HIDALGO Gulf of Mexico Temperature-Depth Profiles from 1961

Mechanical bathythermograph data from the R/V HIDALGO captures the thermal structure of the upper ocean in the Gulf of Mexico over a four-day cruise in January 1961. Processed by the National Oceanographic Data Center into the standard C128 format, each record provides paired temperature-depth values. This dataset represents a historical snapshot of upper-layer ocean conditions.

Use Cases

• Analyzing temperature gradients in the upper 285 meters of the ocean using uniform 5-meter depth interval data.
• Studying short-term thermal variability in a specific region by examining profiles linked to cruise date, position, and time.
• Calibrating or validating historical ocean model simulations with in-situ temperature-depth profile observations.

Strengths

• Data is processed to a known, documented standard (NODC C128 format) ensuring structural consistency.
• Each observation is anchored by metadata including cruise information, date, position, and time.
• Temperature measurements are recorded at uniform 5-meter depth intervals, facilitating direct profile comparisons.

Limitations

• The maximum observation depth of approximately 285 meters limits analysis to the ocean's upper thermal layer only.
• Key quantitative details like total row count, file size, and specific column names are unavailable from all sources.
• A significant conflict exists on dataset freshness: one platform lists a 2026 update, while another indicates the data is from 1961.

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce

Collection Method

Collected via Mechanical Bathythermograph (MBT) instrument and processed by the National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC).

Time Range

1961-01-23 to 1961-01-26

Freshness

2026-04-01 15:32:47.809500

Geography

Gulf of Mexico