Gulf of Mexico Historical Temperature Profiles from J.W. Gibbs

Bathythermograph (MBT) data from the NOAA vessel J. W. GIBBS captures temperature-depth profiles in the Gulf of Mexico from March 4 to March 17, 1970. The dataset, processed by the National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC) into the C128 standard format, consists of paired temperature and depth measurements recorded at uniform 5-meter intervals. It is hosted by NOAA NCEI and also appears on NASA EarthData, indicating cross-platform relevance.

Use Cases

• Analyzing the thermal structure of the upper ocean (up to ~285m) for a specific two-week period.
• Studying historical temperature gradients at standardized 5-meter depth intervals.
• Correlating cruise information, date, position, and time with observed temperature-depth pairs.
• Providing a baseline for comparative studies of Gulf of Mexico ocean temperature profiles.

Strengths

• Data is processed to a known, documented standard (NODC C128 format).
• Provides a focused temporal snapshot with a precise 14-day observation window (1970-03-04 to 1970-03-17).
• Measurements are recorded at uniform 5-meter depth intervals, enabling consistent vertical analysis.

Limitations

• Key metadata such as row count, file size, and specific column names are unavailable from all sources.
• The mechanical bathythermograph (MBT) instrument limits observations to a maximum depth of approximately 285 meters, restricting analysis to the upper ocean.
• Sources conflict on the 'last updated' date, with one platform showing 2026 and another showing 1970.

Provenance

Source

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), from the NOAA vessel J. W. GIBBS.

Collection Method

Measurements gathered using a mechanical bathythermograph (MBT) instrument and processed by NODC.

Time Range

1970-03-04 to 1970-03-17

Freshness

2026-03-05 23:46:19.117065

Geography

Gulf of Mexico