Mediterranean Sea Temperature Profiles from 1967 Cruise

Temperature-depth profiles from the Mediterranean Sea collected by the vessel COLUMBUS using a Mechanical Bathythermograph (MBT) between January 25 and 31, 1967. The dataset comprises pairs of temperature and depth values recorded at uniform 5-meter intervals, processed by the National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC) into the standard C128 format. These observations are limited to the upper ocean layers, with a maximum depth of approximately 285 meters.

Use Cases

• Analyzing the vertical thermal structure of the upper Mediterranean Sea in winter 1967.
• Studying short-term temperature variability over a one-week cruise period.
• Using cruise information, date, position, and time metadata to contextualize historical oceanographic observations.
• Comparing historical MBT data with modern sensor data to assess changes in near-surface ocean heat content.

Strengths

• Data is processed to a documented standard format (NODC C128) ensuring consistent structure.
• Provides precise temporal coverage for a specific cruise from 1967-01-25 to 1967-01-31.
• Temperature data is recorded at uniform 5-meter depth intervals, facilitating systematic analysis.

Limitations

• Key metadata such as row count, column names, and file size are unavailable from all sources.
• Instrument limitation restricts observations to a maximum depth of ~285m, capturing only the upper ocean.
• Conflicting 'last updated' dates exist between platforms (2026-03 06 vs. 1967-01-31), casting doubt on maintenance.

Provenance

Source

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), collected from the vessel COLUMBUS.

Collection Method

In-situ measurements gathered using a Mechanical Bathythermograph (MBT) instrument.

Time Range

1967-01-25 to 1967-01-31

Freshness

2026-03-06 00:12:52.497427

Geography

Mediterranean Sea