Furman Ship Upper Ocean Temperature Profiles from 1967

Bathythermograph (MBT) data from the FURMAN ship provides temperature-depth profiles for the upper ocean layers in the North Pacific Ocean. The dataset contains observations processed by the National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC) into the standard C128 format, with temperature recorded at uniform 5-meter depth intervals. Data collection occurred during a specific cruise from July 11 to August 5, 1967.

Use Cases

• Analyzing the thermal structure of the upper ocean layers using paired temperature-depth values.
• Studying historical ocean temperature variability in the North Pacific for a specific summer period.
• Correlating cruise information, date, position, and time with observed temperature profiles.
• Investigating oceanographic conditions at depths up to approximately 285 meters.

Strengths

• Data is processed to a known standard format (NODC C128), ensuring a consistent structure.
• Temperature observations are recorded at a uniform 5-meter depth interval, facilitating systematic analysis.
• Provides a focused temporal snapshot from a single research cruise over 26 days in 1967.

Limitations

• The maximum observation depth is approximately 285 meters, limiting analysis to the upper ocean only.
• Key metadata such as exact row count, column names, and license information are unavailable across all sources.
• A conflict exists in 'last updated' dates between platforms (2026-04-01 vs. 1967-08-05), creating uncertainty about recent maintenance.

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce

Collection Method

Collected using a Mechanical Bathythermograph (MBT) instrument and processed by NODC.

Time Range

1967-07-11 to 1967-08-05

Freshness

2026-04-01 14:54:14.343968

Geography

North Pacific Ocean