1941-06-04 to 1988-02-16 temperature-depth profile data collected globally using mechanical bathythermograph (MBT) instruments. The dataset was processed by the National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC) into the C128 standard format. It contains cruise information, date, position, time, and paired temperature-depth values.
Use Cases
- Analyze upper ocean thermal structure using temperature measurements at uniform 5-meter depth intervals.
- Model sea surface temperature trends over time using the reported date and position fields.
- Correlate cruise information and location data with other historical oceanographic records.
- Study the maximum observed depth of approximately 285 meters for mechanical bathythermograph data limitations.
Strengths
- 47-year temporal coverage from 1941 to 1988.
- Global spatial coverage from numerous platforms in oceans and seas worldwide.
- Standardized C128 format with consistent temperature-depth pairs and cruise metadata.
Limitations
- Data is limited to the upper ocean, with a maximum depth of approximately 285 meters.
- No information on total row count, sample size, or data density is provided.
- Data collection ended in 1988, making it stale for contemporary climate studies.
Provenance
- Source
- NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI).
- Collection Method
- Data collected via mechanical bathythermograph (MBT) casts from ships and processed by NODC to the C128 standard format.
- Time Range
- 1941-06-04 to 1988-02-16.
- Freshness
- Data collection ended on 1988-02 16; no updates expected.
- Geography
- Global coverage from numerous platforms in oceans and seas worldwide.