Hugh M. Smith 1952 Pacific Ocean Temperature-Depth Profiles

Mechanical bathythermograph data from the research vessel HUGH M. SMITH captures temperature-depth profiles in the North and South Pacific Ocean. The dataset comprises pairs of temperature and depth values recorded at uniform 5-meter intervals down to a maximum of approximately 285 meters. 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 using temperature-depth value pairs.
• Studying historical sea surface temperature and subsurface heat content changes in the Pacific.
• Validating ocean model outputs for the 1950s using precise cruise date, position, and time metadata.
• Researching seasonal or regional variability in the ocean's mixed layer from profile data.

Strengths

• Data is formatted to a consistent NODC standard (C128), ensuring structural uniformity.
• Profiles provide high vertical resolution with temperature recorded at uniform 5-meter depth intervals.
• Covers a specific, well-documented cruise from July 27 to August 26, 1952.

Limitations

• Key metadata conflicts: row count, column names, size, and license are unknown across all platforms.
• Instrument limitation: MBT data is only useful for the upper ocean, with a maximum depth of ~285 meters.
• The dataset's age may raise questions about calibration and data collection methods.

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce

Collection Method

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

Time Range

1952-07-27 to 1952-08-26

Freshness

2026-03-06 00:25:27.726498

Geography

North Pacific Ocean and South Pacific Ocean