Historical Mediterranean Sea Temperature Profiles from 1971

June 14, 1971 data contains temperature-depth profiles collected via expendable bathythermograph (XBT) instruments from the vessel COURTNEY in the Mediterranean Sea. The dataset is processed into the NODC standard C116 format, recording temperature at non-uniform inflection points to define the profile curve. It originates from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and is archived by the National Centers for Environmental Information.

Use Cases

• Analyzing vertical temperature structure in the Mediterranean Sea on a specific date.
• Calibrating or validating oceanographic models with historical in-situ profile data.
• Studying data collection methods and format standards (C116) for historical XBT records.

Strengths

• Data is processed to a documented standard format (NODC C116) ensuring structural consistency.
• Provides precise spatiotemporal context: a single cruise location (Mediterranean Sea) and date (1971-06-14).
• Profile data captures inflection points, optimizing the definition of the temperature-depth curve.

Limitations

• The exact row count, column names, and dataset size are unknown from available sources.
• Temporal coverage is extremely limited to a single day.
• Conflicting 'last updated' metadata exists between platforms (2026 vs. 1971).

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce

Collection Method

Data collected using expendable bathythermograph (XBT) instruments during a cruise and processed by NODC.

Time Range

1971-06-14 to 1971-06-14

Freshness

2026-03-06 00:19:34.812035

Geography

Mediterranean Sea