North Atlantic Ocean Temperature Profiles from NOAA Ship Albatross IV

Temperature-depth profiles from the upper 285 meters of the North Atlantic Ocean were collected by NOAA Ship Albatross IV from October 16 to November 1, 1970. Data was processed by the National Oceanographic Data Center into the standard C128 format for mechanical bathythermograph observations. Each profile contains pairs of temperature and depth values recorded at uniform 5-meter intervals.

Use Cases

• Analyzing the thermal structure of the upper ocean (0-285m) using paired temperature-depth values.
• Studying short-term oceanographic variability during a specific cruise period (1970-10-16 to 1970-11-01).
• Correlating sea surface temperature patterns with subsurface profiles in the North Atlantic.
• Using cruise information, date, position, and time metadata for spatiotemporal analysis of ocean conditions.

Strengths

• Data is processed to a known standard format (NODC C128), ensuring structural consistency.
• Provides specific temporal (1970-10-16 to 1970-11-01) and geographic (North Atlantic Ocean) context for each observation.
• Temperature measurements are recorded at a uniform 5-meter depth interval, facilitating comparative analysis.

Limitations

• Key metadata such as row count, file size, license, and specific column names are unavailable from all sources.
• The dataset is limited to the upper ocean, with a maximum observation depth of approximately 285 meters.
• There is a conflict in freshness: one platform lists a 2026 metadata update, while another lists the data end date (1970-11 01) as the last update.

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce

Collection Method

Mechanical bathythermograph (MBT) instrument measurements processed by NODC.

Time Range

1970-10-16 to 1970-11.01

Freshness

2026-03-06 00:19:33.554792

Geography

North Atlantic Ocean