GILLISS XBT Temperature Profiles in the Gulf of Mexico

From June 4 to June 16, 1972, the R/V J.M. GILLIS collected ocean temperature data using expendable bathythermograph (XBT) instruments. The data consists of temperature-depth profile pairs, recorded at inflection points to define the temperature curve, with potential depths reaching 1830 meters. It is available in the legacy NODC C116 file format and was submitted by the University of Miami's Rosenstiel School.

Use Cases

• Analyzing historical ocean thermal structure based on temperature-depth inflection points.
• Calibrating or validating oceanographic models for the Gulf of Mexico using cruise-based observations.
• Studying short-term temperature variability in a specific region from precise position and time data.

Strengths

• Provides precise temporal coverage for a two-week cruise in June 1972.
• Data is formatted to a recognized standard (NODC C116) for temperature-depth profiles.
• Includes detailed metadata for each observation, such as cruise information, position, date, and time.

Limitations

• Column names and exact data structure are not provided in the available metadata.
• The dataset's update history shows a metadata refresh in 2026, but the underlying data is from 1972, indicating it is not contemporary.
• Conflicting 'last updated' dates exist between platforms (2026-04-01 on Data.gov vs. 1972-06-16 on NASA), suggesting potential metadata synchronization issues.

Provenance

Source

Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, University of Miami, submitted via NOAA NCEI.

Collection Method

Collected via expendable bathythermograph (XBT) instruments from the R/V J.M. GILLIS.

Time Range

1972-06-04 to 1972-06-16

Freshness

2026-04-01 15:14:06.999716

Geography

Gulf of Mexico