Historical South China Sea Temperature Profiles from USS Maury

Temperature-depth profiles from mechanical bathythermograph (MBT) casts conducted by the USS Maury in the South China Sea over three days in May 1962. The dataset, processed by the National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC) into the C128 standard format, contains pairs of temperature and depth values recorded at uniform 5-meter intervals. This data captures the thermal structure of the ocean's upper layers to a maximum depth of approximately 285 meters.

Use Cases

• Analyzing the thermal structure of the upper ocean (0-285m) using paired temperature-depth values.
• Studying short-term temperature variability in the South China Sea using data from a specific three-day cruise.
• Validating or calibrating regional ocean models with historical in-situ temperature profile data.
• Researching historical naval oceanographic survey methods and data formats (NODC C128).

Strengths

• Data is processed to a documented standard format (NODC C128), ensuring structural consistency.
• Provides precise temporal (1962-05-04 to 1962-05-06) and spatial (South China Sea) context for each observation.
• Temperature values are recorded at uniform 5-meter depth intervals, facilitating systematic analysis of the water column.

Limitations

• The dataset's exact row count and column names are not provided by the source platforms.
• MBT instrument limitations restrict observations to a maximum depth of ~285m, excluding deeper ocean layers.
• Conflicting 'last updated' dates exist between platforms (2026-04-01 on Data.gov vs. 1962-05-06 on NASA EarthData).

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce

Collection Method

Mechanical bathythermograph (MBT) casts from the USS Maury, processed by NODC.

Time Range

1962-05-04 to 1962-05-06

Freshness

2026-04-01 15:20:49.797180

Geography

South China Sea