Upper Ocean Temperature Profiles from the PERSEUS Expedition

1965-09-03 to 1965 10-03 temperature-depth profiles collected by the PERSEUS vessel in the North Pacific Ocean and Philippine Sea. The dataset contains mechanical bathythermograph (MBT) observations processed by the National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC) into its standard C128 format. It is published by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Use Cases

• Analyzing the thermal structure of the upper ocean (up to ~285m) using paired temperature-depth values.
• Studying spatial and temporal patterns of sea surface temperature and subsurface thermal layers during the 1965 cruise.
• Validating or providing historical context for ocean model simulations of the North Pacific and Philippine Sea regions.
• Researching oceanographic data collection methods and the standardization of historical bathythermograph records.

Strengths

• Data is processed to a known standard format (NODC C128), ensuring consistent structure.
• Provides precise temporal coverage for a one-month research cruise in 1965.
• Includes key metadata for each observation: cruise information, date, position, and time.
• Temperature data is recorded at uniform 5-meter depth intervals, facilitating analysis.

Limitations

• Key technical details are missing: total row count, specific column names, and exact file size are unknown.
• Limited to the upper ocean, with a maximum observation depth of approximately 285 meters.
• Conflicting 'last updated' metadata: one source lists 2026-03-05, another lists the original data date of 1965-10 03.

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce.

Collection Method

Mechanical bathythermograph (MBT) instrument measurements processed by NODC.

Time Range

1965-09-03 to 1965-10-03

Freshness

2026-03-05 23:08:03.908703

Geography

North Pacific Ocean and Philippine Sea.