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)
    Range of values
    Minimum:20.17195
    Maximum:20.21026
    Units:decimal degrees
    Longitude
    Longitude as determined by Garmin GPSmap 60CSx GPS in decimal degrees west. (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)
    Range of values
    Minimum:87.44721
    Maximum:87.50107
    Units:decimal degrees
    Station
    Text description of sampling location (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)
    ValueDefinition
    Cenote PoolFlooded sinkhole that provides entry into cave system
    Cave PassageFlooded cave connected to surface through the cenote
    Coastal WaterNearshore location where coastal marine water samples were collected
    Sample_ID
    Format for sample id for the study. YUC represents "Yucatan Peninsula," and the numeric code is the unique identifier. (Source: U.S. Geological Survey) Character set (text).
    Depth (m)
    Water depth where sample was collected by diver, obtained with a Piezo-resistive depth sensor in Shearwater Petrel dive computer. (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)
    Range of values
    Minimum:1
    Maximum:21.8
    Units:meters
    Collection Date (MM/DD/YYYY)
    Calendar date water sample was collected in the format MM/DD/YYYY (Source: U.S. Geological Survey) Character set (text).
    Salinity (psu)
    Salinity value of water sample calculated by multiplying the ion chromatograph determined chloride concentration by 0.0018066 (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)
    Range of values
    Minimum:0.14
    Maximum:36.38
    Units:unitless
    Chloride (millimolar, mM)
    Chloride concentration of water sample measured by ion chromatography. Blank values indicate sample was either not collected or has not been analyzed. (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)
    Range of values
    Minimum:2.25
    Maximum:567.93
    Units:millimolar (mM)
    Sulfate (milliM)
    Sulfate concentration of water sample measured by ion chromatography. Blank values indicate sample was either not collected or has not been analyzed. (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)
    Range of values
    Minimum:0.10
    Maximum:29.36
    Units:millimolar (mM)
    SO4/Cl
    Calculated ratio of sulfate to chloride concentration of the water sample. Blank values indicate data from inputs not available. (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)
    Range of values
    Minimum:0.044
    Maximum:0.104
    Units:unitless
    DIC (milliM)
    Dissolved inorganic concentration of the water samples as measured by coulometry. Blank values indicate sample was either not collected or has not been analyzed. (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)
    Range of values
    Minimum:1.72
    Maximum:8.10
    Units:millimolar (mM)
    delta13C-DIC (permil)
    Carbon isotopic ratio (13C/12C) of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) of the water samples relative to the Vienna Pee Dee Belemnite (VPDB) standard expressed in the standard permil notation. Blank values indicate sample was either not collected or has not been analyzed. (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)
    Range of values
    Minimum:-22.34
    Maximum:-0.13
    Units:per mil relative to VPDB
    CH4 (nanoM)
    Dissolved methane concentration of the water sample determined by analysis by gas chromatography flame-ionization detection. Blank values indicate sample was either not collected or has not been analyzed. (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)
    Range of values
    Minimum:36.45
    Maximum:9522.43
    Units:nanomolar (nM)
    delta13C-CH4 (permil)
    Carbon isotopic ratio (13C/12C) of dissolved methane (CH4) in the water sample relative to the Vienna Pee Dee Belemnite (VPDB) standard expressed in the standard permil notation. Blank values indicate sample was either not collected or has not been analyzed. (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)
    Range of values
    Minimum:-69.16
    Maximum:-34.34
    Units:per mil relative to VPDB
    DOC (micromolar)
    Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) of the water sample determined by high temperature combustion (HTC) oxidation. Blank values indicate sample was either not collected or has not been analyzed. (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)
    Range of values
    Minimum:15.29
    Maximum:834.06
    Units:micromolar (micromolar)
    delta13C-DOC
    Carbon isotopic ratio (13C/12C) of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) of the water sample relative to the Vienna Pee Dee Belemnite (VPDB) standard expressed in the standard permil notation. Blank values indicate sample was either not collected or has not been analyzed. (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)
    Range of values
    Minimum:-30.89
    Maximum:-25.85
    Units:per mil relative to VPDB
    Entity_and_Attribute_Overview:
    These data are also available in a XLSX format. The first line of the CSV file is a header line and those labels are the same as the third row of the Excel spreadsheet. The first row of the Excel spreadsheet identifies the project and its duration. The second row is the same information as these attributes, but some columns include special characters.
    Entity_and_Attribute_Detail_Citation: U.S. Geological Survey

Who produced the data set?

