Temperature profiles were collected via expendable bathythermographs (XBTs) from vessels like the MONTE OLIVIA and RICKMERS DALIAN. The data covers the Coastal Equatorial Atlantic and Equatorial Atlantic regions from January 2008 to December 2013. This dataset is maintained by NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI).
Use Cases
- Analyze temporal trends in ocean temperature at specific depths (e.g., temperature, depth) across the equatorial Atlantic.
- Validate satellite-derived sea surface temperature products using in-situ profile data from the ship-of-opportunity network.
- Study the vertical thermal structure (temperature vs. depth profiles) in coastal versus open-ocean equatorial regions.
- Correlate temperature anomalies with climate indices using the multi-year time series from 2008 to 2011.
Strengths
- Data collection spans nearly four years, from January 2008 to December 2011.
- Profiles cover multiple geographic regions, including the Coastal Equatorial Atlantic and Equatorial Atlantic.
- Data originates from a standardized operational program (Ship-of-Opportunity Programme).
Limitations
- The exact number of profiles (rows) and measurement depths (columns) is unknown.
- Data is over a decade old, limiting analysis of recent oceanographic changes.
- Geographic coverage is specific to ship routes, creating spatial sampling gaps.
Provenance
- Source
- NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI Accession 0085810).
- Collection Method
- Expendable bathythermograph (XBT) casts from commercial and research vessels (Ship-of-Opportunity Programme).
- Time Range
- 2008-01-10 to 2011-12-13
- Freshness
- Final data collection ended on 2011-12-13.
- Geography
- Coastal Equatorial Atlantic, Equatorial Atlantic, and other unspecified locations.