Trace metals in sediment cores collected during the R/V Justo Sierra cruise and coastal sampling in the southern Gulf of Mexico from 2015-07-31 to 2016-08-10

This dataset reports trace element enrichment trends during the past century using 210Pb-dated sediment cores from 2015-07-31 to 2016-08-10. Ten 210Pb-dated sediment cores from the southern Gulf of Mexico were collected during the R/V Justo Sierra-Southern Gulf and Ixtoc I cruise, and three sediment cores were collected during C-IMAGE II coastal Mexico oiling summer sampling. The data include trace elements (Na, Al, Si, Cl, K, Ca, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Br, Sr, Mo, Ba, and Pb), percent loss-on-ignition, sand, clay, and silt. The R/V Justo Sierra-Southern Gulf and Ixtoc I cruise goal was to characterize the distribution and fate of oiled sediment at sites on the continental shelf and slope of the southern Gulf of Mexico with reference to the Ixtoc blowout (1979-1980). The cruise was led by chief scientist Dr. David Hollander from 2015-07-29 to 2015-08-11. This dataset supports the publication: Ruiz-Fernández, A. C., Sanchez-Cabeza, J. A., Pérez-Bernal, L. H., & Gracia, A. (2019). Spatial and temporal distribution of heavy metal concentrations and enrichment in the southern Gulf of Mexico. Science of The Total Environment, 651, 3174–3186. doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.10.109