Historical Ocean Temperature Profiles from Palmyra Atoll

North Pacific Ocean temperature-depth profiles collected near Palmyra Atoll from September 1957 to August 1958. The dataset contains mechanical bathythermograph (MBT) observations processed by the National Oceanographic Data Center into the standard C128 format. Data is provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Use Cases

• Analyzing seasonal temperature changes in the upper 285 meters of the ocean near Palmyra Atoll using temperature-depth pairs.
• Studying the thermal structure of the ocean's surface layer with data recorded at uniform 5-meter depth intervals.
• Correlating historical oceanographic conditions with cruise information, date, position, and time metadata for each observation.

Strengths

• Data is processed to a standardized format (NODC C128), ensuring consistency for analysis.
• Provides a focused temporal record of approximately one year (1957-09-11 to 1958-08 03).
• Includes precise metadata for each observation: cruise information, date, position, and time.

Limitations

• Key technical details like row count, file size, and specific column names are unavailable from all sources.
• Instrument limitation restricts observations to a maximum depth of approximately 285 meters, capturing only the upper ocean layer.
• Sources conflict on the 'last updated' metadata, reporting dates in 2026 and 1958.

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

1957-09-11 to 1958-08-03

Freshness

2026-03-05 22:56:14.405268

Geography

North Pacific Ocean, Palmyra Atoll