Historical North Atlantic Ocean Temperature Profiles from KIRKPATRICK

5500007 temperature-depth profiles were collected by the vessel KIRKPATRICK in the North Atlantic Ocean between March and July 1955. The National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC) processed the mechanical bathythermograph (MBT) data into its standard C128 format. This dataset captures the thermal structure of the ocean's upper layers to a maximum depth of approximately 285 meters.

Use Cases

• Analyzing seasonal thermal structure changes in the North Atlantic upper ocean during 1955.
• Calibrating or validating historical ocean model simulations for the mid-20th century.
• Studying the vertical temperature gradient at uniform 5-meter depth intervals for specific cruise locations and times.

Strengths

• Data is processed to a documented standard format (NODC C128), ensuring structural consistency.
• Each observation includes associated metadata: cruise information, date, position, and time.
• Temperature values are recorded at uniform 5-meter depth intervals, facilitating comparative analysis.

Limitations

• Key metadata conflicts exist: row count, column names, size, and license are unknown or reported differently across platforms.
• The MBT instrument limits observations to a maximum depth of ~285m, restricting analysis to the ocean's upper layers only.
• The dataset's age (1955) may imply older measurement techniques and potential calibration differences from modern data.

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce

Collection Method

Collected via mechanical bathythermograph (MBT) instrument and processed by NODC to its C128 format.

Time Range

1955-03 16 to 1955-07-26

Freshness

2026-04-01 15:10:36.542783

Geography

North Atlantic Ocean