Historical Upper Ocean Temperature Profiles From Mechanical Bathythermographs

Mechanical bathythermograph data from the CREST project provides temperature-depth profiles for the upper 285 meters of the North Atlantic and North Pacific Oceans. The dataset, processed by the National Oceanographic Data Center into the C128 format, contains observations from March 1948 to June 1956. Each profile includes cruise information, date, position, and time, with temperature recorded at uniform 5-meter depth intervals.

Use Cases

• Analyzing historical sea surface temperature trends using the temperature-depth column pairs.
• Mapping the thermal structure of the upper ocean layers across the specified geographic regions using position and depth data.
• Studying seasonal or interannual variability in the upper 285 meters using the time-series of profiles from 1948-1956.
• Calibrating or validating ocean model simulations for the mid-20th century using in-situ temperature observations.

Strengths

• Data is processed to a standardized format (NODC C128), ensuring structural consistency.
• Provides a multi-year time series from 1948 to 1956 for studying temporal changes.
• Contains geographically specific data from two major ocean basins: the North Atlantic and North Pacific.

Limitations

• Key metadata such as row count, column names, and license information are unavailable from all sources.
• Instrument limitation restricts observations to a maximum depth of approximately 285 meters, excluding deeper ocean layers.
• Sources provide conflicting 'last updated' dates (2026-04 01 vs. 1956-06-19), creating uncertainty about recent modifications.

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce

Collection Method

Data gathered using mechanical bathythermograph (MBT) instruments and processed by the National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC).

Time Range

1948-03-04 to 1956-06-19

Freshness

2026-04-01 14:57:41.712950

Geography

North Atlantic Ocean and North Pacific Ocean