Mediterranean Sea Upper-Layer Temperature Profiles from 1968

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration data provides mechanical bathythermograph (MBT) temperature-depth profiles from the R/V MIRTO cruise in the Mediterranean Sea. The dataset contains observations processed to the NODC C128 standard format, covering a three-week period from May 16 to June 5, 1968. Each profile records temperature at uniform 5-meter depth intervals down to a maximum of approximately 285 meters.

Use Cases

• Analyzing the thermal stratification of the upper ocean using paired temperature-depth values.
• Studying short-term temperature variability in the Mediterranean Sea during late spring.
• Calibrating or validating regional ocean models with historical in-situ profile data.
• Investigating cruise-based spatial and temporal patterns from reported position, date, and time.

Strengths

• Data is processed to a recognized standard format (NODC C128) ensuring consistent structure.
• Provides precise temporal coverage for a specific cruise from 1968-05-16 to 1968-06-05.
• Temperature measurements are recorded at uniform depth intervals (5 m), facilitating analysis.

Limitations

• Key metadata conflicts: 'last updated' is 2026-03-05 on Data.gov but 1968-06-05 on NASA EarthData.
• Limited vertical coverage, with a maximum observation depth of ~285 m, restricting analysis to upper ocean layers.
• Complete column names, row counts, file size, and license information are unavailable from all sources.

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce

Collection Method

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

Time Range

1968-05-16 to 1968-06-05

Freshness

2026-03-05 23:25:07.862132

Geography

Mediterranean Sea (specific cruise track of R/V MIRTO)