Historical North Pacific Upper Ocean Temperature Profiles from BLACK DOUGLAS

1950-11-17 to 1950-11-29 temperature-depth profiles from the research vessel BLACK DOUGLAS in the North Pacific Ocean. The dataset contains mechanical bathythermograph (MBT) observations processed into the NODC standard C128 format, with temperature recorded at uniform 5-meter intervals down to approximately 285 meters. Data was collected and processed by the National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC) under the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Use Cases

• Analyzing the vertical thermal structure of the upper ocean (0-285m) using paired temperature-depth values.
• Studying short-term ocean temperature variability during a specific cruise from November 17-29, 1950.
• Correlating ocean surface conditions with subsurface thermal layers using cruise date, position, and time metadata.
• Providing historical baseline data for climate change studies on upper ocean heat content.

Strengths

• Data is formatted to a recognized standard (NODC C128 format) ensuring structural consistency.
• Provides a focused 13-day time series from a single research cruise, offering temporal coherence.
• Temperature measurements are recorded at uniform 5-meter depth intervals, facilitating systematic analysis.
• Cross-platform presence (Data.gov, NASA Earthdata) indicates recognized archival importance.

Limitations

• Key metadata such as row count, file size, specific column names, and license are unavailable from all sources.
• Instrument limitation: MBT maximum depth is ~285m, restricting analysis to the upper ocean only.
• A conflict exists in the 'last updated' metadata between platforms (2026-04-01 vs. 1950-11-29).

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce (via National Oceanographic Data Center).

Collection Method

Mechanical bathythermograph (MBT) instrument measurements processed to NODC standard C128 format.

Time Range

1950-11-17 to 1950-11 29

Freshness

2026-04-01 15:22:53.712079

Geography

North Pacific Ocean (specific cruise track of BLACK DOUGLAS).