North Atlantic Upper Ocean Temperature Profiles from R/V Knorr, 1970

Temperature-depth profiles from the upper ocean were collected using a mechanical bathythermograph (MBT) aboard the R/V Knorr in the North Atlantic Ocean. The dataset contains observations from a nine-day cruise in November 1970, processed by the National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC) into the standard C128 format. Data points are recorded at uniform 5-meter depth intervals, providing a structured view of the ocean's thermal layers.

Use Cases

• Analyzing the vertical temperature gradient in the upper 285 meters of the ocean using paired temperature-depth values.
• Studying short-term thermal variability in a specific North Atlantic region during November 1970 using cruise date and time stamps.
• Correlating historical upper-ocean heat content with atmospheric conditions using precise position (latitude/longitude) data.
• Benchmarking or validating models of upper ocean mixed-layer dynamics against in-situ instrument data.

Strengths

• Data is structured to a known standard (NODC C128 format), ensuring consistent interpretation.
• Observations include precise metadata for each profile: cruise information, date, position, and time.
• Temperature readings are provided at uniform 5-meter depth intervals, facilitating systematic analysis.

Limitations

• The MBT instrument's maximum depth is approximately 285 meters, limiting analysis to the upper ocean only.
• Key metadata such as exact row count, column names, and file size are unavailable from the provided sources.
• The dataset's temporal coverage is very brief, spanning only nine days in 1970.

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce

Collection Method

Collected via mechanical bathythermograph (MBT) instrument aboard the R/V Knorr and processed by NODC.

Time Range

1970-11-09 to 1970-11-17

Freshness

2026-03-05 22:54:05.769252

Geography

North Atlantic Ocean