North Pacific Ocean Temperature Profiles from O'BRIEN Cruise, 1963

North Pacific Ocean data contains mechanical bathythermograph (MBT) temperature-depth profiles collected by the O'BRIEN vessel. The National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC) processed the data into its standard C128 format, comprising paired temperature-depth values recorded at uniform 5-meter intervals. Observations are limited to the period from March 25 to March 28, 1963.

Use Cases

• Analyzing thermal stratification in the upper 285 meters of the ocean using temperature-depth pairs.
• Studying short-term temperature variability in a specific North Pacific region during March 1963.
• Correlating cruise information, date, position, and time with observed temperature profiles.
• Investigating the limitations of Mechanical Bathythermograph (MBT) data for upper ocean layer studies.

Strengths

• Data is processed to a known standard format (NODC C128), ensuring consistent structure.
• Temperature values are recorded at uniform 5-meter depth intervals, facilitating systematic analysis.
• Each observation includes associated metadata: cruise information, date, position, and time.

Limitations

• Key technical details are unknown: total row count, specific column names, and file size.
• The maximum observation depth is approximately 285 meters, restricting analysis to the ocean's upper layers.
• Platforms disagree on the 'last updated' date (2026-03-05 vs. 1963-03-28), creating provenance uncertainty.

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce

Collection Method

Mechanical bathythermograph (MBT) instrument measurements processed by the National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC).

Time Range

1963-03-25 to 1963-03-28

Freshness

2026-03-05 22:50:08.379959

Geography

North Pacific Ocean