Global Shipboard Bathythermograph Data from 1993 to 1994

44 files of oceanographic data were collected from over 30 different ships as part of the Shipboard Environmental data Acquisition System (SEAS) III program. The bathythermograph (XBT) data spans from May 5, 1993, to October 26, 1994. Chris Noe submitted the data to the National Oceanographic Data Center after it was transmitted from cruise ships to the National Ocean Service in Rockville, MD.

Use Cases

• Analyzing historical ocean temperature profiles based on bathythermograph (XBT) data.
• Studying spatial and temporal variability of sea conditions based on data from over 30 ships.
• Validating or calibrating ocean model hindcasts based on the 1993-1994 time range.
• Researching data collection and telecommunication methods of the SEAS III program.

Strengths

• Data collection involved over 30 different ships, suggesting broad spatial coverage.
• Covers a specific 17-month time period from May 1993 to October 1994.
• Contains 44 files of data from a defined program (SEAS III).

Limitations

• Last updated 1994 - 10 - 26 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 National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI).

Collection Method

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

Time Range

1993-05 05 to 1994-10-26

Freshness

Historical; data collection ended in 1994.

Geography

World-wide distribution, from ships including the VINA DEL MAR.