Historical XBT Temperature Profiles from Three Vessels in the Bering Sea

Three vessels collected temperature-depth profiles in the Bering Sea and North Pacific Ocean from January 30 to March 3, 1982. The National Oceanographic Data Center processed the data into the standard C116/C118 format, which records temperature at non-uniform inflection points to define the profile curve. This dataset represents a specific historical snapshot of ocean conditions.

Use Cases

• Analyzing vertical temperature structure in the Bering Sea using paired temperature-depth values.
• Studying historical oceanographic conditions from specific cruises (ALASKA MARU, ELBA EXPRESS, JAPAN ACE).
• Comparing temperature profiles recorded at non-uniform inflection points against models or modern data.

Strengths

• Data is processed to the NODC standard C116/C118 format, ensuring a known structure.
• Provides a specific temporal snapshot from a defined 33-day period in early 1982.
• Covers a specific geographic area (Bering Sea and North Pacific Ocean) from three named vessels.

Limitations

• Key metadata conflicts: row count, column names, and license are listed as 'unknown' or 'None' across all platforms.
• The dataset is limited to a very short time range (33 days) and only three vessels.
• The exact number of profiles and measurement depths is unspecified.

Provenance

Source

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI).

Collection Method

Collected via expendable bathythermograph (XBT) instruments from research vessels and processed by NODC.

Time Range

1982-01-30 to 1982-03-03

Freshness

2026-04-01 15:27:09.441929

Geography

Bering Sea and North Pacific Ocean.