Historical North Atlantic Temperature Profiles from POLARFRONT I

285 meters is the maximum depth for temperature-depth profiles collected using a mechanical bathythermograph (MBT) aboard the POLARFRONT I. The dataset contains observations from the North Atlantic Ocean and Norwegian Sea over a 14-month period from July 1957 to September 1958. Data was processed by the National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC) into its standard C128 format.

Use Cases

• Analyzing seasonal temperature changes in the upper 285 meters of the ocean using depth-temperature pairs.
• Mapping the thermal structure of the North Atlantic and Norwegian Sea using cruise position and time data.
• Calibrating or validating ocean model simulations for the late 1950s with instrument-specific profile data.
• Studying the methodology and data format of historical NODC standard bathythermograph (C128) records.

Strengths

• Data provides uniform 5-meter depth intervals for consistent profile analysis.
• Covers a specific 14-month time range (1957-07-01 to 1958-09-18) for temporal study.
• Processed to a known, documented standard format (NODC C128) ensuring structured data.

Limitations

• Conflicting metadata: last updated date is reported as 2026-04-01 on Data.gov but 1958-09 18 on NASA Earthdata.
• Core dataset metrics 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 upper ocean layers.

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce

Collection Method

Mechanical bathythermograph (MBT) instrument measurements processed by NODC to C128 format.

Time Range

1957-07-01 to 1958,09-18

Freshness

2026-04-01 15:11:07.277501

Geography

North Atlantic Ocean and Norwegian Sea