MBT C128: Upper Ocean Thermal Profiles from 1968-69 North Atlantic Cruises

Mechanical bathythermograph (MBT) data from five vessels, including DOLPHIN and NOAA Ship Albatross IV, captured temperature-depth profiles at uniform 5-meter intervals down to approximately 285 meters. Data processed to the NODC C128 standard format provides a snapshot of the thermal structure of the upper ocean layers during a specific period. This dataset is useful for studying historical oceanographic conditions but is limited to shallow depths.

Use Cases

• Analyzing historical thermal stratification in the upper ocean based on paired temperature-depth values.
• Comparing seasonal ocean temperature profiles from 1968 to 1969 across different cruise locations.
• Validating or calibrating ocean model outputs for the North Atlantic using precise cruise, date, position, and time metadata.

Strengths

• Data is processed to a standardized NODC format (C128), ensuring consistency.
• Provides precise metadata for each observation, including cruise information, date, position, and time.
• Captures a focused time range (1968-07-30 to 1969-05-28) from five distinct research vessels.

Limitations

• The maximum observation depth is approximately 285 meters, limiting analysis to the ocean's upper layers.
• Metadata completeness is low; column names, row counts, and license information are not provided.
• A conflict exists in freshness metadata: one source lists a last update in 2026, while another lists the original data date of 1969.

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce

Collection Method

Data gathered using mechanical bathythermograph (MBT) instruments and processed by NODC.

Time Range

1968-07-30 to 1969-05-28

Freshness

2026-04-01 15:06:10.399755

Geography

North Atlantic Ocean