North Pacific Ocean Temperature Profiles from the CAYUSE Cruise

North Pacific Ocean data contains temperature-depth profiles from a mechanical bathythermograph (MBT) recorded during the CAYUSE cruise on March 30, 1971. The dataset was processed by the National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC) into the standard C128 format, with observations limited to the upper 285 meters of the ocean. It provides paired temperature and depth values at uniform 5-meter intervals, accompanied by cruise, date, position, and time metadata.

Use Cases

• Analyzing the vertical temperature gradient in the upper ocean using paired temperature-depth values.
• Studying historical ocean thermal structure for a specific date and location using cruise and position metadata.
• Calibrating or validating models of near-surface ocean dynamics with precisely intervaled (5m) profile data.

Strengths

• Data is standardized to the NODC C128 format, ensuring consistency for analysis.
• Temperature observations are recorded at uniform 5-meter depth intervals, providing structured profiles.
• Each profile includes associated metadata: cruise information, date, geographic position, and time.

Limitations

• The dataset is limited to a single day (1971-03 30), offering no temporal range for trend analysis.
• MBT instrument constraints limit observations to a maximum depth of approximately 285 meters, excluding deeper ocean layers.
• Conflicting metadata exists: one platform lists a last updated date of 2026, while another shows the original 1971 date.

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce

Collection Method

Collected via mechanical bathythermograph (MBT) instrument and processed by NODC.

Time Range

1971-03-30 to 1971-03-30

Freshness

2026-03-05 23:01:57.489433

Geography

North Pacific Ocean