Historical Ocean Temperature Profiles from the J.R. Perry Cruise

Mechanical bathythermograph data captures ocean temperature-depth profiles from the J.R. Perry research vessel in the Pacific Ocean. The dataset covers a short cruise from May 22 to 31, 1968, processed by the National Oceanographic Data Center into its standard C128 format. It provides a snapshot of the thermal structure of the upper ocean layers during that period.

Use Cases

• Analyzing vertical temperature gradients in the upper ocean (0-285m) using paired temperature-depth values.
• Studying spatial variability of sea surface temperature and mixed layer depth across the North and South Pacific Ocean.
• Calibrating or validating historical ocean model simulations for the late 1960s using precise cruise date, position, and time metadata.
• Investigating the technical characteristics and data limitations of Mechanical Bathythermograph (MBT) instrumentation.

Strengths

• Data is processed to a known, documented standard (NODC C128 format), ensuring a consistent structure.
• Temporal and spatial scope is precisely defined: a 10-day cruise in the Pacific Ocean from May 22-31, 1968.
• Depth measurements are recorded at uniform 5-meter intervals, facilitating systematic analysis of the water column.

Limitations

• Key quantitative details are missing across all sources: total row count, file size, and specific column names are unknown.
• Instrument limitation restricts observations to a maximum depth of approximately 285 meters, capturing only the upper ocean layer.
• Sources conflict on the 'last updated' metadata, with one platform showing a future date (2026) and another showing the collection end date (1968).

Provenance

Source

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), from the J.R. Perry research cruise.

Collection Method

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

Time Range

1968-05-22 to 1968-05-31

Freshness

2026-03-06 00:02:00.758772

Geography

North Pacific Ocean and South Pacific Ocean