Shipboard XBT Temperature Profiles from 16 Vessels, 1994

NOAA NCEI data from the SEAS III program includes 1,458 bathythermograph (XBT) drops collected by 16 different ships. The data was transmitted from cruise ships to the National Ocean Service in Rockville, MD, and submitted by Chris Noe. Measurements were taken between April 16, 1994, and December 2, 1994.

Use Cases

• Analyzing historical ocean temperature profiles based on bathythermograph (XBT) data.
• Studying spatial and temporal variability of sea conditions from 16 different cruise ships.
• Validating or calibrating ocean models using in-situ temperature measurements from 1994.
• Researching the operational methods and data flow of the Shipboard Environmental data Acquisition System (SEAS) III program.

Strengths

• Contains 1,458 individual XBT drops, providing a substantial sample of ocean profiles.
• Data collected across 16 different ships, suggesting potential for spatial coverage.
• Covers a defined 8-month time range from April to December 1994.

Limitations

• Last updated 1994-12-02 00:00:00; freshness should be verified.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

NOAA_NCEI

Collection Method

Collected via Shipboard Environmental data Acquisition System (SEAS) III program and transmitted via telecommunication.

Time Range

1994-04 16 to 1994-12-02

Freshness

Historical; last updated date is 1994-12-02.

Geography

Likely covers ocean areas traversed by the 16 cruise ships; specific regions are not stated.