Historical North Atlantic Upper Ocean Temperature Profiles from MAGPIE

285 meters is the maximum depth of observations from this mechanical bathythermograph dataset. It contains temperature-depth profile pairs recorded at 5-meter intervals during the MAGPIE cruise in the North Atlantic Ocean from March 14 to March 21, 1955. The data was processed by the National Oceanographic Data Center into its standard C128 format.

Use Cases

• Analyzing the vertical thermal structure of the upper ocean up to 285 meters depth using temperature-depth pairs.
• Studying short-term temperature variability in a specific North Atlantic region during March 1955.
• Correlating cruise information, date, position, and time with observed temperature profiles for historical reconstruction.

Strengths

• Data is processed to a known standard format (NODC C128), ensuring structural consistency.
• Provides a focused temporal snapshot from a specific 8-day cruise in March 1955.
• Temperature observations are recorded at a uniform 5-meter depth interval, facilitating analysis.

Limitations

• Key metadata such as row count, column names, file size, and license are unavailable from all sources.
• Observations are limited to a maximum depth of approximately 285 meters, restricting analysis to the ocean's upper layer.
• Sources conflict on the 'last updated' date, with one showing 2026 and another showing 1955, creating uncertainty about metadata maintenance.

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce

Collection Method

Mechanical bathythermograph (MBT) instrument measurements processed by NODC.

Time Range

1955-03 14 to 1955-03-21

Freshness

2026-03-05 22:44:28.271730

Geography

North Atlantic Ocean (MAGPIE cruise track)