North Atlantic Ocean Temperature Profiles from DOLPHIN Cruise

Three days of mechanical bathythermograph (MBT) data collected from the DOLPHIN vessel in the North Atlantic Ocean from June 1-3, 1970. The dataset contains temperature-depth profile pairs, processed by the National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC) into the standard C128 format. It is useful for studying the thermal structure of the ocean's upper layers to a maximum depth of approximately 285 meters.

Use Cases

• Analyzing thermal stratification in the upper ocean using temperature-depth pairs recorded at 5-meter intervals.
• Studying short-term oceanographic conditions during a specific cruise using reported date, position, and time.
• Calibrating or validating models of historical sea surface and sub-surface temperature layers.
• Investigating the spatial distribution of water temperature in the North Atlantic region for a specific time period.

Strengths

• Data is processed to a known standard format (NODC C128), ensuring structural consistency.
• Provides precise temporal coverage for a focused three-day research cruise in June 1970.
• Includes core metadata for each observation: cruise information, date, position, and time.

Limitations

• Key technical details are unknown, including row count, file size, and specific column names.
• The dataset's utility is limited to the upper ocean, with a maximum observation depth of approximately 285 meters.
• Conflicting 'last updated' metadata exists between platforms (2026 vs. 1970), creating provenance uncertainty.

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce

Collection Method

Collected via mechanical bathythermograph (MBT) instrument and processed by NODC.

Time Range

1970-06-01 to 1970-06-03

Freshness

2026-03-05 22:48:11.216755

Geography

North Atlantic Ocean