Historical Bathythermograph Profiles from the North Pacific Ocean

Bathythermograph (MBT) data from the vessel CAPITAN TONO provides temperature-depth profiles for the upper ocean layers. The dataset contains observations processed to the NODC standard C128 format, recorded in the North Pacific Ocean during a two-week cruise in September 1958. It was collected and processed by the National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC) under the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Use Cases

• Analyzing the thermal structure of the upper ocean (up to ~285m) using paired temperature-depth values.
• Studying short-term oceanographic variability during a specific cruise from September 10-24, 1958.
• Investigating historical ocean conditions using data formatted to the standardized NODC C128 format.
• Correlating temperature profiles with reported cruise information, date, position, and time for each observation.

Strengths

• Data is processed to a recognized standard format (NODC C128), ensuring consistency.
• Provides a focused temporal snapshot with a clear 14-day observation period from 1958-09 10 to 1958-09-24.
• Temperature data is recorded at uniform 5-meter depth intervals, facilitating systematic analysis.

Limitations

• The maximum observation depth is approximately 285 meters, limiting analysis to the upper ocean layers only.
• Key metadata such as exact row count, column names, file size, and license are unavailable across all platforms.
• There is a conflict in last updated metadata: Data.gov reports 2026-03-05, while NASA Earthdata reports the original collection date of 1958-09-24.

Provenance

Source

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

Collection Method

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

Time Range

1958-09-10 to 1958-09-24

Freshness

2026-03-05 22:51:43.962661

Geography

North Pacific Ocean, from the vessel CAPITAN TONO.