Mediterranean Sea Temperature Profiles from 1968 MBT Cruise

May 1968 temperature-depth profiles from the Mediterranean Sea, collected via mechanical bathythermograph (MBT) aboard the COLUMBUS. The dataset contains pairs of temperature and depth values recorded at uniform 5-meter intervals down to a maximum depth of approximately 285 meters. Data was processed and standardized to the NODC C128 format by the National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC).

Use Cases

• Analyzing the thermal structure of the upper ocean (0-285m) using temperature-depth pairs.
• Studying spatial and temporal ocean temperature patterns in the Mediterranean Sea during May 1968.
• Validating or calibrating ocean model simulations for a specific historical period and region.
• Researching cruise-based observational methods and historical data formats like NODC C128.

Strengths

• Data provides a focused temporal snapshot from a continuous 28-day cruise in May 1968.
• Observations follow a standardized format (NODC C128) with uniform 5-meter depth intervals for consistency.
• Includes core metadata for each profile: cruise information, date, position, and time.

Limitations

• Data is limited to the upper ocean (max ~285m depth), excluding deeper thermal structure.
• Exact row count, column names, and file size are unknown from available sources.
• Sources conflict on the last updated date (2026-03-05 vs. 1968-05 28), suggesting potential metadata issues.

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce (via NODC).

Collection Method

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

Time Range

1968-05-01 to 1968-05-28

Freshness

2026-03-05 22:57:02.142857

Geography

Mediterranean Sea (specific cruise track of COLUMBUS unknown).