USS Fanning Upper Ocean Temperature Profiles 1957-1958

Temperature-depth profiles from the USS Fanning collected with a Mechanical Bathythermograph (MBT) in the North Pacific Ocean. The dataset contains observations processed into the NODC standard C128 format, with data recorded at uniform 5-meter depth intervals up to approximately 285 meters. It was collected by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration from September 1957 to October 1958.

Use Cases

• Analyzing the thermal structure of the upper ocean (up to ~285m) using paired temperature-depth values.
• Studying seasonal or spatial temperature variations in the North Pacific during the late 1950s.
• Validating or supplementing historical oceanographic models with cruise-based profile data.
• Examining data collection standards and formats (NODC C128) for historical bathythermograph records.

Strengths

• Data is processed to a known standard format (NODC C128), ensuring consistent structure.
• Provides a clear temporal focus with observations spanning over a year from 1957-09 04 to 1958-10-07.
• Recorded at uniform 5-meter depth intervals, facilitating systematic analysis of the water column.

Limitations

• Key metadata conflicts exist: the last updated date is listed as 2026-03-05 on Data.gov but 1958-10-07 on NASA Earthdata.
• The dataset is limited to the upper ocean, with a maximum observation depth of approximately 285 meters.
• Core details like row count, file size, specific column names, and license information are unavailable across all platforms.

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce

Collection Method

Collected via Mechanical Bathythermograph (MBT) instrument from the USS Fanning and processed by NODC.

Time Range

1957-09-04 to 1958-10-07

Freshness

2026-03-05 23:19:20.754826

Geography

North Pacific Ocean