North Atlantic XBT Temperature Profiles from Ships of Opportunity (1984-2000)

7214 expendable bathythermograph (XBT) temperature profiles were collected from commercial and research vessels across the North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans. The UK Hydrographic Office's Maritime Environment Information Centre compiled this five-year archive covering 1995 to 2000, with data extending back to 1984. Observations were previously distributed annually through international oceanographic data centers like ICES and US NODC.

Use Cases

• Analyzing decadal temperature trends in the upper ocean using depth and temperature columns.
• Calibrating or validating ocean circulation models with in-situ profile data.
• Studying the spatial distribution of heat content across shipping routes in the North Atlantic.
• Assessing data quality and coverage from Ships of Opportunity programs.

Strengths

• Contains 7214 individual temperature profile observations.
• Compiled by a recognized national hydrographic office (UKHO).
• Covers a multi-decade time range from 1984 to 2000.

Limitations

• Specific column names and data structure are not documented in the provided sources.
• Conflicting last update dates exist between platforms (2000-12 31 vs. 2026-04-01).
• The dataset's exact spatial resolution and completeness per year are unspecified.

Provenance

Source

Maritime Environment Information Centre at the UK Hydrographic Office (UKHO), released through NOAA NCEI.

Collection Method

Archived observations from Ships of Opportunity (SOOP) XBT deployments.

Time Range

1984 to 2000

Freshness

2026-04-01 15:07:25.104877

Geography

North Atlantic, Arctic, and other unspecified locations along shipping routes.