Historical Upper Ocean Temperature Profiles from EL CANO

285 meters is the maximum depth of observations in this dataset of mechanical bathythermograph (MBT) profiles. It contains temperature-depth pairs recorded at uniform 5-meter intervals from a 1943 research cruise in the North Pacific Ocean. The National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC) processed the data into its standard C128 format.

Use Cases

• Analyzing the vertical temperature gradient in the upper 285 meters of the North Pacific Ocean using paired temperature-depth values.
• Studying short-term thermal variability during a specific cruise by examining profiles linked to date, time, and position.
• Calibrating or validating models of upper-ocean mixed layer dynamics with historical in-situ measurements.

Strengths

• Data is structured to a recognized standard format (NODC C128) ensuring consistent interpretation.
• Profiles provide high vertical resolution with temperature recorded at uniform 5-meter depth intervals.
• Each observation is linked to specific cruise information, date, position, and time for spatiotemporal analysis.

Limitations

• The dataset is limited to the upper ocean, with a maximum observation depth of approximately 285 meters.
• Temporal coverage is very brief, spanning only five days in January 1943.
• Key metadata such as row count, file size, and license information are unavailable across all sources.

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

1943-01-01 to 1943-01-05

Freshness

2026-03-05 23:12:27.204267

Geography

North Pacific Ocean, cruise EL CANO