Bathythermograph Data from the North Atlantic Ocean

Approximately 285 meters is the maximum depth of observations in this dataset of mechanical bathythermograph (MBT) readings. It contains temperature-depth profile pairs recorded at uniform 5-meter intervals from the research vessel BALD EAGLE in the North Atlantic Ocean. The data was processed by the National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC) into its standard C128 format.

Use Cases

• Analyzing the thermal structure of the upper ocean (0-285m) using temperature-depth pairs.
• Studying seasonal or spatial temperature variations in the North Atlantic using cruise date, time, and position data.
• Validating or calibrating historical oceanographic models with standardized NODC C128 format data.

Strengths

• Data is processed to a standardized NODC format (C128), ensuring consistency.
• Provides detailed vertical resolution with temperature recorded at uniform 5-meter depth intervals.
• Covers a specific, documented time period from April 27 to June 17, 1968.

Limitations

• Key metadata such as row count, file size, and specific column names are unavailable from all sources.
• Instrument limitation restricts observations to a maximum depth of approximately 285 meters, limiting analysis to upper ocean layers.
• Sources conflict on the 'last updated' date, with one listing 2026-03-05 and another listing the original collection end date of 1968-06-17.

Provenance

Source

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI).

Collection Method

Collected via mechanical bathythermograph (MBT) instrument from the vessel BALD EAGLE and processed by NODC.

Time Range

1968-04-27 to 1968-06-17

Freshness

2026-03-05 23:33:14.782117

Geography

North Atlantic Ocean.