  1. Who are the originators of the data set? (may include formal authors, digital compilers, and editors)
    • John W Pohlman
    • David Brankovits
  2. Who also contributed to the data set?
  3. To whom should users address questions about the data?
    U.S. Geological Survey
    Attn: John W. Pohlman
    Research Geochemist
    Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center
    Woods Hole, MA
    USA

    508-548-8700 x2213 (voice)
    508-457-2310 (FAX)
    jpohlman@usgs.gov

Why was the data set created?

These data are used to characterize the habitat and constrain the biogeochemical processes that support anchialine habitat ecosystems. The geochemical data are used to identify details about the carbon cycle in the subterranean estuary.

How was the data set created?

  1. From what previous works were the data drawn?
  2. How were the data generated, processed, and modified?
    Date: 2016 (process 1 of 3)
    Discrete water samples were collected from Cenote Bang during four sampling events: December 2013, August 2014, January 2015, and January 2016. Cenote and cave samples were collected by scuba divers followed protocols established by the American Academy of Underwater Sciences and the National Speleological Society Cave Diving Section. Water samples for geochemical analysis of dissolved materials were collected near sonde profile locations in plastic 60 ml syringes fitted with 3-way stopcocks. The syringes were rinsed with distilled water and dried prior to the dive, and flushed with sample water prior to closing the stopcock. Samples were kept cool during transport to the field lab and processed within eight hours of collection.
    Full details related to the processing of the samples, storage, and analysis are provided in the Methods section and Supplementary Materials of Brankovits and others, 2017, Methane- and dissolved organic carbon-fueled microbial loop supports a tropical subterranean estuary ecosystem, Nature Communications, vol. XXX, XXXX. Processing took place each year of data collection - 2013 to 2016. Person who carried out this activity:
    US Geological Survey
    Attn: John Pohlman
    Research Geochemist
    Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center
    Woods Hole, MA

    508-548-8700 x2213 (voice)
    jpohlman@usgs.gov
    Date: 2016 (process 2 of 3)
    Analysis of the samples was performed at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) and U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in Woods Hole MA, USA. Sulfate and chloride concentrations were determined using a Metrohm 881 Compact Plus ion chromatograph (IC) equipped with a Metrosep A Supp 5-250 anion column. Chloride concentrations (mM) were converted to mg l-1 and multiplied by 0.0018066 to determine salinity (psu). The analytical error for chloride and sulfate was +/- 3.5% of the IAPSO standard sulfate and chloride values.
    Dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) concentrations were determined with a Model 5011 UIC coulometer and quantified relative to a seawater certified reference material (CRM) with a relative standard deviation of 4% relative to the CRM value (2.2 millimolar, mM). The stable carbon isotopic content of the DIC was measured with a Thermo-Finnigan DELTAplus XP IRMS with an analytical error (1-sigma) of 1.1 per mil.
    Headspace methane concentrations were determined using a Shimadzu 14-B gas chromatograph (GC) equipped with a flame ionization detector (FID). Headspace concentrations were converted to dissolved concentrations using the method of Magen and others, 2014 and are reported with an relative standard deviation of 2%.
    The stable carbon isotope composition of methane from the headspace of the serum vials was determined using a Thermo-Finnigan DELTAPlus XL isotope ratio mass spectrometer (IRMS) coupled to an Agilent 6890 Gas Chromatograph (GC) via a Finnigan GCCIII combustion interface with 1-sigma deviation of 1.6 per mil.
    DOC concentration and d13C were analyzed by high-temperature combustion-isotope ratio mass spectrometry (HTC-IRMS) at the USGS-WHOI Dissolved Carbon Isotope Lab (DCIL). The DCIL HTC-IRMS system consists of an OI 1030C total carbon analyzer and a Graden molecular sieve trap interfaced to a Thermo-Finnigan DELTA-PLUS XL IRMS. DOC concentratins are reported with an RSD of less than 5% of the measured value. Stable carbon isotope ratios for DIC, methane and DOC are reported in the standard delta-notation relative to VPDB (Vienna Pee Dee Belemnite) with a 1-sigma deviation of less than 0.5 per mil.
    All sample analyses were performed by David Brankovits under the supervision of John Pohlman. Full details of the laboratory analysis of samples is described in the Methods section and Supplementary Materials of Brankovits and others, 2017, Methane- and dissolved organic carbon-fueled microbial loop supports a tropical subterranean estuary ecosystem, Nature Communications, vol. XXX, XXXX. Sample processing occured between 2014 and 2016. Person who carried out this activity:
    US Geological Survey
    Attn: John Pohlman
    Research Geochemist
    Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center
    Woods Hole, MA

