Historical Ocean Temperature Profiles from the North Pacific

Bathythermograph (MBT) data from the CURRIER vessel in the North Pacific Ocean, collected between October 16 and December 3, 1958. The National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC) processed the data into the standard C128 format, which records paired temperature-depth values at uniform 5-meter intervals. This dataset captures the thermal structure of the ocean's upper layers to a maximum depth of approximately 285 meters.

Use Cases

• Analyzing vertical temperature gradients in the upper ocean during a specific late-1950s period.
• Studying the spatial distribution of near-surface ocean heat content in the North Pacific for a defined cruise track.
• Validating or calibrating historical ocean model reanalyses with in-situ temperature profile observations.
• Correlating cruise-reported metadata (date, position, time) with contemporaneous atmospheric or oceanographic events.

Strengths

• Data is processed to a documented standard format (NODC C128), ensuring structural consistency.
• Provides a temporally focused snapshot (49 days in 1958) from a single research vessel, reducing source variability.
• Temperature measurements are recorded at uniform 5-meter depth intervals, facilitating systematic analysis.

Limitations

• Key technical details are missing: the total number of profiles (rows), specific column names, and file size are unknown.
• The dataset's utility is confined to the upper ocean, with a maximum observation depth of approximately 285 meters.
• Metadata conflicts exist: the last updated date is reported as 2026-03-05 on Data.gov but 1958-12-03 on NASA EarthData.

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce

Collection Method

Mechanical Bathythermograph (MBT) instrument measurements processed by the National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC).

Time Range

1958-10 16 to 1958-12-03

Freshness

2026-03-05 22:31:26.686269

Geography

North Pacific Ocean