North Atlantic Ocean Temperature Profiles from USNS James M. Gilliss, 1966

September 9-27, 1966 temperature-depth profiles from the USNS James M. Gilliss in the North Atlantic Ocean, processed by the National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC). The dataset uses the standard C128 format for Mechanical Bathythermograph (MBT) data, recording temperature at uniform 5-meter depth intervals up to approximately 285 meters. It is published by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Use Cases

• Analyzing the vertical thermal structure of the upper ocean (285m) using temperature-depth pairs.
• Studying short-term ocean temperature variability in the North Atlantic during September 1966.
• Calibrating or validating historical ocean model simulations with observed profile data.
• Examining cruise-based observational methods and data formats (C128) from the 1960s.

Strengths

• Data is processed to a known standard format (NODC C128), ensuring consistency.
• Provides precise temporal coverage for a specific 18-day cruise in September 1966.
• Temperature measurements are recorded at uniform 5-meter depth intervals, facilitating analysis.
• Cross-platform presence (Data.gov, NASA Earthdata) indicates recognized archival importance.

Limitations

• Column names and exact row counts are not provided by any source.
• Instrument limitation: MBT maximum depth is ~285m, restricting analysis to the upper ocean only.
• Sources conflict on 'last updated' date (2026-03-05 vs. 1966-09-27), creating metadata ambiguity.

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce

Collection Method

Mechanical Bathythermograph (MBT) instrument measurements processed by NODC to C128 format.

Time Range

1966-09-09 to 1966-09-27

Freshness

2026-03-05 23:26:55.829937

Geography

North Atlantic Ocean