North Atlantic Ocean Temperature Profiles from NOAA Ship Delaware II

Temperature-depth profiles were collected in the North Atlantic Ocean using expendable bathythermograph (XBT) instruments from NOAA Ship Delaware II. The data, processed by the National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC) into the C116 format, covers a specific cruise from January 20 to 25, 1971. This dataset captures temperature values at non-uniform depths, recorded at inflection points to define the ocean's thermal structure.

Use Cases

• Analyzing vertical temperature structure in the North Atlantic Ocean for a specific period in 1971.
• Studying historical oceanographic conditions and cruise-based data collection methods.
• Comparing inflection-point based depth recording (XBT) against uniform-interval methods (MBT).
• Researching the application of the NODC C116 standard format for temperature-depth profile data.

Strengths

• Data is processed to a recognized NODC standard format (C116) for bathythermograph data.
• Provides a precise temporal snapshot from a known vessel (NOAA Ship Delaware II) over a 6-day period in January 1971.
• Records temperature at inflection points, which can efficiently define the temperature curve with minimal data points.

Limitations

• The exact row count, column names, and file size are unknown from available sources.
• Sources conflict on the last updated date: one platform lists 2026-03-06 (likely a metadata update), while another lists the data's end date of 1971-01-25.
• Spatial coverage is described only as the North Atlantic Ocean without specific coordinates or bounds.

Provenance

Source

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), originally from NOAA Ship Delaware II.

Collection Method

Collected using expendable bathythermograph (XBT) instruments and processed by NODC into the C116 format.

Time Range

1971-01-20 to 1971-01-25

Freshness

2026-03-06 00:05:39.429151

Geography

North Atlantic Ocean