North Atlantic Ocean Temperature Profiles from 1969 XBT Cruise

6900693 is a processed dataset containing bathythermograph (XBT) temperature-depth profiles collected by the USNS James M. Gilliss in the North Atlantic Ocean. The data was processed by the National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC) into the standard C116 format, which records temperature at non-uniform inflection points along the depth curve. It represents a specific six-day cruise from August 23 to August 28, 1969.

Use Cases

• Analyzing vertical ocean temperature structure from inflection point data (temperature-depth pairs).
• Studying short-term oceanic conditions during a specific late-summer 1969 cruise.
• Calibrating or validating historical ocean model reanalyses for the North Atlantic region.
• Researching data processing methods for legacy expendable bathythermograph (XBT) instruments.

Strengths

• Data is processed to a recognized NODC standard format (C116) for consistency.
• Provides precise temporal and spatial context: a specific 6-day cruise in the North Atlantic Ocean.
• Records temperature at key inflection points, which can efficiently define the temperature-depth curve.

Limitations

• Exact row count, file size, and column names are not provided by any source.
• Sources conflict on the last updated date: one lists 2026-04-01 (likely a metadata refresh), while another lists the original data date of 1969-08 28.
• The dataset is limited to a single, short cruise from 1969, offering a narrow temporal snapshot.

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce

Collection Method

Collected via expendable bathythermograph (XBT) instruments from the USNS James M. Gilliss and processed by NODC.

Time Range

1969-08-23 to 1969-08-28

Freshness

2026-04-01 15:31:56.988096

Geography

North Atlantic Ocean