Mechanical Bathythermograph Data from Cayuse Cruise

Temperature-depth profile data collected using a Mechanical Bathythermograph (MBT) instrument during the CAYUSE cruise in the North Pacific Ocean on May 14-15, 1971. The dataset, processed by the National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC) into the C128 standard format, consists of paired temperature-depth values recorded at uniform 5-meter intervals. It is archived by NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI).

Use Cases

• Analyzing the vertical temperature gradient in the upper 285 meters of the North Pacific Ocean using paired temperature-depth columns.
• Studying short-term thermal variability over a two-day period using time-stamped observation records.
• Calibrating or validating ocean model outputs for the upper ocean mixed layer based on in-situ profile data.

Strengths

• Data is standardized to the NODC C128 format, ensuring consistent structure for scientific comparison.
• Observations provide high vertical resolution with temperature recorded at uniform 5-meter depth intervals.
• Cruise metadata includes precise date, position, and time for each profile, supporting spatiotemporal analysis.

Limitations

• The dataset is limited to a very short temporal window of only two days in May 1971.
• The MBT instrument's maximum depth of approximately 285 meters restricts analysis to the upper ocean layers only.
• Conflicting 'last updated' metadata exists between platforms (2026 on Data.gov vs. 1971 on NASA Earthdata).

Provenance

Source

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI).

Collection Method

Collected via Mechanical Bathythermograph (MBT) instrument during the CAYUSE cruise and processed by NODC.

Time Range

1971-05-14 to 1971-05-15

Freshness

2026-03-06 00:10:48.518296

Geography

North Pacific Ocean