North Pacific Upper Ocean Temperature Profiles from 1966

Approximately 285 meters is the maximum depth for temperature-depth profile pairs recorded at uniform 5-meter intervals. This dataset contains mechanical bathythermograph (MBT) observations from the COSSATOT cruise in the North Pacific Ocean, processed by the National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC) into its standard C128 format. Data collection occurred between May 5 and December 18, 1966.

Use Cases

• Analyzing the thermal structure of the upper ocean (up to ~285m) using temperature-depth pairs.
• Studying seasonal temperature changes in the North Pacific from cruise date and time stamps.
• Mapping historical oceanographic conditions using reported position (latitude/longitude) data.
• Calibrating or validating ocean model outputs for the upper ocean using standardized NODC format data.

Strengths

• Data is processed to a standardized NODC format (C128), ensuring consistent structure.
• Temperature values are recorded at a uniform 5-meter depth interval, facilitating systematic analysis.
• Each observation includes associated metadata: cruise information, date, position, and time.
• The dataset has a specific temporal coverage from 1966-05-05 to 1966-12-18, providing a focused snapshot.

Limitations

• Key technical details are missing: exact row count, file size, and specific column names are unknown.
• The maximum observation depth of ~285m limits analysis to the upper ocean only.
• There is a conflict in the 'last updated' metadata: datagov reports 2026-04-01, while nasa_earthdata reports the collection end date of 1966-12 18.

Provenance

Source

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

Collection Method

Temperature-depth profiles gathered using a mechanical bathythermograph (MBT) instrument during the COSSATOT cruise.

Time Range

1966-05-05 to 1966-12-18

Freshness

2026-04-01 15:21:49.216324

Geography

North Pacific Ocean (specific cruise track for COSSATOT not detailed).