Dolphin MBT Temperature-Depth Profiles in the North Atlantic

285 meters is the maximum depth for temperature observations in this dataset, which captures the thermal structure of the ocean's upper layers. The data comprises pairs of temperature-depth values recorded at uniform 5-meter intervals from the NOAA vessel DOLPHIN. Processed by the National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC) into the standard C128 format, it provides a focused snapshot of ocean conditions from August 18-21, 1970.

Use Cases

• Analyzing the vertical temperature gradient in the upper 285m of the ocean using the paired temperature-depth values.
• Studying short-term thermal variability in the North Atlantic during the specified cruise dates.
• Validating or providing historical context for models of ocean surface layer heat content.
• Correlating cruise location and time data with other contemporaneous oceanographic observations.

Strengths

• Data is processed to a known standard format (NODC C128), ensuring structural consistency.
• Provides a specific temporal snapshot from a four-day cruise in August 1970.
• Explicitly documents the instrument's maximum observation depth (285m) and sampling interval (5m).

Limitations

• Key quantitative details like row count, file size, and specific column names are unavailable from all sources.
• The dataset's utility is limited to the upper ocean due to the MBT instrument's depth constraint.
• Conflicting 'last updated' dates exist between platforms (2026 vs. 1970), casting doubt on metadata maintenance.

Provenance

Source

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), from the NOAA vessel DOLPHIN.

Collection Method

Mechanical bathythermograph (MBT) instrument measurements processed by NODC.

Time Range

1970-08-18 to 1970-08-21

Freshness

2026-03-05 23:39:45.376020

Geography

North Atlantic Ocean