Mechanical Bathythermograph Profiles from FORSTER Cruise in 1969

June 2 to July 13, 1969, temperature-depth profiles were collected by the vessel FORSTER in the East China Sea, Philippine Sea, and South China Sea using a mechanical bathythermograph (MBT). Data was processed by the National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC) into the standard C128 format, containing pairs of temperature and depth values recorded at 5-meter intervals. This dataset provides a snapshot of upper ocean thermal structure across multiple western Pacific seas during a specific six-week period.

Use Cases

• Analyzing the vertical temperature gradient in the upper 285 meters of the ocean using paired temperature-depth values.
• Studying spatial variability of sea surface temperature and mixed layer depth across the East China, Philippine, and South China Seas.
• Calibrating or validating regional ocean models with historical in-situ temperature profile data.
• Investigating short-term thermal changes in specific marine regions during the summer of 1969 using time-stamped observations.

Strengths

• Data is standardized to the NODC C128 format, ensuring consistent structure for analysis.
• Provides precise temporal coverage from June 2 to July 13, 1969, for a focused historical study.
• Covers three distinct geographical regions: the East China Sea, Philippine Sea, and South China Sea.
• Temperature measurements are recorded at uniform 5-meter depth intervals, facilitating direct comparisons.

Limitations

• Key metadata such as row count, file size, and specific column names are unavailable from all sources.
• Instrument limitation restricts observations to a maximum depth of approximately 285 meters, capturing only the upper ocean.
• Sources conflict on the 'last updated' date, with one platform listing 2026-03-06 and another listing the original collection end date of 1969-07 13.

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce

Collection Method

Temperature-depth profiles gathered using a mechanical bathythermograph (MBT) instrument during a research cruise and processed by NODC.

Time Range

1969-06-02 to 1969-07-13

Freshness

2026-03-06 00:05:58.704864

Geography

East China Sea, Philippine Sea, South China Sea