USS Melvin Upper Ocean Temperature Profiles from 1951

June 1, 1951 data from the USS Melvin in the North Pacific Ocean, processed by the National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC). It contains mechanical bathythermograph (MBT) observations of temperature-depth pairs at 5-meter intervals, useful for studying the thermal structure of the ocean's upper layers. The dataset is managed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Use Cases

• Analyzing the vertical temperature profile of the upper ocean on a specific date.
• Studying historical oceanographic conditions in the North Pacific region.
• Calibrating or validating models of upper-ocean heat content using point measurements.
• Researching the methodology and data format of early mechanical bathythermograph (MBT) instruments.

Strengths

• Data is processed to a known standard format (NODC C128), ensuring structural consistency.
• Provides specific instrument context, noting the MBT's maximum observational depth is approximately 285 meters.
• Records include cruise information, date, position, and time for each observation, providing essential metadata.

Limitations

• Row count, file size, and specific column names are not provided by any source.
• The dataset covers only a single day (1951-06-01), offering a very limited temporal snapshot.
• Sources conflict on the last updated date: one lists 2026-04-01, another lists the original collection date of 1951-06-01.

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce

Collection Method

Mechanical bathythermograph (MBT) instrument measurements processed by NODC to C128 format.

Time Range

1951-06-01 to 1951-06-01

Freshness

2026-04-01 15:27:39.511234

Geography

North Pacific Ocean