NOAA Ship Fairweather XBT Temperature-Depth Profiles from 1986

NOAA Ship Fairweather collected bathythermograph (XBT) data in the Coastal Waters of Southeast Alaska and British Columbia, Gulf of Alaska, and North Pacific Ocean. The dataset contains temperature-depth profile pairs recorded at inflection points to define the temperature curve, processed to the NODC standard C116 format. Data collection occurred from September 9 to October 27, 1986.

Use Cases

• Analyzing vertical ocean temperature structure using paired temperature-depth values.
• Studying historical thermal conditions in Gulf of Alaska and North Pacific coastal waters.
• Calibrating or validating ocean models with inflection-point profile data from 1986.
• Investigating cruise-based spatial and temporal temperature variations from specific ship tracks.

Strengths

• Data processed to a documented standard format (NODC C116).
• Profiles capture temperature at inflection points for accurate curve definition.
• Specific time range (1986-09-09 to 1986-10-27) and geographic regions are clearly defined.

Limitations

• Exact row count, column names, and dataset size are unknown.
• Conflicting last update dates: Data.gov shows 2026-03 05 (metadata update), while NASA Earthdata shows 1986-10-27 (data date).

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce

Collection Method

Expendable bathythermograph (XBT) instruments deployed from NOAA Ship Fairweather, data processed by NODC.

Time Range

1986-09-09 to 1986-10 27

Freshness

2026-03-05 22:25:58.287469

Geography

Coastal Waters of Southeast Alaska and British Columbia, Gulf of Alaska, North Pacific Ocean