Historical Bathythermograph Data from USS Blue in the Western Pacific

285 meters is the maximum observation depth for these mechanical bathythermograph (MBT) records. The dataset contains temperature-depth profile pairs from the USS BLUE, collected in the East China Sea, North Pacific Ocean, Philippine Sea, and South China Sea. Data was processed by the National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC) into the standard C128 format.

Use Cases

• Analyzing the thermal structure of the upper ocean (up to 285m) using temperature-depth value pairs.
• Studying seasonal or interannual temperature variability in the western Pacific from 1951 to 1959.
• Validating ocean model outputs for historical periods using cruise-based profile data.
• Mapping spatial temperature distributions in the East China Sea, Philippine Sea, and South China Sea.

Strengths

• Data is standardized to the NODC C128 format, ensuring a consistent structure.
• Temperature observations are recorded at uniform 5-meter depth intervals, facilitating analysis.
• Covers an eight-year time range (1951-1959) from a specific vessel's cruises.
• Provides precise metadata for each observation, including date, position, and time.

Limitations

• Row count, total size, and specific column names are not provided by any source.
• The maximum depth of 285 meters limits analysis to the upper ocean layers only.
• Sources conflict on the 'last updated' date, with one showing 2026 and another 1959.

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce

Collection Method

Collected using mechanical bathythermograph (MBT) instruments and processed by NODC.

Time Range

1951-09-01 to 1959-06-11

Freshness

2026-03-06 00:05:20.129950

Geography

East China Sea, North Pacific Ocean, Philippine Sea, South China Sea