Historical Bathythermograph Profiles from the Golden Bear Voyage

285 meters is the maximum depth for observations in this dataset of mechanical bathythermograph (MBT) profiles. It contains temperature-depth pairs recorded at 5-meter intervals from the R/V Golden Bear's 1949 cruise in the Pacific Ocean. The data was processed by the National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC) into its standard C128 format.

Use Cases

• Analyzing the thermal structure of the upper ocean (up to 285m) in the North and South Pacific.
• Studying historical ocean temperature profiles at uniform 5-meter depth intervals.
• Correlating temperature data with specific cruise information, date, position, and time for each observation.
• Researching oceanographic data collection methods and standards from the late 1940s.

Strengths

• Data is structured to a known standard (NODC C128 format) with defined parameters.
• Provides a specific temporal snapshot from a 1949 research voyage (1949-02-12 to 1949-03-28).
• Records temperature at consistent 5-meter depth intervals, enabling uniform analysis.

Limitations

• Key technical details like row count, file size, and specific column names are unavailable.
• The dataset is limited to upper ocean observations, with a maximum depth of approximately 285 meters.
• There is a conflict in 'last updated' metadata between platforms (2026 vs. 1949), casting doubt on maintenance.

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce

Collection Method

Collected via mechanical bathythermograph (MBT) instrument and processed by NODC.

Time Range

1949-02-12 to 1949-03-28

Freshness

2026-04-01 15:30:32.631080

Geography

North Pacific Ocean and South Pacific Ocean