Historical Gulf of Mexico and North Atlantic Upper Ocean Temperature Profiles

NODC-processed mechanical bathythermograph data from the J. R. PERRY cruise captures temperature-depth profiles in the Gulf of Mexico and North Atlantic Ocean. The dataset contains pairs of temperature and depth values recorded at uniform 5-meter intervals down to a maximum depth of approximately 285 meters. It provides a focused snapshot of upper ocean thermal structure from February 8 to March 12, 1965.

Use Cases

• Analyzing the vertical thermal structure of the upper ocean using paired temperature-depth values.
• Investigating spatial temperature gradients across the Gulf of Mexico and North Atlantic using reported position data.
• Studying short-term thermal variability in early 1965 using date and time stamps for each profile.
• Calibrating or validating ocean model outputs for the upper 285 meters of the water column.

Strengths

• Data is processed to a known standard format (NODC C128), ensuring structural consistency.
• Provides a focused time series over a specific 33-day cruise in 1965.
• Temperature measurements are recorded at uniform 5-meter depth intervals, facilitating analysis.

Limitations

• The dataset is limited to the upper ocean, with a maximum observation depth of approximately 285 meters.
• Key metadata such as exact row count, column names, and license information are unavailable across all sources.
• There is a conflict in recorded freshness: one platform shows a 2026 administrative update, while another lists the 1965 collection date.

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce

Collection Method

Mechanical bathythermograph (MBT) instrument measurements processed by NODC to the C128 format.

Time Range

1965-02-08 to 1965-03-12

Freshness

2026-03-05 23:13:26.638506

Geography

Gulf of Mexico and North Atlantic Ocean