Historical Gulf of Mexico Temperature Profiles from Mechanical Bathythermographs

Mechanical bathythermograph data from the SANDS project captures ocean temperature-depth profiles in the Gulf of Mexico and North Atlantic. The dataset contains observations from June 17, 1965, to June 1, 1967, processed by the National Oceanographic Data Center into the standard C128 format. Each record provides cruise details, position, time, and paired temperature measurements at uniform 5-meter intervals down to a maximum depth of approximately 285 meters.

Use Cases

• Analyzing the thermal structure of the upper ocean (up to ~285m) during the mid-1960s.
• Studying spatial and temporal temperature variations using reported position and time data.
• Calibrating or validating ocean model simulations for the Gulf of Mexico region.
• Investigating historical ocean conditions by utilizing the standardized C128 format temperature-depth pairs.

Strengths

• Data is processed to a consistent, documented standard (NODC C128 format).
• Provides a specific two-year time range (1965-06-17 to 1967-06-01) from a defined project (SANDS).
• Temperature measurements are recorded at uniform 5-meter depth intervals, enabling structured analysis.

Limitations

• Key metadata such as 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.
• Platforms disagree on the last updated date (2026-03 06 vs. 1967-06-01), creating uncertainty about metadata maintenance.

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce

Collection Method

Mechanical bathythermograph (MBT) instrument measurements processed by the National Oceanographic Data Center.

Time Range

1965.06.17 - 1967.06.01

Freshness

2026-03-06 00:16:31.516271

Geography

Gulf of Mexico and North Atlantic Ocean