Mechanical Bathythermograph Profiles from North Atlantic Cruise

285 meters is the maximum observation depth for these mechanical bathythermograph (MBT) temperature-depth profiles. The data was collected aboard the PAUL LANGEVIN III in the North Atlantic Ocean over a 20-day period in August 1962 and processed by the National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC) into the standard C128 format. Each profile consists of temperature-depth value pairs recorded at uniform 5-meter intervals.

Use Cases

• Analyzing the thermal structure of the upper ocean (0-285m) using temperature-depth column pairs.
• Studying historical ocean conditions in the North Atlantic using cruise, date, position, and time metadata.
• Calibrating or validating ocean model outputs for the upper ocean layer with in-situ temperature profiles.
• Investigating short-term (20-day) oceanographic variability during a specific cruise track.

Strengths

• Data is processed to a known, documented standard (NODC C128 format).
• Provides precise temporal (1962-08-05 to 1962-08-24) and spatial (North Atlantic Ocean) context for each observation.
• Temperature measurements are recorded at a consistent, high-resolution 5-meter depth interval.

Limitations

• The exact number of rows (profiles/observations) and specific column names are unknown.
• Instrument limitation restricts data to the upper ocean only, with a maximum depth of approximately 285 meters.
• Sources conflict on the 'last updated' date (2026-04-01 vs. 1962-08-24), casting uncertainty on metadata maintenance.

Provenance

Source

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI).

Collection Method

Collected via mechanical bathythermograph (MBT) instrument during a research cruise and processed by NODC.

Time Range

1962-08-05 to 1962-08-24

Freshness

2026-04-01 15:30:14.927073

Geography

North Atlantic Ocean