Data bases on ambient water and sediment quality of Galveston Bay

For many years, data relating to the quality of water and sediment in the Galveston Bay system have been collected by a variety of organizations and individual researchers. These data have greater potential value to the Galveston Bay National Estuary Program (GBNEP) and to future researchers. As a part of the GBNEP Water and Sediment Quality Status & Trends Study, which synthesized a historical depiction of the quality of the bay environments, these data were compiled into a machine-readable format. Specific parameters addressed are: nutrients (carbon, phosphorus and nitrogen); heavy metals; pesticides, herbicides and priority pollutants; chlorophyll a and pheophytin; pH; salinity; turbidity and total suspended solids (TSS); dissolved oxygen; fecal coliforms; temperature; biochemical oxygen demand (BOD); oil & grease; volatile solids; coliforms. The digital data base is composed of water-quality and sediment-quality measurements from 28 ongoing and historical data collection programs. This compilation included data from the three most important current monitoring programs in Galveston Bay: the Texas Water Commission Stream (a.k.a., Statewide, a.k.a. Surface-water) Monitoring Network (SMN), the Texas Parks and Wildlife hydrographic observations from its Coastal Fisheries program, and the hydrographic and biochemical data of the Texas State Department of Health Shellfish Sanitation Program. The important surveys and research projects sponsored by the Texas Water Development Board and maintained in its digitized Coastal Data System are included.