South China Sea Upper Ocean Temperature Profiles from 1967

NODC processed bathythermograph data from the vessel KING captures temperature-depth profiles in the South China Sea. The dataset covers a specific cruise from October 22 to November 16, 1967. Observations are formatted to the NODC standard C128 format, recording data pairs at uniform 5-meter depth intervals down to approximately 285 meters.

Use Cases

• Analyzing the vertical temperature gradient in the upper ocean using paired temperature-depth values.
• Studying short-term thermal variability during a late 1967 cruise using date, time, and position columns.
• Investigating the mixed layer depth and thermocline structure from mechanical bathythermograph (MBT) observations.

Strengths

• Data is processed to a documented standard format (NODC C128) ensuring structural consistency.
• Provides precise temporal coverage for a 26-day cruise in 1967.
• Records observations at a uniform 5-meter vertical resolution, enabling detailed profile analysis.

Limitations

• Key metadata such as row count, column names, and exact file size are unavailable from all sources.
• Instrument limitation restricts observations to a maximum depth of ~285 meters, capturing only the upper ocean.

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce

Collection Method

Mechanical bathythermograph (MBT) instrument measurements processed by NODC.

Time Range

1967-10-22 to 1967-11-16

Freshness

2026-04-01 15:29:00.704353

Geography

South China Sea