Historical Upper Ocean Temperature Profiles from PAOLINA-T

PAOLINA-T collected 11 years of mechanical bathythermograph data in the North Pacific Ocean from 1948 to 1959. The dataset contains temperature-depth profile pairs recorded at uniform 5-meter intervals down to a maximum depth of approximately 285 meters. Data was processed by the National Oceanographic Data Center into the standard C128 format.

Use Cases

• Analyzing thermal structure of the upper ocean using temperature-depth pairs.
• Studying historical ocean temperature variability over an 11-year period.
• Mapping cruise tracks and sampling locations using reported position data.
• Correlating temperature profiles with specific dates and times for seasonal analysis.

Strengths

• Provides an 11-year continuous time series from 1948-09-01 to 1959-11-25.
• Data is standardized to the NODC C128 format, ensuring consistent structure.
• Temperature values are recorded at uniform 5-meter depth intervals for comparability.

Limitations

• Row count, total size, and specific column names are not provided by any source.
• Instrument limitation restricts observations to a maximum depth of approximately 285 meters.
• Conflicting 'last updated' metadata exists between platforms (2026-04 01 vs. 1959-11-25).

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce

Collection Method

Mechanical bathythermograph (MBT) instrument measurements processed by NODC.

Time Range

1948-09-01 to 1959-11-25

Freshness

2026-04-01 15:08:51.846616

Geography

North Pacific Ocean