Courtney XBT Temperature-Depth Profiles from 1972 Mediterranean and Atlantic

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration data contains bathythermograph (XBT) temperature-depth profiles collected by the vessel COURTNEY. The dataset covers a one-week cruise from August 18 to 24, 1972, in the Alboran Sea, Mediterranean Sea, and North Atlantic Ocean. Data was processed by the National Oceanographic Data Center into the standard C116 format, recording temperature at non-uniform inflection points along depth profiles.

Use Cases

• Analyzing historical ocean temperature stratification using paired temperature-depth values.
• Studying spatial temperature variation across the Alboran Sea, Mediterranean, and North Atlantic from cruise position data.
• Comparing inflection-point sampling in XBT data against uniform-interval data from other instruments.
• Investigating short-term oceanographic conditions during a specific research cruise in August 1972.

Strengths

• Data is processed to a documented NODC standard format (C116/C118) for consistency.
• Provides specific temporal coverage for a dedicated one-week research cruise in 1972.
• Records temperature at key inflection points rather than uniform intervals, capturing curve definition efficiently.
• Cross-platform presence on Data.gov and NASA EarthData indicates recognized archival importance.

Limitations

• Critical metadata such as row count, column names, and file size are unavailable from all sources.
• The dataset is a historical snapshot from a single week, limiting longitudinal analysis.
• Data.gov lists a 2026 update date, which conflicts with the 1972 collection date, suggesting a metadata refresh rather than data update.

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce

Collection Method

Collected using expendable bathythermograph (XBT) instruments from the vessel COURTNEY and processed by NODC.

Time Range

1972-08-18 to 1972-08-24

Freshness

2026-03-05 22:57:29.144832

Geography

Alboran Sea, Mediterranean Sea, North Atlantic Ocean