Historical Ocean Temperature Profiles from the KEATHLEY Expedition

1967-04-21 to 1968-06-09 data collection from the KEATHLEY vessel in the Gulf of Mexico and North Atlantic Ocean. The dataset contains mechanical bathythermograph (MBT) temperature-depth profiles processed by the National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC) into the standard C128 format. It captures the thermal structure of the ocean's upper layers to a maximum depth of approximately 285 meters.

Use Cases

• Analyzing historical sea surface temperature trends using the recorded temperature values at uniform 5-meter intervals.
• Studying the thermal structure and seasonal changes in the upper ocean based on temperature-depth profile pairs.
• Correlating oceanographic conditions with cruise metadata, including date, position, and time for each observation.
• Validating or providing baseline data for regional ocean circulation models in the specified geographic areas.

Strengths

• Data is processed to a recognized standard format (NODC C128), ensuring structural consistency.
• Provides a focused temporal snapshot of ocean conditions over a 14-month period from 1967 to 1968.
• Includes precise geographic coverage for the Gulf of Mexico and North Atlantic Ocean.

Limitations

• Key metadata such as row count, file size, and column names are unavailable from all sources.
• Instrument limitation restricts data to the upper ocean only, with a maximum observation depth of approximately 285 meters.
• Sources disagree on the 'last updated' date, with one listing 2026-03 06 and another listing the original collection end date of 1968-06-09.

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce

Collection Method

Mechanical bathythermograph (MBT) instrument measurements processed by NODC.

Time Range

1967-04-21 to 1968-06-09

Freshness

2026-03-06 00:01:54.432615

Geography

Gulf of Mexico and North Atlantic Ocean