MURCHISON Bathythermograph Data from the Western Pacific, 1955

NODC-processed mechanical bathythermograph (MBT) data from the MURCHISON research cruise. The dataset contains temperature-depth profile pairs recorded at 5-meter intervals, focusing on the upper 285 meters of the ocean. Observations were collected in the Bismarck Sea, Coral Sea, Indian Ocean, and Solomon Sea between March 12 and April 19, 1955.

Use Cases

• Analyzing the thermal structure of the upper ocean (0-285m) using temperature-depth pairs.
• Studying historical sea surface temperature and subsurface variability in the Western Pacific region.
• Validating or calibrating ocean model outputs for the 1950s time period.
• Mapping cruise track and spatial distribution of observations using reported position data.

Strengths

• Data is processed to a standard NODC format (C128), ensuring consistent structure.
• Provides a specific temporal snapshot from a 38-day cruise in 1955.
• Records data at uniform 5-meter depth intervals for comparability.

Limitations

• Key metadata such as row count, file size, and specific column names are unavailable.
• Instrument limitation restricts observations to a maximum depth of approximately 285 meters.
• Platforms disagree on the 'last updated' date (2026-04-01 vs. 1955-04-19), creating provenance uncertainty.

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce

Collection Method

Mechanical bathythermograph (MBT) instrument measurements processed by NODC.

Time Range

1955-03 12 to 1955-04-19

Freshness

2026-04-01 15:30:40.399653

Geography

Bismarck Sea, Coral Sea, Indian Ocean, Solomon Sea