Historical Bathythermograph Data from HUGH M. SMITH Cruises

Bathythermograph (MBT) data from HUGH M. SMITH cruises provides temperature-depth profiles for the upper ocean layers. The dataset covers the Gulf of California, North Pacific Ocean, and South Pacific Ocean from May 27, 1955, to April 21, 1965. Data was processed by the National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC) into its standard C128 format.

Use Cases

• Analyzing historical upper-ocean thermal structure using temperature-depth pairs recorded at 5-meter intervals.
• Studying spatial and temporal variability of sea surface temperature and mixed layer depth across the Gulf of California and Pacific Ocean.
• Validating or providing baseline data for ocean model simulations of mid-20th century conditions.
• Correlating cruise information, date, position, and time with observed temperature profiles for specific research voyages.

Strengths

• Data provides a consistent decade-long time series from 1955 to 1965 for analyzing decadal trends.
• Profiles follow a standardized NODC C128 format with uniform 5-meter depth intervals, enabling systematic analysis.
• Cross-platform presence on Data.gov and NASA EarthData indicates recognized importance and curation.

Limitations

• The maximum observation depth is approximately 285 meters, limiting analysis to the upper ocean layers only.
• Critical metadata such as exact row count, column names, file size, and license are unavailable from all sources.
• There is a conflict in the 'last updated' date between platforms (2026 vs. 1965), creating uncertainty about recent processing.

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce

Collection Method

Mechanical Bathythermograph (MBT) instrument measurements processed by NODC to its C128 standard format.

Time Range

1955-05-27 to 1965-04-21

Freshness

2026-03-05 23:28:33.982055

Geography

Gulf of California, North Pacific Ocean, South Pacific Ocean