North Atlantic Ocean Temperature Profiles from NOAA Ship Albatross IV

North Atlantic Ocean bathythermograph (MBT) data was collected by NOAA Ship Albatross IV from May 25 to June 7, 1966. The dataset contains temperature-depth profile pairs, processed by the National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC) into the standard C128 format. Observations are limited to the upper ocean layers, with a maximum depth of approximately 285 meters and temperature recorded at uniform 5-meter intervals.

Use Cases

• Analyzing the thermal structure of the upper ocean layers using temperature-depth pairs.
• Studying short-term temperature variability in the North Atlantic during the specified cruise period using date and time stamps.
• Mapping the spatial distribution of near-surface ocean temperatures using reported position (latitude/longitude) data.
• Investigating the performance and data characteristics of the Mechanical Bathythermograph (MBT) instrument.

Strengths

• Data is processed to a known standard format (NODC C128), ensuring consistency.
• Provides precise temporal coverage for a focused two-week research cruise in 1966.
• Includes core metadata for each observation: cruise information, date, position, and time.

Limitations

• Key quantitative details are missing across all sources: total row count, file size, and specific column names are unknown.
• Instrument limitation restricts observations to a maximum depth of approximately 285 meters, capturing only the upper ocean.
• Conflicting 'last updated' metadata exists between platforms (2026 vs. 1966), casting doubt on provenance tracking.

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Department of Commerce, collected via NOAA Ship Albatross IV.

Collection Method

Data gathered using a Mechanical Bathythermograph (MBT) instrument and later processed by the National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC).

Time Range

1966-05-25 to 1966-06-07

Freshness

2026-04-01 15:33:16.477817

Geography

North Atlantic Ocean (specific cruise track coordinates not detailed in provided metadata).