Atlantic Ocean Temperature Profiles from OCEANUS XBT Casts, 1978-1979

Temperature-depth profiles were collected using expendable bathythermographs from the R/V OCEANUS in the Atlantic Ocean. The dataset covers a specific period from November 29, 1978, to December 10, 1979, under the IDOE/POLYMODE project and was submitted by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Data are stored in the NODC Universal Bathythermograph Output format, recording temperature at non-uniform inflection points to define the profile curve.

Use Cases

• Analyzing vertical thermal structure in the Atlantic Ocean using paired temperature-depth values.
• Studying seasonal or temporal temperature changes from 1978 to 1979 with date and time metadata.
• Mapping oceanographic cruise tracks and sampling locations using reported position data.
• Comparing inflection-point sampling methodology against uniform-depth profiles like MBT data.

Strengths

• Data originates from a major oceanographic institution (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution) and a coordinated international project (IDOE/POLYMODE).
• Profiles capture temperature at inflection points, optimizing data to define the thermal curve accurately.
• The temporal coverage is precisely documented for a continuous 13-month period from late 1978 to late 1979.

Limitations

• Critical metadata such as row count, file size, and specific column names are unavailable across all sources.
• There is a conflict in the 'last updated' date between platforms, with one reporting 1979-12 10 and another reporting 2026-03-06.
• The maximum profile depth is instrument-dependent (450m, 760m, or 1830m), but the specific instrument used per cast is not detailed.

Provenance

Source

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), submitted as part of the IDOE/POLYMODE project.

Collection Method

Collected using bathythermograph (BT/XBT) casts from the R/V OCEANUS and processed by NODC into the Universal Bathythermograph Output (UBT) format.

Time Range

1978-11-29 to 1979-12-10

Freshness

2026-03-06 00:13:36.283526

Geography

Atlantic Ocean, specific cruise tracks from the R/V OCEANUS.