Historical Bathythermograph Temperature Profiles from the Pacific Ocean

North and South Pacific Ocean temperature-depth profiles collected from the vessel JOHN R. MANNING between July 25 and August 28, 1953. The dataset contains mechanical bathythermograph (MBT) observations processed by the National Oceanographic Data Center into the standard C128 format. Data points consist of temperature values recorded at uniform 5-meter depth intervals down to a maximum of approximately 285 meters.

Use Cases

• Analyzing the vertical thermal structure of the upper ocean (285m) using paired temperature-depth values.
• Studying spatial temperature variation across the North and South Pacific Ocean using reported position (latitude/longitude) data.
• Investigating diurnal or short-term thermal changes using observations linked to specific dates and times.
• Calibrating or validating historical ocean model reanalyses with in-situ temperature profile data from a known cruise.

Strengths

• Data is structured to a known standard format (NODC C128), ensuring consistency in temperature-depth pair recording.
• Temporal and spatial scope is precisely defined for a specific cruise from 1953-07-25 to 1953-08-28 in the North and South Pacific.
• Depth sampling is systematic, with temperature recorded at uniform 5-meter intervals, facilitating profile comparison.

Limitations

• Key metadata such as row count, file size, and specific column names are unavailable from the provided sources.
• The mechanical bathythermograph instrument limits observations to the upper ocean (max ~285m), excluding deeper water column data.
• Sources conflict on the 'last updated' date, with one platform listing 2026-03-05 and another listing the original collection end date of 1953-08-28.

Provenance

Source

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), originating from NODC processing.

Collection Method

In-situ measurements collected via mechanical bathythermograph (MBT) instrument during a ship cruise.

Time Range

1953-07-25 to 1953-08-28

Freshness

2026-03-05 23:57:42.037880

Geography

North Pacific Ocean and South Pacific Ocean