North Atlantic Ocean Temperature Profiles from R/V Gerda 1959

285 meters is the maximum depth of temperature observations in this dataset, which contains mechanical bathythermograph (MBT) profiles from the R/V GERDA cruise. The data, processed by the National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC) into the C128 standard format, captures the thermal structure of the upper ocean layers during a four-day period in March 1959. It is provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Use Cases

• Analyzing the vertical temperature structure of the upper ocean to a depth of 285m.
• Studying short-term thermal variability in the North Atlantic over a specific 4-day cruise.
• Using paired temperature-depth values recorded at uniform 5m intervals for model validation.
• Examining historical oceanographic conditions from a specific research vessel (R/V GERDA) cruise.

Strengths

• Data is standardized to the NODC C128 format, ensuring a consistent structure for temperature-depth pairs.
• Observations include precise cruise information, date, position, and time for each profile.
• Temperature data is recorded at uniform 5-meter depth intervals, facilitating systematic analysis.

Limitations

• Key quantitative details like total row count, file size, and specific column names are unavailable from all sources.
• The dataset is limited to the upper ocean, with a maximum observation depth of approximately 285 meters.
• There is a conflict in 'last updated' metadata between platforms (2026-04-01 vs. 1959-03-09).

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce

Collection Method

Mechanical bathythermograph (MBT) instrument measurements processed by NODC.

Time Range

1959-03-06 to 1959-03-09

Freshness

2026-04-01 15:13:41.704110

Geography

North Atlantic Ocean