    508-548-8700 x2213 (voice)
    jpohlman@usgs.gov
    Date: 07-Aug-2020 (process 3 of 3)
    Added keywords section with USGS persistent identifier as theme keyword. Person who carried out this activity:
    U.S. Geological Survey
    Attn: VeeAnn A. Cross
    Marine Geologist
    384 Woods Hole Road
    Woods Hole, MA

    508-548-8700 x2251 (voice)
    508-457-2310 (FAX)
    vatnipp@usgs.gov
  3. What similar or related data should the user be aware of?
    Brankovits, David, Pohlman, John W, Niemann, Helge, Leigh, Mary Beth, Leewis, Mary Catherine, Becker, Kevin W, Iliffe, Thomas M, Alvarez, Fernando, Lehmann, Moritz F., and Phillips, Bil, 2017, Methane- and dissolved organic carbon-fueled microbial loop supports a tropical subterranean estuary ecosystem: Nature Communications 8, Macmillan Publishers Limited, London, United Kingdom.

    Online Links:

    Magen, C., Lapham, L., Pohlman, J.W., Marshall, K., Bosman, S., Casso, M., and Chanton, J., 2014, A simple headspace equilibration method for measuring dissolved methane: Limnology and Oceanography: Methods 12:637-650.

How reliable are the data; what problems remain in the data set?

  1. How well have the observations been checked?
    The accuracy of each attribute is determined by that analysis specific to that attribute, and is provided in the process step for each measurement
  2. How accurate are the geographic locations?
    The horizonal position (coordinates) of the entrance pool of Cenote Bang was obtained with a Garmin GPSmap 60CSx GPS, which has a positional accuracy of less than 10 meters. Coordinates for the locations where the individual profiles were collected are not available because the GPS does not operate in overhead or underwater settings. The bounding coordinates provided in this data release incorporate the horizontal extent of the passages investigated in this study. However, as stated previously, the precise locations of the passages are unknown.
  3. How accurate are the heights or depths?
    The depth associated with each sample was obtained from the collecting divers depth gauge, which is accurate to +/- 0.3 m.
  4. Where are the gaps in the data? What is missing?
    For missing values, the sample was either not collected, lost in shipping or has not been analyzed. The condition of the missing values (e.g., not collected, lost in shipping or not analyzed), is not specified.
  5. How consistent are the relationships among the observations, including topology?
    All data provided in this release were obtained by PhD student DAvid Brankovits under the supervison of USGS Research Geochemist John Pohlman.

How can someone get a copy of the data set?

Are there legal restrictions on access or use of the data?
Access_Constraints: None.
Use_Constraints: None
  1. Who distributes the data set? (Distributor 1 of 1)
    U.S. Geological Survey - ScienceBase
    Denver Federal Center, Building 810, Mail Stop 302
    Denver, CO

    1-888-275-8747 (voice)
    sciencebase@usgs.gov
  2. What's the catalog number I need to order this data set? The geochemical dataset contains the following files: CenoteBangGeochemData_2013-2016.xlsx (data in an Excel spreadsheet), CenoteBangGeochemData_2013-2016.csv (same data in a comma-separated text file) and FGDC CSDGM metadata in XML, text and HTML formats.
  3. What legal disclaimers am I supposed to read?
    Neither the U.S. Government, the Department of the Interior, nor the USGS, nor any of their employees, contractors, or subcontractors, make any warranty, express or implied, nor assume any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, nor represent that its use would not infringe on privately owned rights. The act of distribution shall not constitute any such warranty, and no responsibility is assumed by the USGS in the use of these data or related materials. Any use of trade, product, or firm names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.
  4. How can I download or order the data?
  5. What hardware or software do I need in order to use the data set?
    The data are available in XLSX and CSV formats. The user must have software capable of reading the data formats.

Who wrote the metadata?

Dates:
Last modified: 07-Aug-2020
Metadata author:
U.S. Geological Survey
Attn: John Pohlman
Research Geochemist
384 Woods Hole Rd.
Woods Hole, MA

508-548-8700 x2213 (voice)
508-457-2310 (FAX)
jpohlman@usgs.gov
Metadata standard:
FGDC Content Standards for Digital Geospatial Metadata (FGDC-STD-001-1998)
This page is <https://cmgds.marine.usgs.gov/catalog/whcmsc/SB_data_release/DR_F7DJ5DJW/CenoteBang_geochemdata_meta.faq.html>
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