Ocean Temperature Profiles from Bathythermographs in the Pacific, 1979-1983
Updated 3mo ago
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Description
Selected depth bathythermograph (SBT) data from 22 vessels, including ALLUNGA and CORIOLIS, processed by the National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC). The data consists of temperature-depth profile pairs collected in the Bismarck Sea, Coral Sea, and other Pacific regions between June 7, 1979 and December 28, 1983. Profiles were obtained using expendable bathythermograph (XBT) instruments, with standard measurements reaching depths of 450 or 760 meters and special instruments extending to 1830 meters.
Use Cases
Modeling ocean heat content changes based on temperature-depth profiles.
Analyzing seasonal and interannual temperature variability in the western Pacific based on the 1979-1983 time range.
Calibrating or validating satellite-derived sea surface temperature (SST) products with in-situ profile data.
Studying the vertical thermal structure of different ocean basins mentioned, such as the Coral Sea or South China Sea.
Strengths
Data spans over four years, from 1979-06-07 to 1983-12-28.
Covers a wide geographic area across nine distinct seas and oceans in the Pacific.
Includes profiles from 22 different research vessels and platforms.
Processed to a standardized NODC format (C125), suggesting consistent structure.
Limitations
Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment for large-scale modeling.
Data may reflect geographic and temporal bias inherent to the specific vessel cruises during the 1979-1983 period.
Provenance
Source
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce
Collection Method
Temperature-depth profiles obtained using expendable bathythermograph (XBT) instruments from research vessels.
Time Range
1979-06-07 to 1983-12-28
Freshness
Metadata was last updated 2026-03-05 23:32:34.103845; freshness of the underlying 1979-1983 data should be verified.
Geography
Bismarck Sea, Coral Sea, East China Sea, North Pacific Ocean, Philippine Sea, Solomon Sea, South China Sea, South Pacific Ocean, Tasman Sea
License information is unknown and should be verified before use.