USNS Eltanin Historical Ocean Temperature Profiles 1963-1967

Temperature-depth profiles from mechanical bathythermograph (MBT) casts conducted by the USNS Eltanin research vessel. The dataset covers the South Atlantic Ocean, South Pacific Ocean, Southern Ocean, and Tasman Sea over a four-year period. Data was processed by the National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC) into the standard C128 format.

Use Cases

• Analyzing thermal structure of the upper ocean (up to 285m) in the Southern Hemisphere.
• Studying temporal changes in sea surface temperature and mixed layer depth from 1963 to 1967.
• Correlating cruise-based temperature profiles with specific dates, times, and geographic positions.
• Validating or supplementing historical oceanographic models for the pre-satellite era.

Strengths

• Data is structured to the NODC standard C128 format, ensuring consistent processing.
• Provides a multi-year time series (1963-1967) from a dedicated research vessel.
• Temperature data is recorded at uniform 5-meter depth intervals for direct comparison.

Limitations

• Key metadata such as row count, file size, and column names are unavailable from all sources.
• Instrument limitation restricts observations to a maximum depth of approximately 285 meters.
• Conflicting 'last updated' dates (2026-04-01 on Data.gov vs. 1967-05-15 on NASA) create uncertainty about metadata maintenance.

Provenance

Source

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), from USNS Eltanin cruises.

Collection Method

Mechanical bathythermograph (MBT) instrument casts, processed by NODC.

Time Range

1963-04-07 to 1967-05-15

Freshness

2026-04-01 15:25:55.351623

Geography

South Atlantic Ocean, South Pacific Ocean, Southern Ocean, Tasman Sea